How to: Select a Rose by Scent

It is no mistake that we are told to ‘stop and smell the roses’ in a bid to slow down and savour the fine things in life, for roses are famed for their soft, fragrant petals that can calm even the most agitated mind. The emotional response to the fragrance of a rose has been well documented throughout history and is still associated with positive feelings of love, romance and well-being.

There are five distinct fragrance characteristics that can be attributed to roses, and these are generally listed with a grading of light, medium or strong intensity. When choosing a rose, don’t forget to consider both looks and scent, as both can be just as enchanting, and if you'd like a little help, join us on a scent journey through our roses.

This is the only fragrance in the rose world produced by the stamen rather than the petals, so you need to smell deep into the bloom to capture its olfactory notes.  With clove, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, musk also contains hints of almond, nougat, sea salt and honeycomb with a touch of amber resin.

• Paul’s Himalayan Musk
• Francis E Lester
• The Albrighton Rambler
• Rambling Rector

The most diverse of rose scents, this bears a mixture of all soft fruits.  Some roses bear the fresh notes of Granny Smith apples and pear, others are more jammy, or combined with the more exotic fragrances of mango, guava, nectarine or cherries.

• Tranquility
• Dannahue
• Gabriel Oak
• The Country Parson
• Olivia Rose Austin