One of the many delights of strolling through a garden, beyond the visual, is its fragrances—of the dew at dawn, freshly cut grass, and, of course, the heavenly aroma of our flowers in bloom, especially fragrant roses.
We’ve rounded up some of the most fragrant rose varieties that are as appealing to the nose as they are to the eye. To help with plant selection, each description includes a description of the rose’s perfume, the mature rose plant’s size, light requirements, best time to plant, and a retail source for each variety. And although a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, we dig into some of the stories behind the roses’ names. While only some named roses have a story to tell, all of these perfumed roses have alluring fragrances that leave us wanting more.
A Garden of Fragrant Roses
‘Lady Emma Hamilton’
Fragrance Notes: Fruity with hints of pear, grape, and citrus
Classification: English shrub rose bred by David Austin
Color: Tangerine orange
Hardiness Zones: 5-9
Plant Size: Up to 4′ tall and 4′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Lady Emma Hamilton, a blacksmith’s daughter and former dance-hall girl, was the wife of a British ambassador and later became the lover of Horatio Nelson, a heroic British officer in the Royal Navy. Her story was later portrayed by Vivien Leigh in the film, That Hamilton Woman. This fragrant rose variety was dubbed after Emma to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, where Nelson met his demise.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘Double Delight’
Fragrance Notes: Strong spicy fragrance
Classification: Hybrid tea rose
Color: Buttery cream edged with strawberry red
Hardiness Zones: 7-10
Plant Size: Up to 4’ tall and 4’ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
Where to Purchase: Heirloom Roses
‘Graham Thomas’
Fragrance Notes: Light, tea-rose fragrance
Classification: English shrub rose bred by David Austin
Color: Bright, rich yellow
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 10’ tall and 4’ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade.
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Named for British horticulturalist Graham Thomas. His collection of Old Roses formed the basis of the British National collection at Mottisfont Abbey.
Where to Purchase: Heirloom Roses
‘Just Joey’
Fragrance Notes: Sweet and fruity
Classification: Hybrid tea rose hybridized by Cants of Colchester
Color: Orange, lightening to apricot toward petal edges
Hardiness Zones: 6-10
Plant Size: Up to 5’ tall and 3’ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: This plant named in honor of Joey Pawsey, the wife of hybridizer Roger Pawsey at Cants of Colchester (the oldest commercial rose growers in Britain).
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘Scentimental’
Fragrance Notes: Strong spicy fragrance with sweet notes
Classification: Floribunda shrub rose bred by Weeks Roses
Color: Swirls and splashes of burgundy red on creamy white
Hardiness Zones: 6-10
Plant Size: Up to 4’ tall and 3.5’ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
Where to Purchase: Weeks Roses
‘Munstead Wood’
Fragrance Notes: Strong and fruity (blackberry and blueberry), old rose fragrance
Classification: English shrub rose bred by David Austin
Color: Deep crimson
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 3’ tall and 3.5’ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Munstead Wood was the Surrey, England home of British horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll. Jekyll created more than 400 gardens in Europe and the US before her death in 1932.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘Patience’
Fragrance Notes: A scent of fruit, lilac, and myrrh
Classification: English garden rose bred by David Austin
Color: Cream, buttermilk
Where to Purchase: These David Austin Iconic Wedding Roses are currently only available as cut flowers from wholesalers and florists.
‘Mister Lincoln’
Fragrance Notes: A strong melon fragrance
Classification: Shrub rose bred by Jackson & Perkins
Color: Crimson
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 6′ tall and 3′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Named after one of our most respected presidents, this crimson beauty was presented, most appropriately, with All-American Rose Selections honors in 1965 for its color, shape, and sweet fragrance.
Where to Purchase: Jackson & Perkins
‘Madame Alfred Carrière’
Fragrance Notes: A musky fragrance
Classification: Climbing rose introduced in 1879 by French grower Joseph Schwartz.
Color: Pale pink and creamy white
Hardiness Zones: 6-11
Plant Size: Can grow up to 20′ on a wall, arch, or trellis
Light Requirements: Full or partial sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Alfred Carrière was the editor of the French gardening journal, Revue Horticule. It seems that Madame Carrière’s name may be lost to time. See more of the history of this rose in “Unkown Women and Well-Known Roses.”
Where to Purchase: The Antique Rose Emporium
‘The Generous Gardener’
Fragrance Notes: Mix of old rose, musk, and myrrh
Classification: English climbing rose bred by David Austin
Color: Pale pink
Hardiness Zones: 4-11
Plant Size: Up to 15′ tall, great for a wall, fence, arch, or trellis
Light Requirements: Full to partial sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: The rose was named in honor of the 75th anniversary of the British National Garden Scheme charity that grants access to more than 3,700 private gardens to visitors across England and Wales.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘Honey Perfume’
Fragrance Notes: An irresistible spicy fragrance
Classification: Shrub rose bred by Jackson & Perkins
Color: Apricot yellow
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 4′ tall and 3′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
Where to Purchase: Jackson & Perkins
‘Jubilee Celebration’
Fragrance Notes: Bold, fruity fragrance with hints of fresh lemon and raspberry
Classification: English shrub rose bred by David Austin
Color: Salmon pink
Hardiness Zones: 5-11
Plant Size: Up to 4′ tall and 4′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: This richly-colored rose was named to commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee, which occurred in 2002 and marked the 50th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘At Last’
Fragrance Notes: A classic, perfumed rose scent
Classification: Shrub rose bred by Proven Winners
Color: Apricot orange
Hardiness Zones: 5-9
Plant Size: Up to 3′ tall and 3′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: As the name suggests, the large sunset-colored rose is the first disease-resistant rose with a strong scent for the Proven Winners company—and it couldn’t come soon enough!
Where to Purchase: Proven Winners Direct
‘Louise Odier’
Fragrance Notes: A strong, sweet Old Rose perfume
Classification: Shrub rose developed in France in 1851
Color: Warm, saturated pink
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 5′ tall and 4′ wide
Light Requirements: Full to partial sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
Where to Purchase: Heirloom Roses
‘Fragrant Cloud’
Fragrance Notes: A bold mix of citrus, spice, fruit, and rosy damask—the overall scent has been compared to the smell of cloves or pumpkin pie
Classification: Shrub rose bred by Tantau of Germany
Color: Coral red
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 5′ tall and 4′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
Where to Purchase: Heirloom Roses
‘Constance Spry’
Fragrance Notes: A strong scent of myrrh
Classification: English climbing rose bred by David Austin
Color: Deep pink
Hardiness Zones: 5-9
Plant Size: Up to 20′ supported on a wall, fence, arch, or trellis
Light Requirements: Full or partial sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: One of the first David Austin roses, this British beauty was named after the grande dame of floral design. Constance Spry hit her stride in the 1920s, and changed the game of floral design by embracing the practice of loose, fluid arrangements. She pioneered the use of unorthodox materials (or at least what was considered unorthodox at the time) such as weeds, fruits, vegetables, and berries. Armed with a love of gardening and uninhibited imagination, she went on to be a best-selling author and an authority on creating exquisite arrangements. Learn more about Constance Spry.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’
Fragrance Notes: A damask perfume fragrance
Classification: Shrub rose introduced in 1843 by Lyon rose breeder, Jean Béluze
Color: Pale pink
Hardiness Zones: 6-11
Plant Size: Up to 4′ tall
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Introduced in 1843, these fragrant roses were originally called ‘Queen of Beauty and Fragrance.’ It grew in the gardens that Josephine Bonaparte (the wife of Napoleon) established at Malmaison in France, which once housed one of the largest collections of roses in the world. The rose’s name was changed to honor the estate when one of the Grand Dukes of Russia obtained a specimen for the Imperial Gardens of Russia.
Where to Purchase: The Antique Rose Emporium
‘Julia Child’
Fragrance Notes: Licorice and spice
Classification: Shrub rose bred by Weeks Roses
Color: Butter yellow
Hardiness Zones: 6-9
Plant Size: Up to 3′ tall and 2′ wide
Light Requirements: Full to partial sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: Julia Child, an American who found her passion while living abroad, was a master chef who shared the art of French cooking through her television series and award-winning cookbooks. Before her passing in 2004, the Queen of French Cuisine herself selected this bushy rose as her namesake.
Where to Purchase: Weeks Roses
‘Ambridge’
Fragrance Notes: A strong myrrh scent, reminiscent of aniseed
Classification: English shrub rose bred by David Austin
Colors: Apricot, peach, orange, and copper
Hardiness Zones: 5-10
Plant Size: Up to 3′ tall and 2′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: This perfumed rose is named for the village of Ambridge, the fictional setting of the long-running BBC Radio show, The Archers.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
‘Madame Isaac Pereire’
Fragrance Notes: A musky fragrance
Classification: Shrub rose introduced in 1841 bred by Antique Rose Emporium
Color: Fuchsia
Hardines Zones: 5-11
Plant Size: Up to 5′ tall and 4′ wide
Light Requirements: Full to partial sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
What’s in a Name: An old Bourbon rose also referred to as ‘Le Bienheureux de la Salle,’ this lovely lady was introduced in 1881 and named after the wife of a wealthy French banker.
Where to Purchase: The Antique Rose Emporium
‘Alba’
Fragrance Notes: Sweet clove with a hint of citrus
Classification: Shrub rose from northern China, Korea, and Japan
Color: Snowy white
Hardiness Zones: 2-8
Plant Size: Up to 7′ tall and 6′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter in zones 4-8. In zones 2-3, plant in fall before the freeze (and protect) or in early spring immediately after thaw.
Note: This rose is known to be invasive in some coastal areas and Alaska.
Where to Purchase: Jackson & Perkins
‘Heritage’
Fragrance Notes: A mix of fruit, honey, and carnation with a hint of myrrh
Classification: English shrub rose bred by David Austin
Color: Medium pink
Hardiness Zones: 5-11
Plant Size: Up to 5′ tall and 4′ wide
Light Requirements: Full sun
When to Plant: Bare-root plants can be planted throughout winter.
Where to Purchase: David Austin Roses
By Jason Burnett