How To Grow Fragrant Roses

Growing fragrant roses requires you to choose a variety bred for its fragrance.

Although roses are renowned for their distinct scent, many have little to no fragrance. If you want to grow fragrant red roses, the heavily scented Chrysler Imperial and Mr. Lincoln varieties can be good options. The America rose is a climbing bush that produces pink blooms with a sweet, rich scent. Although white roses often have little to no smell, the Pristine variety has a traditional rose scent. Gold Medal is the most heavily scented yellow rose.

Things You'll Need

• Bare-root rose
• Organic matter
• Superphosphate
• Shovel
• Hose
• Mulch
• Quality rose fertilizer
• Sharp gardening shears
• Gloves
• Disinfectant

Instructions

Planning and Preparing

1. Visit your local nursery to find fragrant roses that will grow well in your area; in general, a nursery will only sell roses suited to the local climate. One of the most heavily scented, cold hardy roses is the Knock-Out rose, although the Elle hybrid tea rose does well in very hot climates, according to All-America Rose Selections.

2. Purchase your roses. It is important to procure a high quality bare-root plant -- it should have at least three branches, also known as canes, coming out of the root of the plant, and the canes should be at least 3/8 inch thick. Those plants are known as "category one" roses, and will typically provide you with a healthier, more fragrant rose bush. Although you can grow roses in containers, they tend to produce the best scent when planted directly in the ground.

3. Pick a site away from other trees and shrubs that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. There should be good air movement around the site. If you're planning to plant your roses against your house or another structure, make sure the area in front of the roses is open.

4. Loosen the soil to at least 1 foot down and layer 3 to 4 inches of peat moss, leaf mold or potting bark over the area.

5. Spread superphosphate at the rate of 3 lbs. per 100 square feet over the area. Thoroughly mix the soil, organic matter and superphosphate.

Planting and Care

1. Soak the root ball of the plant in lukewarm water for an hour before planting; that will help the rose to establish a strong root system in the ground.

2. Plant your bare-root rose, and mulch the area around the plant with organic mulch at least 3 to 4 inches thick. The mulch will help to protect your rose from disease, helping it remain fragrant and healthy.

3. Keep your roses watered so the soil is moist 12 to 18 inches beneath the surface. Roses typically smell best when in moist soil, although too much water can damage the roots. Keeping the soil consistently wet, but not soaked, will provide the best fragrance from blooms.

4. Water at the base of the bush, not over the top. Watering at the base prevents damage to the petals and increases fragrance. Spraying over rose leaves and blooms can dampen the smell and increase the chances of disease in the bush.

5. Healthy roses produce the best scent. Talk to the staff at your local nursery about threats to your roses. The types of pests and diseases that can affect roses vary by location, and each requires different preventions and treatments.

6. Begin feeding your fragrant roses when new growth first appears. Apply a quality rose fertilizer, according to package directions, to the base of the plant so it can reach the roots. Make sure to avoid getting fertilizer on the canes, foliage or blooms; the chemicals can damage the bush and alter the smell of the petals.

7. Apply fertilizer throughout the growing season. For most varieties of roses, feed the bush after each batch of new blooms, usually two to three times during the season. However, the frequency of feedings can vary depending on the type of fertilizer you use.

8. Take care of any diseases your rose develops promptly. Wearing gloves,use sharp gardening shears to cut the infected cane off of the bush and carefully remove the cane without letting it touch the rest of the bush. If more than one cane is infected, clean your gardening shears with a disinfectant after each cut.

9. Stop fertilizing your fragrant roses approximately 2 months before the first expected frost. For most areas of the U.S., the last feeding should occur at the end of August or the beginning of September.

10. Do not prune or cut your roses after the first week of September. Doing so will prompt new growth, delaying the rose's natural process of hardening for winter.

11. Prune your roses in the spring the year after planting. Using sharp gardening shears, remove any dead canes at the point where they join with other canes. If the cane is coming from the base of the plant, cut it 1 to 2 inches above the base. To promote new growth and blooms, carefully thin out the center of the bush, strategically cutting canes at an angel. By opening up the center of the bush, you will allow more water and sunlight to reach the base of the rose, keeping it healthy and fragrant.

Tips & Warnings

• Roses can be planted any time between spring and fall, although fragrant roses tend to do best with spring planting, after the threat of frost is past.

• If your soil is rich with nutrients, limit fertilizing to once or twice a year; over-fertilizing a rose can alter its fragrance and potentially harm the bush.

References

• Ohio State University; Planting Roses; Jane Martin and Angie Eckert; 2001
• All America Rose Selections; Regions; 2011
• University of Illinois Extension: Our Rose Garden; Water, Mulch and Fertilizer
• All American Rose Selections; Rose Care
• Roses For South Central Texas; Breeding and Fragrance
• Maryland Geological Survey; Early Spring Rose Care; Albert Ford; April 2003

Resources

• American Rose Society; Ten Principles of Pruning; Robert B. Martin;