I’m frequently asked to recommend my favorite fragrant roses. There’s something special about all roses, but add a delightful scent, and you have a showstopper! Not many tops a beautiful rose in full bloom with a magnificent fragrance. A slice of heaven in the garden!

Best Fragrant Roses

I planned to create a “top ten” list of my favorite fragranced roses, but I found it difficult to limit it down. As a result, I made a list of my favorite “top 12” fragrant easy-care roses, organized by color. I’ll try to explain them at my best.

Red Fragrant Roses

Mister Lincoln: An oldie but still a goodie and the bestselling red rose of all time. This handsome rose has been standing proud in many gardens since it was first bred in 1964. It’s one of the best red hybrid tea roses characterized by velvety red petals, classic form, and a very strong traditional rose fragrance.

Lasting Love: This red hybrid tea rose features unusual shimmering blooms and a powerful rose fragrance. Very large flowers (6″) are a deep dusky red with a deep pink glimmer. New growth is burgundy red. More vigorous than most other red hybrid tea roses.

White Fragrant Roses

Secret’s Out!: A pure white hybrid tea rose with cuplike 4″ – 6″ blossoms with a strong, spicy fragrance. A prolific bloomer throughout the season. Good disease resistance and makes great cut flowers.

Madame Hardy: This old-fashioned garden rose bred in 1832 is a real photogenic charmer. It flowers only once per season, but the sheer abundance and heady (almost lemony) fragrance of the very double, pure white blooms more than compensate.

Pink Fragrant Roses

Falling in Love: This beautiful hybrid tea rose exhibits sturdy stems carrying large, classically formed blooms of warm pink with a cream reverse. The full flowers have a robust rosy fruit fragrance.

Elle: Combining a solid spicy, citrus fragrance with a classic high-centered rosebud. Elle is a hybrid tea that produces pink shell flowers with deep yellowish undertones. The dark glossy foliage contrasts nicely with the soft, non-fading flowers and offers above-average disease tolerance to mildew and blackspot.

Purple / Levander Fragrant Roses

Barbra Streisand: An avid rose lover, Barbra was very picky when it came to picking a rose that would bear her name. She certainly chose well since this hybrid tea rose with large hardy lavender blossoms can nearly overpower you with its sweet solid ( rose & citrus blossom) scent—vigorous grower and great for cutting.

Burgundy Iceberg: The Burgundy Iceberg floribunda rose is one hardy, exceptionally disease-resistant compact shrub with abundant blossoms. The purple-magenta blooms have a light to medium rose fragrance. IT looks super planted next to apricot-colored flowers.

Yellow Fragrant Roses

Sun Sprinkles: This bright yellow miniature rose has a pleasing spicy, musky scent. With excellent disease resistance, Sun Sprinkles is a perfect choice for limited space gardens or containers. The cheery flowers are long-lasting with glossy, dark-green foliage. It grows to about 2 ft. tall.

Sunsprite: A yellow floribunda rose, Sunsprite has bright yellow flower clusters that are intensely fragrant with a scent of licorice or spicy-sweet. Another nice feature is the disease resistance of this rose. Yellow roses are generally not this hardy – this is a good and easy care floribunda.

Coral / ORange / Apricot Fragrant Roses

Honey Perfume: This apricot floribunda definitely suits the name. Honey Perfume reaches a height of approximately 3 1/2 feet and has a strong spicy fragrance and excellent resistance to disease, including rust and powdery mildew. Looks great by itself or planted as a low hedge. Flowers soften to nearly white.

Tropicana: I love this rose! An award-winning long-stemmed hybrid tea rose with coral-orange classic blooms. Glossy, dark green foliage sets off the flowers. Strong, deliciously fruity fragrance. A real stand out in the rose garden. This is the complimented rose in my yard!

It is thought that a connection may exist between fragrance and other rose attributes:

• Darker-colored roses are generally more fragrant than lighter-colored ones.
• The red and pink varieties are more closely associated with the classic rose scent.
• Heavily petaled roses usually have a stronger or more intense scent than those with fewer petals.
• Orange or coral roses are often associated with a fruity scent.
• The yellow and white rose aromas are often compared to the fragrance of violets and nasturtiums and lemony scents.