The scent of roses

Whether sweet or intoxicating, the scent of roses always offers some moments of happiness. There are several families of perfumes, each one quite distinct, let us see how to differentiate them.

Sweet or intoxicating fragrances

The fragrance of a rose will always be intensified by the right climatic conditions. Thus, a warm and humid weather will allow the perfumes to exhale at best. It is little known, but it is when the flower is in bud that the perfume develops.

The petals emit the majority of the fragrance, which is why English roses and old roses with a lot of petals generally smell better than hybrid tea roses selected for the straightness of their stems, the shape and the color of the flower rather than for the fragrance.

The stamens also emit fragrances often reminiscent of clove or musk, so a single rose can combine several types of scents.

The different fragrances of roses

1. Old rose

This is the scent that most reminds us of the rose in the collective unconscious. The scents are rich, strong, sometimes haunting but always balanced.

The most classic examples are "Harlow Carr", "Bolshoi", "Gertrude Jekill" or "Falstaff", which are very characteristic of the genre.

2. Musk

As we have seen, it is usually the stamens that give off the musky scent. There are few roses that smell only of musk. The smell is often associated with that of the old rose as on "The Generous Gardener" "Monica Bellucci" or "Francine Austin". Many hybrids from the well named "Rosa moschata" have invaded the market for the pleasure of our senses.

3. Tea

Often present in yellow or slightly orange colors, the scent of tea has no equivalent other than the opening of a box of fresh tea. Two well-known examples of this delicate scent are "Graham Thomas" and "Crown Princess Margarita".

4. Fruity

Apple, citrus, pear, apricot, raspberry, grape or even guava: some roses have a very fruity and complex scent. Among them, "Rene Goscinny", "Botero" or the famous "Jude The Obscure" an example of the genre!

5. Myrrh

Perfume with oriental connotations, the roses exhaling the scent of myrrh remind, some spices or incense. A strong, powerful and bewitching scent characterizes these roses. "Contance Spry" is the most beautiful example.

The stem rose, planting, maintenance and pruning

Ideal as an isolated subject on a lawn, the stem rose is a very elegant shrub, especially when it is covered with flowers. Although its silhouette is a little different, it meets the same growing conditions as other roses.

What is a stem rose?

A stem rose is a horticultural achievement, this form does not exist in nature. It is usually a classic rose grafted at a height of 1m to 1.20 m on a vigorous rootstock. Very often, Rosa canina is the species chosen as rootstock for stem roses.

This type of rose tree is therefore a first class ornamental subject in the garden.

Depending on the choice of the rose, its habit can be weeping or upright. Many well known roses exist in a 'stem' version, so you can choose among the many varieties.

When to plant a stem rose?

As with all roses, the best time to plant a bare-root rose is in winter, except during frosty periods. For plants purchased in containers, planting can be done throughout the year, except during periods of drought, hot weather or frost.

How to plant a stem rose?

One of the most important parameters is to choose a very sheltered place to plant your rosebush because its height and the small diameter of the trunk make it very fragile to the wind.

• Dig a 50 cm hole in all directions in a sunny area of the garden.
• Dress and prune the roots if it is a bare root rose.
• Plant a strong stake at the bottom of the hole facing the prevailing wind.
• Place a 2 cm layer of clay balls or gravel at the bottom of the hole.
• Mix some good potting soil and compost with the excavated soil.
• Place your rosebush in the center of the hole and fill it in with the mixture.
• Make sure the trunk is vertical and attach it to the stake.
• Water copiously and add soil if necessary.

How to maintain a stem rose?

Water your rosebush very often the two years following its planting, especially during the warm season. However, let the soil dry out a few centimeters before watering again. Scratch a mixture of compost, dried blood and ground horn powder at the base of your rosebush in early spring.

Mulch the base in summer to retain moisture in the soil. Mulching with cocoa shells or pine bark will look best on such an ornamental.

Pruning will depend on the growth habit of the rosebush, but it should be done at the end of winter whether it is an upright or weeping variety. In the first case, prune each branch to 2 or 4 eyes. In the second case, cut the branches that cross and clear the center of the shrub by removing all the dead wood and fragile stems. Then prune the end of the weeping stems to 40 cm from the ground.

If the rootstock produces shoots, prune them back to the ground.

Rose Hips

Rosehips are the fruit of the rose hip or rose bush and can be used in cooking provided they have not been treated.

Until the end of winter, it is possible to harvest berries from wild rosebushes in the French countryside, or elsewhere, as these rosebushes are indigenous to many parts of the world. Those in your garden are also edible, if you have not chemically treated your roses...

Rosa canina is the most common variety, it is easily found, but there are several others:

• Rosa arvensis,
• Rosa pimpinellifolia (purplish fruits, very sweet),
• Rosa rubiginosa (the "rusty rose", its leaves smell like apple),
• Rosa gallica,
• Rosa sempervirens,
• Rosa moyesi (large gourd-shaped fruits)...
• Rosa villosa, or hairy rose, grew a few centuries ago at the gates of Paris.

Guillaume de Villeneuve, in "Les crieries de Paris", attests that there was an important trade of these berries in France in the Middle Ages. Rosehips were dried to be eaten in winter like prunes.

Depending on the species and the living conditions of the rosebush, the vitamin C content varies enormously, however, the rosehip is the champion fruit of all categories. A single small rosehip can contain more vitamin C than a large lemon, and rose fruit is also very rich in provitamin A.

These little fruits are also very good. It is possible to eat them raw, when they are ripe and well colored, but you have to be careful not to eat also the seeds and stinging hairs in the center of the fruit. Rosehips, whether wild or from your garden, soften after a few frosts, and it is easy to put them through a food mill to keep only the pulp.

You can also cut them in half to remove the inside, or cook them, a little, in boiling water until they are soft enough to pass through the food mill without any problem. This soft, acidulous and sweet pulp, but relatively dry and without juice, will be used to make jams, syrups, wines, liqueurs, creams and pastries, sweet or savory soups. It can also be used as a sauce for pasta or pizza (homemade...) in the evening: in the 50's the American food industry used rosehip pulp as an additive in ketchup.

The different types of roses

In the vast world of roses, there are many species and especially varieties adapted to multiple ornamental uses in the garden. These shrubs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and silhouettes offering a wide range of possibilities.

Landscape roses

Also called shrub roses, landscape roses can reach a height of one meter. Their bushy silhouette is made up of highly branched branches that are covered throughout the summer with bunches of small flowers, often single or semi-double. Very floriferous and robust, they are ideal in low hedges, in beds, and even in rock gardens. These roses require very little maintenance and are available in a multitude of colors.

Shrub roses

These are the best known roses for gardeners who generally grow them in beds and flowerbeds. Formerly called 'Floribunda' or 'Polyantha', these roses can reach a height of nearly 1.20m. The flowers are well formed and resemble those sold in florist shops in shape. There is a multitude of varieties, more or less perfumed and variously colored. The famous 'André Le Notre' or the mythical 'Black Baccara' with its almost black roses belong to this category.

Stem roses

They are obtained by grafting a chosen variety on a vigorous rootstock (like Rosa canina) at a height of 1m to 1.20m. This type of rose does not exist in nature, it is a creation by Man. Stem roses are available in weeping or upright versions and are wonderful in isolation on a lawn. These subjects of outstanding ornamental interest must be protected from wind and cold.

Ground Cover Roses

They are very popular and are used in urban parks! Easy to grow and requiring almost no maintenance, they have a low, spreading habit, ideal for edging beds, paths or simply to dress up a slope or rockery. Ranging from 50 to 80 cm in height, they come in a multitude of varieties with flowers borne in compact bunches covering a wide range of colors and blooming for many months.

Climbing roses or ramblers

Climbing roses or ramblers have a vigorous and sometimes exuberant vegetation. The thick stems become lignified at the base and grow longer, sometimes exceeding 10 m in length. They are ideal for covering a facade, a pergola, or creating a scented arch, but also to mask an old tree, a fence or a cistern.

Miniature roses

They are usually grown from cuttings and are intensively cultivated by growers who consider them disposable consumer products after flowering. Miniature roses are very rarely grafted and do not have great vigor, which is why they are so difficult to preserve. These small plants, which rarely exceed 30 cm, are ideal for use in pots in an apartment or on a balcony. If you like the adventure, you can try to plant them in the ground so that they develop there but the failures are numerous.

The great families of Roses

The rose is a universally known flower. It has been adorning gardens with its magical beauty and bewitching fragrance for centuries. Over the years, it has become the undisputed queen of flowers, available in many species and varieties with very particular characteristics.

Origins of roses

Whatever the species or variety, roses all belong to the Rosaceae family.

The wild rose is the best known form of the wild rose. It can be recognized by its highly branched habit and the many single flowers it has. Nowadays, these roses are called botanical roses.

In Europe, only gallic roses were cultivated for their perfume and their medicinal virtues. Then came the time of conquests and the appearance of oriental roses or "Damask Roses" which allowed the discovery of new colors and the creation of remontant hybrids: a revolution in the field!

Since then, the work of the various breeders has tended to find the ideal rose, one that is both beautiful and resistant to disease, climatic conditions and pest attacks.

The main families of roses

• The old roses represent a very particular style, it is the rose in all its splendor. These roses have a less rigid bushy habit than modern roses. The foliage is less shiny, more wavy and paler and is generally less susceptible to disease. These roses are best recognized by their large, very double flowers with many tightly packed petals arranged in quarters and enclosed in a crown. Their fragrance is often very strong. English roses can be considered by their style as old roses.
• Large flowered roses or tea hybrids are the result of hybridizations between tea roses and gallic roses or centifoglia, they are the most sold roses in the world and the most present in catalogs. They are recognizable by their stiff, upright stems bearing a single rose at their tips. They can reach a height of six feet, and are generally very remontant. Priority is given to the shape and color of the flower, sometimes to the detriment of the fragrance. It is the most popular rose for cut flowers in florists' shops.
• Climbing roses can be of the two types mentioned above. They are roses with a very strong development and whose flexible stems can reach more than 3 m high without worry. Very ornamental, they brilliantly decorate pergolas, arches and trellises and can even be trained on a stem for a "weeping rose" version, ideal as an isolated subject on a lawn.
• Polyanthas" or "floribundas" are hybrids bearing numerous flowers in bunches, generally blooming upwards and very colorful. Small in size (maximum 1m) and well stocked, they are ideal for forming beds or bright flowerbeds.
• Miniature roses form small bushes not exceeding 60 cm in height. Roses of 3 to 6 cm in diameter are often very abundant and colorful. These roses tolerate very well a culture in pot on a terrace or a balcony if they are often watered. They are ideal for borders in the garden because they bloom for many months.

Botanical roses

Botanical roses are at the origin of the thousands of cultivars present on the market. Often very vigorous ancestors, they should not be confused with horticultural roses.

Differences between botanical and horticultural roses

Botanical roses are wild roses that have been growing in the wild for thousands of years. They are native to Northern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Often shrubby, sometimes climbing, they are not remontant, which means that they bloom only once in the season, in late spring or early summer. The single 5-petaled flowers are mostly fragrant. They are then followed by very decorative red or black rose hips.

These wild roses have been hybridized to create the thousands of cultivars that exist today.

Horticultural roses do not exist in their natural state. They were created by man. The multiple hybridizations gave birth to the varieties called ancient or modern. Since then, creators never stop inventing new cultivars, more resistant, more floriferous, or easier to cultivate.

The main botanical roses

We will discover here the main botanical roses, it was necessary to make a choice, the list is not exhaustive.

Rosa banksiae is a climbing rose with long, very flexible and smooth stems, originating from Western China. Very vigorous, it can reach 12 m in height and 6 m in spread, but it fears late frosts. Its pale green leaves are covered in May with numerous small double white flowers (3cm in diameter) with a delicate violet scent.

Rosa bracteata comes to us from the South East of China. Its growth is very fast and it can cheerfully reach 4 m of height for 6 of spread. Its dark green glossy leaves are carried by very thorny stems. It produces from June to October simple, white and flattened flowers with wavy petals of 8 cm in diameter.

Rosa damascena, better known as "Damask rose" is a bush with thorny stems that can reach 2 m high, native to the Middle East. The leaves are greyish-green. It is covered in summer with bouquets of 3 to 11 white or pale pink flowers, flat of 5 cm in diameter.

Rosa eglanteria also known as Rosa rubiginosa or rosehip. This is the best known and one of the most vigorous botanical roses. Its thorny and arched stems of 2,5 m of height for as much of spread carry dark green leaves with the perfume of apple. It is covered in July with pink flowers, simple in cup. Our rosehip is native of a vast zone which extends from Europe, to North Africa and from the West to the North of Asia.

Rosa foetida comes to us from Western Asia. It can reach 1,50 m in all directions. Its arched stems carry pale green leaves and in June simple bright yellow flowers of 5 cm in diameter.

Rosa officinalis is also known as "Rose de Provins" or "Rose des Apothicaires". It has a compact form, measuring only 80 cm in height and 1 m in spread. In summer it produces semi-double red/pink flowers with a strong smell.

Rosa glauca is a very vigorous subject with reddish-green stems that can reach 2 m in height. It is native to the mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. It produces in summer small bunches of pink flowers with a paler heart and golden stamens.

Rosa moschata is native to Western Asia. It has a wide habit and can reach 3 m in all directions. Its purple-green foliage serves as a showcase for bouquets of flat, simple, creamy-white flowers. Its musky perfume is unforgettable.

Rosa wichuraiana is a vigorous climber that can be used as a ground cover because it spreads over nearly 6 m for a height of 2 m. In summer, it produces bouquets of 6 to 10 flowers in white cups with bright yellow stamens. Their perfume is delicately spicy.