The aroma that enchanted the world – part 2

Roses with ‘Old Rose’ aroma: ’Cardinal de Richelieu’, ’Madame Hardy’, ’Noble Anthony’, ’L. D. Braithwaite’, ’Brother Cadfael’ and ’William Shakespeare’

The so-called ‘Old Rose’ aroma

This is the archetypal rose scent, considered a classic fragrance. It is traditional in nature, featuring warm, heady notes that are often softened by sweet undertones. It is unique and cannot be confused with any other; it is the most delicious of all rose fragrances. This aroma is almost exclusively characteristic of pink and red roses.

There are slight differences in the aroma among different groups of old roses, but this fragrance is mainly characteristic of Gallic roses, where it is more saturated and heavy. Bright representatives of this group include varieties such as ’Charles de Mills’, ’Tuscany Superb’, and ’Beau Narcisse’ , which have been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's ‘For Garden Merit’. Other notable roses from this category are ’Cardinal de Richelieu’ and ’Ombrée Parfaite’. It is impossible not to mention the captivating ”Apothecary's Rose", which has captured the hearts and noses of people since the Middle Ages. The Alba roses have a lighter and sweeter fragrance, as seen in varieties like "Celestial" or ’Felicite Parmentier’ . The variety ’Belle Amour’ is one of the very few that infused with noticeable notes of myrrh.

Damask roses boast the most classic 'Old Rose' aroma, and within this class, there are almost exclusively varieties with white flowers. ’Autumn Damasks’, ’Quatre Saisons’, ’Madame Hardy’, ‘Leda’ or ‘Celsiana’ remain popular to this day.

Later, Damask roses passed on some of their unique blend of aroma to the derivative class of Portland roses. Notable heirs of this fragrance include ’Comte de Chambord’, ’Rose de Rescht’, ’Indigo’, ’Jaques Cartier’ and many others.

Among more modern roses, which have Chinese roses or Bourbon roses in their ancestors and have a distinct aroma of ‘Old Roses’ belong also David Austin's English roses. Among other characteristics, they have fruity notes. Notable varieties include ’Gertrude Jekyll’, ’Brother Cadfael’, ‘Munstead Wood’.

Roses with Myrrh fragrance: 'Iceberg', 'Spirit of Freedom', 'St.Cecilia', 'Mary Magdalene', 'Glamis Castle', 'St. Swithun'

Myrrh fragrance

The name does not come from the biblical myrrh but from the herb Myrrhis odorata, which has a strong anise scent. This fragrance was first discovered in the vintage rambler 'Splendens', derived from the white rose Rosa arvensis. 'Splendens' gave rise to the pale pink Gallic rose 'Belle Isis', which was one of the original parent varieties used by British breeder David Austin in his crossbreeding program. Consequently, through its crossing with the floribunda ’Dainty Maid’, the variety ’Constance Spry’ arose, featuring a strong aroma of myrrh. This fragrance has found its way to many other English roses. It is the strongest in varieties such as ’Glamis Castle’, ’Corvedale’, ‘St. Cecilia’, ‘Scepter’d Isle’ or ’St. Swithun’ and others.

Not everyone likes this scent, especially when it is very rich. If you find yourself among such people - try something less intense, this fragrance can be delicious, especially in combination with other fragrances. Among the varieties with a less intense myrrh aroma are ’Spirit of Freedom’, ’Iceberg’, ’Bring Me Sunshine’, ’Belle Amour’ or ’Mary Magdalene’.

Roses with Tea fragrance: 'Vanessa Bell', 'Princess Alexandra of Kent', 'Pat Austin', 'Velvet Fragrance', Mary Berry Rose', 'Madame A. Meilland' / 'Peace'

Tea fragrance

This fragrance is actually similar to the smell of fresh tea leaves, hence its name. This fragrance originates from China and the Far East, originally thanks to the crossing of the repeat-flowering varieties Rosa gigantea or R. chinensis. The repeated and abundant flowering of hybrids from the Chinese rose lineage played a crucial role in creating the majority of modern hybrid roses, adding the distinctive aroma of Tea to many varieties. This aroma is present in more modern varieties, some of the Musk hybrids, in English roses, and, of course, in Hybrid Teas. However, in recent years, some Hybrid Teas have started to lose their prominent 'Tea' fragrance. The intensity and character of the Tea scent varies from a fresh violet fragrance to a harder, almost tarry.

Such an aroma can also be found among old roses, such as ’Sombreuil’, ’Catherine Mermet’ or ’Francis Dubreuil’. The classic Tea scent has ’Madame A. Meilland’, ’Mary Berry’, ’Velvet Fragrance’ and many other roses. Among the English roses it is especially great in such varieties as ’Pat Austin’, ’Princess Alexandra of Kent’,’Vanessa Bell’ or ’Molineux’ which had received the awards for its fragrance.

Roses with Fruity scent: "Henry Delbard', 'Abraham Darby', 'Pope John Paul II', 'Jude the Obscure', 'Grafin von Hardenberg', 'Westerland'

Fruity scent

It might surprise you to know that this diversity is because roses belong to the same botanical family as many fruits we commonly eat, including apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, apricots, peaches, and more. These fragrances primarily originate from two ancestors, Rosa chinensis and R. wichurana, and are frequently combined with other types of fragrances, especially the aroma of 'Old Roses.' This combination results in a particularly pleasant and delicious perfume.

Many English roses have a fruity aroma. The variety ’Jude the Obscure’ combines notes of guava, white wine and citrus; while ‘Abraham Darby’ has a very strong raspberry fragrance. ’Golden Celebration’ charms with summer notes of Sauternes wine and strawberry, while ’Jubilee Celebration’ soothes with the aroma of lemon and raspberry.

In recent years, other breeders have picked up on this scent and it increasingly began to appear in the novelties of Delbard, Meilland, Tantau and others. Georges Delbard presented two charming novelties ‘Thierry Marx’ with a strong aroma of lemongrass, and ’Henri Delbard’ whose fragrance starts with citrus notes, continues with notes of tea rose and mango, and ends with the smell of leaves and fresh grass.

Tantau had created its masterpiece ’Gräfin von Hardenberg’ with enchanting notes of vanilla and honey jasmine. The bush rose from Kordes ’Westerland’ warms with a strong aroma of spices. The white perfection from Jackson and Perkins ’Pope John Paul II’ brings citrus freshness.

Roses with Musk scent: 'Cornelia', 'Perennial Blue', 'Jaqueline du Pre', "Guirlande d'Amour", 'Buff Beauty', 'Scarborough Fair'

Musk

Although all the aromas described above come from the petals, the musk scent is released by the stamens and has an excellent ability to fill up the air around. This is especially common in cultivars that also have a large number of small single or semi-double flowers with a large number of stamens. It is very similar to the musky aroma that is widely used in perfumery. If you smell well, you can feel the aroma of cloves.

In his sonnet titled "To a Friend Who Sent Me Some Roses", John Keats praises the delightful scent of the musk rose, a flower he held in great affection:

“I saw the sweetest flower wild nature yields,

A fresh-blown musk-rose; 'twas the first that threw

Its sweets upon the summer: graceful it grew

As is the wand that queen Titania wields.”

The Rosa moschata played a major role in the modern lineage of musk roses—a large climbing variety with a light musky smell. In recent decades, the popularity of very full varieties has grown, resulting in an increase in the number of petals. However, this increase has led to a decrease in the number of stamens. Since the musk aroma comes from the stamens, the intensity of the musk fragrance in modern roses has become lighter with the reduction in the number of stamens.

However, even now, you can find many varieties within both Old roses and Modern hybrids that will fill your garden with the aroma of musk. Some notable examples include 'Buff Beauty', 'Queen of the Musk', 'Cornelia', and 'Kathleen'. The Lens Roses company has, over its history, created many masterpiece varieties of musk roses, such as 'Guirlande d'Amour', 'Poésie', 'Brigitte de Villenfagne' and many others.

It is also found among English roses, it is present the varieties like ’Tottering-By-Gently’, ’Snow Goose’ and ’Malvern Hills’. But more often it is not dominant and mixes with other aromas, for example in ’Comte de Champagne’ it is intertwined with notes of a honey. In ’The Generous Gardener’ and ’Scarborough Fair’ it is combined with the aroma of Old Roses, while in ’Windrush’ it is mixed with the spices.

Leaves and ‘Moss’

The so-called ‘Moss’ roses have been known for a long time. Shakespeare mentioned roses frequently in his plays and sonnets. He had a particular fondness for fragrant roses, with the sweet rose (R. eglanteria) being a favorite due to its fragrant leaves. It was R. moschata and R. eglanterra that decorated Titania's gazebo (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1):

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows

Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine.

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight;”

So not only rose flowers have attractive aromas. The young leaves of the sweet rose, Rosa rubiginosa, have an exquisite apple aroma, which is especially noticeable on warm summer evenings. It can be pruned to get as much young leaves as possible.

‘Moss’ roses have a moss-like growth on the stems and sepals that looks like a disease, but if you look closely, it is very beautiful. Moss roses are believed to be a mutation of the Centifolia rose, and other varieties have been added to their parentage. Their ‘moss’ can be soft and fluffy, or rough and waxy, but it is usually very fragrant to the touch.

Roses with mixed scent: 'Lucifer', 'Molineux', 'Bienvenue', 'Jubile Papa Meilland', 'Heritage', 'Golden Zest'

Mixed flavors

More and more roses from different classes are being crossed, leading to the most unexpected mixtures of aromas. Now, you can find magical combinations such as sparkling wine and black pepper in 'Great Maiden’s Blush'. The aroma of 'Perle d'Or' is a blend of black pepper, tobacco, spices, and peaches. 'Maman Cochet' combines the scents of peaches, apricots, raspberries, and earthy essential oils. The list can go on...

The beautiful combination of aromas can also be discovered in 'Moss' roses. For example, 'Blush Moss' harmoniously blends the coniferous aroma of leaves with the cool scent of green apples from its flowers. 'William Lobb' boasts a wonderful scent of Old Roses along with fragrant foliage.

The complex parental lineage of English roses has produced intriguing aromas. The scent of lilac now is found in ’Heather Austin’ and ’Barbara Austin’ and is combined with the scent of ‘Old Roses’. In ’Heritage’ the aroma of myrrh is combined with notes of fruits, honey and clove, while in ’The Lark Ascending’ the aroma of myrrh is mixed with the classic Tea fragrance.

The list continues, among the new varieties it is worth mentioning the incredible and twisted aroma of the rose ’Bienvenue’ from Delbard, where the Tea scent is combined with notes of lemon, basil and ivy. The classical Hybrid Tea ’Duftwolke’ from Tantau combines the aroma of Damask roses, citrus, fruits and spices. The Meilland Roses in their rose ’Jubilé Papa Meilland’ has created an incredible combination of Old Roses, Damask roses, citrus and fruits.

Such complex fragrances cannot always be accurately described, and often even the greatest fragrance connoisseurs cannot agree on the correct definition of the fragrance's character. However, this only adds to the charm and mystery.