20 The Most Popular Scented Rose Varieties

Not every rose gives off an aromatic scent. We are introducing you to 20 different types of scented roses that will delight you with their heavenly smell.

Which gardener doesn’t dream of a fairytale rose garden? In summer, in particular, it is worth taking a walk through rosaries and nurseries to find suitable varieties. When the rose ( pink ) not only looks beautiful but also the aromatic scent rises in the nose, it is usually already for the gardener’s heart. So that your chosen scented rose really comes into its own in the garden, it is best to plant it near your seat.

Fragrant climbing or rambler roses are wonderfully suitable for growing over pergolas or rose arches, for example. But you can also create small fragrance islands near paths so that the scent of the bush and bed roses wafts towards you as you pass. Hybrid tea roses are, on the other hand, very suitable as cut flowers for vases – you can even bring a piece of your fragrant rose garden into your home.

Unfortunately, the selection of scented roses is not too large compared to the totality of rose varieties. We explain below what distinguishes fragrant roses and what the location has to do with the intensity of the rose scent. Afterward, we will also introduce you to some popular scented roses with different growth forms.

Scented roses: properties & special features

Some roses can not only shine with their appearance but also give off an intense scent. Depending on the variety, it is fresh and fruity or sometimes sensual and beguiling. The queen of flowers, as the rose is also called, not only attracts many insects but also makes rose lovers rave in the truest sense of the word because the essential oils contained in the rose have a mood-enhancing and stress-relieving effect. These properties are also of interest to the cosmetics industry, where rose oil and rose water are often used as ingredients in perfumes, creams, and lotions.

Unfortunately, the fragrance has largely fallen by the wayside in the past few decades in rose breeding. Many of the modern rose varieties smell very little or no smell at all. Specially grown fragrant roses therefore often come from strongly fragrant wild roses. Many scented roses are vigorous due to these crossings, but also very susceptible to disease.

Roses with an intense scent can be found today mainly among the old roses, the English roses, but also among the hybrid tea roses. However, it is not only the genes that are decisive for the strength of the fragrance – the shape of the flower, location, and weather also play a decisive role. The sunnier, windless, and humid the location, the better the scent of the rose will unfold, since under these conditions, the essential oils of the plant are increasingly formed and released.

The 20 best fragrant rose varieties

If you are now in the mood for a fragrant rose for your garden or balcony, the following overview with the most popular scented roses can serve as inspiration.

Hybrid tea rose ‘Acapella’
Double, cherry-red flowers with a silvery edge; more often blooming; strong fragrance with a fruity aroma; upright growth with good branching; becomes about 80 to 120 cm high; very good leaf health; robust and winter-resistant variety
Shrub rose ‘Astrid Countess von Hardenberg’
Awarded the best fragrance variety in Rome in 2002; medium-sized, double flowers in burgundy red; more often blooming; intense fragrance; bushy growth with overhanging shoots (up to 130 cm high); location in full sun is recommended; medium leaf health
Hybrid tea ‘Augusta Luise’
Nostalgically double, peach-colored flowers; more often blooming; fruity, sweet hybrid tea scent; upright growth (up to 120 cm high); good leaf health; rainproof and heat-tolerant flowers; hardy

Floribunda rose ‘Blue Parfum’
Double, purple flowers with a silvery sheen; beguiling scent; blooms early and richly; more often blooming; bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); can also be used as a cut rose; medium leaf health
Rambler Rose ‘Bobby James’
Numerous creamy-white flowers; single flowering; intense fragrance; strong growth; can reach heights of 8 to 10 m; suitable for climbing frames and pergolas; good leaf health; very frost hardy

English rose ‘Constance Spry’
Popular shrub rose; very double, pink flowers with a light edge; the intense scent of myrrh; single flowering; upright bushy growth; grows up to 280 cm high; unfortunately only poor leaf health; hardy; suitable for hedge planting
Hybrid tea ‘Fragrance Festival’
Awarded the best scented rose in 1999; red, double flowers; more often blooming; beguiling scent; bushy growth (up to 70 cm high); high leaf health; suitable for group planting; good winter hardiness
Hybrid tea rose ‘fragrance gold’
Long, beautiful buds; double, pure yellow flowers; more often blooming; strong, spicy fragrance; compact growth; reaches heights of up to 100 cm; insensitive to weathering; medium leaf health; good frost resistance

Hybrid tea rose ‘Duftrausch’
Double flowers in bright purple rose; more often blooming; strong, spicy fragrance; strong, bushy growth (up to 120 cm high); good leaf health; suitable as a cut flower; robust, but needs light winter protection
Hybrid tea ‘fragrance cloud’
Voted the best scented rose of all time in the Rosendorf Steinfurth; double, coral red flowers; more often blooming; intense hybrid tea scent; bushy growth (up to 80 cm high); good leaf health; Awarded a World Rose and ADR Rose among others

Hybrid tea rose ‘Erotika’
Many dark red, double flowers; more often blooming; very strong, bewitching scent; strong, upright growth (up to 130 cm high); medium leaf health; awarded as ADR rose; good frost resistance
Hybrid tea rose ‘Frederic Mistral’
Scented rose of Provence; large, double flowers in brilliant light pink; more often blooming; intense fragrance with a hint of lime; strong, upright bushy growth (up to 90 cm high); medium leaf health; good winter hardiness
Rambler rose ‘Guirlande d’Amour’
Numerous semi-double, pure white flowers in racemes; more often blooming; the sweet smell of honey; strong growth; reaches heights of up to 4 m; very good leaf health; hardy; ideal for rose arches
Shrub rose ‘Hercules’
Very double, delicate lavender-colored flowers with a nostalgic charm; more often blooming; the pleasant scent of pear; upright bushy growth; reaches heights of up to 140 cm; good leaf health; hardy
Park rose ‘Jacque Cartier’
Named after the French explorer and navigator; medium-sized, double flowers in pure pink with a light border; more often blooming; reaches heights of growth of 100 to 150 cm; overhanging shoots; strong rose aroma; medium leaf health

Climbing rose ‘Laguna’
Double, pink flowers with a strong, fruity scent; very double flower umbels; more often blooming; upright bushy growth (up to 280 cm high); good resistance to powdery mildew and blackened soot; good winter hardiness; awarded as ADR rose
Historical rose ‘Mme Hardy’
Belongs to the Damascus roses; tightly filled, pure white flowers with green eyes; single flowering; strong lemon scent; upright growth with overhanging flowering branches (up to 200 cm high); easy to care for and healthy; hardy
Shrub rose ‘Rose de Resht’
Old French variety; descends from Damascus roses; medium-sized, bright red flowers; more often blooming; intense, heavy rose scent; compact growth habit (up to 120 cm high); good leaf health; rain and heat resistant; hardy
Hybrid tea rose ‘Senteur Royale’
Very large, double purple-purple flowers; more often blooming; intense, fruity-sweet fragrance; upright, bushy, compact growth; reaches heights of 70 to 100 cm; suitable for vase cutting; hardy
Shrub rose ‘Westerland’
A classic among the shrub roses; bright copper-orange flowers; more often blooming; very profuse in large umbels; intense fruity fragrance; well-branched, bushy growth (up to 150 cm high); very healthy; insensitive to rain and heat; frost hardy