A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but some are sweeter than others. Try these top-notch fragrant roses. They're disease resistant too!
Top 10 Fragrant Roses to Perfume Your Garden
Updated on Jul. 10, 2023
Look to modern hybrids for the best of both worlds: disease resistance and fragrant roses. These types of roses bloom continuously from spring to frost, providing color, lovely scents and all the glamour of old-fashioned shrubs.
Just getting started? Here’s everything you need to know about how to grow roses.
Olivia Rose Austin
Zones 5 to 11
A romantic rose with full, cupped rosettes of medium pink-colored blooms that appear early and last well into fall, Olivia Rose Austin is known for its fruity fragrance. The dark green foliage and shrub shape makes it ideal as a rose hedge. It grows 4 1/2 feet high and 3 1/2 feet wide.
Why we love it: Bodacious blooms reminiscent of English gardens make it perfect for summer-blooming perennial borders.
Floribunda rose vs grandiflora rose: what’s the difference?
Raspberry Cupcake
Zones 6 to 10
New for 2023, Raspberry Cupcake is a hybrid tea rose with a distinct raspberry and lemon scent. The medium pink, cup-like blossoms burst to life with an abundance of petals—an average of 65 per flower. Benefits include dark green foliage, disease resistance, upright shape and small size. Bushes only grow 4 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide.
Why we love it: These fragrant roses are ideal for bouquets thanks to slightly opened pink buds and sturdy stems.
Do roses need full sun or shade to grow best?
Heavenly Ascent Pink
Zones 5 to 9
Heavenly Ascent Pink is a newcomer from Monrovia in 2023. This compact climbing rose blooms generously from spring to frost. The large pink flowers have many slightly scalloped petals, creating a dainty look. This climber can reach 8 feet tall with support.
Why we love it: Draping over pergolas and archways, these fragrant roses provide a romantic cottage garden vibe for those who have small properties.
Why do roses have thorns (and hips)?
Eleganza Beverly
Zones 5 to 10
Eleganza Beverly has a fruity scent with a high note of pear and an undercurrent of patchouli. Large pink flowers are lighter on the outside and darker on the inside, giving a two-tone effect. It’s an upright plant, reaching 4 1/2 feet tall and 3 feet wide.
Why we love it: Enjoy the fragrance in fresh bouquets and again in potpourris by drying the petals.
Grow a Drift Rose as a fabulous flowering groundcover.
Brindabella Purple Prince
Zones 5 to 9
Purple Prince is known for its excellent landscape performance and bushy, upright habit. This disease-resistant, low-maintenance shrub rose reaches 4 feet tall and wide. The double flowers have an unusual dark red-purple color and a strong traditional rose scent.
Why we love it: No deadheading is required for continuous blooms throughout the growing season.
Check out the top 10 best companion plants for roses.
Reminiscent Crema
Zones 4 to 9
The overall effect of these creamy large blossoms works well in any floral arrangement or landscape. These fragrant roses are more cold hardy than others—hardy to Zone 4. Reminiscent Crema plants are also relatively small, reaching only 2 to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
Why we love it: Small enough to be grown in containers by the front door, it’ll greet visitors with its deliciously aromatic flowers.
Discover 7 surprising facts about roses.
Eau De Parfum Blush
Zones 5 to 10
Bred for exceptionally fragrant blooms, Eau de Parfum Blush from Monrovia has double-petaled intense pink flowers that soften to baby pink as they mature. It is a disease-resistant shrub with lush green foliage maturing at 4 feet high and wide.
Why we love it: The pink flowers complement purple flowering perennials such as allium and lavender, thus lending itself well to cottage gardens.
Is your rose garden struggling? Find out what your rose bush is trying to tell you.
Rise Up Lilac Days
Zones 4 to 9
This dense bloomer can be grown as a climber or as a shrub rose, depending on how you prune it. It produces clusters of semi-double flowers in a soft lilac color. The plant reaches about 5 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide.
Why we love it: It’s almost thornless! The versatility also makes it super appealing to home gardeners.
Learn when to fertilize roses and peonies.
Parfuma Bliss
Zones 5 to 10
This hybrid tea rose is known for a strong fragrance of fruity quince and ripe apricot with a whiff of vanilla. The double blooms are more than 3 inches wide. Yet the plant is compact at 3 feet high and 2 feet wide.
Why we love it: Large, ruffled blossoms have pink petals and apricot centers.
Don’t miss these pretty pictures of roses from home gardeners.
Dee-Lish
Zones 5 to 10
Dee-lish is a tall, hybrid tea rose that reaches 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The large deep fuchsia pink blossoms have a verbena and citrus scent. Blossoms grow on strong stems, ideal for flower arrangements.
Why we love it: Dee-Lish has won multiple awards and blooms in continuous waves until fall.
Next, learn why Knock Out Roses are a gardener’s dream come true.
