fragrant roses that produce abundant perfect cut blooms

Nahema

PJP II

Stainless Steel

And of course, Sonia Rykiel produces a bunch every single week!!

Nahema

PJP II

Stainless Steel

And of course, Sonia Rykiel produces a bunch every single week!!

Incredibly beautiful. It's hard to pick a favorite.

Oh. My. Gosh. Toooooooo beautiful. Sooooo can't wait for Nahema and Sonia to do that. Even Evelyn. You seriously have some gorgeous gorgeous roses. Thanks for sharing and making the next 5-6'weeks even harder. Lol. Judy

Those are stunning bouquets, absolutely breathtaking. Thanks so much for sharing! I have to say that Augusta Louise has stolen my heart and I am so excited for my Evelyn to bloom this spring now that she has been moved to a sunnier spot.

Those arrangements look incredible, fragrance! Of the ones you have pictured, I have Beverly, Pope John Paul II, Firefighter, Mme. Isaac Pereire, Memorial Day and Frederic Mistral. Beverly and Memorial Day were both new last year, and I can see they both have potential for good bloom production. Frederic Mistral hasn't bloomed yet, but is looking very healthy, so anxious to see it. Mme. Isaac Pereire is a good bloomer, PJPII is getting better, but still has a way to go as far as vigor, Firefighter is improving every year, but no where near that many blooms at once, you grow some amazing roses! I love everyone of them, your Stainless Steel is lovely, never thought I would like that rose, but your pictures make it tempting. The Granada arrangement is almost unreal, so lovely and Sonia Rykiel is one gorgeous rose!

Wow! I will keep going back to this threat to admire your gorgeous roses. You need to share your secret of making you roses producing such beautiful blooms and I cannot wait to see pics of your garden. Thank you for sharing. Helen.

Wowzer! Your photography and your roses are absolutely beautiful. Just what I needed to see when I look out my window at our 25 degree snow covered back yard!

Your photos of Augusta Luise, Evelyn, Frederic Mistral, and Memorial Day are just killing me with their beauty, and I have to wait for weeks to see mine. And they will never produce blooms in such abundance. Sonia Rykiel continues to be amazing, just unbelievable. All your bouquets are beautiful. Diane

Judy and Diane, the anticipation is half the fun!

Sara-Ann, Fredric Mistral takes a while to start producing but ones he establishes you'll have endless cut blooms on long stems throughout the warmer months.

Helen, there is no secret but they are all grown on fortuniana rootstock which means I have vigorous large bushes with heaps of blooms all the time.

Ameri2nal, I don't always take the best pictures but I am learning and improving slowly.

Not all my blooms are lovely. Only about 30% are suitable for cutting and arrangements. Others have blemishes from our strong winds and bugs, or too open to last in the vase, or stems not long and straight etc. They are still good from a distance and I leave them on the bush. The more perfect roses I cut the more blooms on long stems I get in the next flush!

Thank you fragrance, I'm looking forward to seeing the blooms of FM. After seeing your bushes loaded with blooms on Karen's thread, I can see how you are able to cut so many, with plenty to spare!

Ugh! I am IN LOVE with Sonia Rykiel. I must have it. The only place I see it listed for sale is Roses Unlimited, but I'm not sure if they will send out just a single rose. I think I'll give Pat a call.

Darn, Roses Unlimited is out of Nahema, but at least I got a Sonia Rykiel. Yes, based on your photos! Is it my imagination or does Sonia Rykiel's flowers look a lot like Alnwick Castle?

Looks like more people will be growing and showing Sonia Rykiel soon. :) This rose has a bad reputation on this forum for having long floppy canes. This is true in the juvenile stage of the plant. But as the plant matures the canes get thicker and harder and they stop flopping. Give her lots of sun and a bit of time and you'll have lots of beautiful fragrant cut roses!

Noseometer, I have not grown Alnwick Castle but I remember it was not as fragrant as Sonia Rykiel and judging by your user name I think you'll enjoy SR very well. You must get Nahema when you get the chance next time as it is also heavenly scented. Nahema has more petals in Autumn. Here it is today :

Nahema is fantastic. One of my favorite roses. Just fabulous. The scent is to die for and she's a great bloomer right off the bat unlike most climbers. She also blooms throughout the entire bush so is a good pillar rose as she doesn't need compete pegging to be productive.
I think Sonia looks more like Boscobal. I'm going to order her even though I really dont have any room. LOL I just cant get over your photos!

I can't believe you have such quantity of roses and such quality!!! I'm in awe!!!! There is no way to pick a favorite for me!!! Droooooool!!!

I never cut roses, because here in zone 3, they last soooo much longer on the plant than in the house.

Wow!!! Fragrancenutter!!!! Wow!!!

Carol

Stunning.

Wow, I am not usually drawn to pink roses but Nahema is just stunning. I must have this one now. Thank you for sharing for I have never seen this rose before.

You have a LOT of beautiful roses. I really like all your single flower bouquets.

Yes Carol, I wouldn't be cutting so many roses if they lasted well on the plant like in your zone 3. Here in the heat they blow and fry and get wasted if left on the plant.

So you make the best of it by bringing them inside. What a beautiful way of making lemonade from lemons. :)

Carol

How cold hardy are nahema and Sonia Rykiel? ? I might have to add to my order....

Finally I have cut a bunch of Double Delight. While DD loves flowering she is more or less a continuous bloomer for me, producing a few flowers all the time. The petals also fry quite easily on the bush in dry heat so it's not easy to cut a lot of perfect blooms in one go. Having said that this is still one of my favourite roses as the flowers are reliably fragrant even in the heat. Also they last well in the vase and they look great in mixed bouquets. I am happy with only a few blooms each time since they are produced all the time. This rose also begins flowering early in the season and is one of the last roses to stop flowering in winter.

beautiful bouquet!!! just stunning!!! i am so impressed!!!

carol

Here is Memorial Day from today without the scalloping edges

And some Frederic Mistral from today as well:

Fragrancenutter...Alnwick Castle is strongly fragrant to me, so much so that when cut an indoors, it is almost too strong, if that is possible! Indoors, the myrrh aspect is much stronger . So if Sonia Rykiel is stronger yet...Yowza! I can't wait!

I have mixed feelings about Nahema, maybe it's a good thing that RU was out. Being a fragrance addict was my main reason for wanting to grow it. The flowers don't look as elegant as its parent Heritage, the photos of the bush show a gangly and stiffly upright plant. Is that really how it is? I wonder if David Austin is tearing his hair out when he sees people breeding with his roses, and the product is something he might have rejected (despite other qualities) which Nahema might be, given its appearance. Then again I bought First Crush, even though I didn't like the look of the flowers in the photos, because of the reported fragrance. We shall see.

Noseometer, I think you'll enjoy SR's fragrance. There is no myrrh tone to it at all but simply refreshing. I agree Nahema is an upright bushy plant rather than your typical climbers but the stems do arch down with the weight of the flowers and the fragrance is certainly one of the best in both strength and character. The flowers don't blow fast like its parent Heritage which I think is a major improvement as I can't cut flowers that blow fast. There are also hardly any thorns at all which is a plus. Anyway, I would definitely grow it again if I move house.

I agree that Nahema is almost an improvement on heritage as its fragrance and lasting power far outnumber its parent. Heritage is said to grow rather tall and lanky too, but mine have remained somewhat bushy on fortuniana. Nahema is more of a pillar rose and does well growing more upright, although I believe it will grow laterals if pegged. Dont dismiss Nahema, in many ways I think she really is an improvement on Heritage, although I do like both.

Here is Tipsy Imperial Concubine. She has large flushes of flowers and they withstand crazy dry heat better than any other roses I have. This is a bunch I cut today after a few days of temperature in the 110+ range. Most other roses have fried yesterday.

oh! those are soooo pretty!!! i would love to get that rose!

carol

Your tipsys ( tipsies? haha) are lovely:) They look a lot pinker than mine, do they get paler as the season gets on?

hmm must give my Frederical Mistral a bit of a boot-your bouquets are a reminder of how gorgeous he can be and I think I want them all now..especially Stainless Steel and Nahema...

Beautiful....that's it, I just have to get Nahema... Firefighter has a space ready but where oh where shall I plant Nahema...

Does Nahema withstand high temperatures without scorching?

I am so glad I have Mme Isaac Perriere, still no blooms, but surely worth the wait - they are out of this world...

I am surprised how well Evelyn has tolerated recent heat. Here she is today:

She is not as fragrant when the temperature is high though.

Jess, the Nahema plant can withstand a lot of heat. The flowers do scorch in extreme heat but they are produced all the time so as soon as the heatwave is gone the flowers are beautiful again. You can also cut the blooms and bring them in when it's very hot and they will look and smell very good in the vase.

Fragrance, your roses just keep getting better! I love Memorial Day and Frederic Mistral shown close to each other, a good way to see the color differences. Tipsy Imperial Concubine and Evelyn are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing all the beauty!

Sonia Rykiel produces very large sprays of flowers from her basal shoots and you only need one of these to make an instant bouquet.

Sigh. Now I really want Nahema. Anyone else sell it other than Roses Unlimited?

Fragrancenutter: Thanks for the info on SR's fragrance. Nope, I'm not a myrrh fan, so I'll be looking forward to sniffing! Your Evelyn's are beautiful! My first blooms have been orange, although they do turn more pink as they age. I hope my plants start producing flowers like yours.

these pics are soooo wonderful. i can't wait for summer!

carol

Nahema is fantastic and I highly recommend. Keep in mind however, that it has a rather peculiar form to its leaves and they are always somewhat curved and look as though she is wilting. This is a characteristic of her and it doesn't mean she is experiencing heat stress. She's very heat tolerant.

I'm not a huge fan of red roses, but I'm very interested in Fire Fighter. I have Veteran's Honor and its my best vase rose, I've heard Fire Fighter is even better and with fragrance. That's a winner in my book.

Evelyn is a great rose its my second favorite rose (next to Dames De Chennonceau) it likes heat! Mine is HUGE. Over 8 feet tall but she blooms all the time and she blooms even more in the summer when most roses stop production for a while.

Noseometer, your Evelyn looks lovely too. It will grow into a monster before you know it! Sonia Rykiel is reliably strongly fragrant in the heat.

SoFL, you must try fire fighter. It is the single most fragrant rose I have and I only grow the most fragrant ones! It is a fantastic cut flower. Unfurl slowly when cut and has long straight stems with tiny thorns. It is always fragrant even in high heat which is rare in roses. The fragrance is totally swoon worthy which is like Barbra Streisand but even stronger. Repeat is very fast for me. I can find no real negatives in this rose except the bush does get tall even when I cut the flowers off on long stems. The new basal canes can snap off in windy conditions so best tied to stakes when young. You'll love this one because you like cut roses and fragrance.

I need to find it on Fortuniana!! :)

Curdle, my tipsy opens pink then as the blooms age they do get lighter. They last a long time on the bush.

Carol, I think tipsy is a real heat lover so I don't know if it'll be the best rose for you. The flowers don't open up properly when it is too cold.

yeah, roses that need heat may not be the way to go. i can live vicariously through the forum!

carol

coolroses.com has Nahema on Fortuniana and Ludwigsroses.com also has it listed.

Kelly

You know, I got my Nahema at Cool Roses and its not grafted. Its on its own roots. If they do have it on fortuniana, I'd love to get it. I go there each year in June for their annual sale (they open the nursery and let people shop). I'd love to get my hands on a grafted Nahema. They have one in the garden of their home and it had recently finished blooming and was COVERED in hips. I cant imagine what it would have looked like had I gone a few weeks before, it would have been a lovely site to see all those blooms.

Oh good. I just ordered one from them and prefer own root. I guess I saw that they have fortuniana and assumed all their roses were grafted...

I remember Geoff (the owner) commenting on the fact that he wasn't sure if his monstrous Nahema was grafted or not. At the time I didn't have Nahema (I actually bought it that day) and I wasn't as obsessed with it as I am now. This summer I will be inspecting it however to see if it is grafted and see if he will graft me one if his is.

You may wonder how I even knew it was Nahema when it wasnt in bloom (it needed dead heading badly). It was such a HUGE, healthy and robust bush (growing on an arbor, but pretty much up right and self supporting, albeit tall) that I asked him what variety it was. Not many roses grow that enthusiastically here in SoFL so I had to know. I was quite impressed with it and brought one home immediately. Mine is in a not so great location where it doesn't get as much sun as it should, but it grows and blooms decently. But if theirs was grafted, I'd really want to get a grafted one. Their specimen was so lovely!

RU has Sonia Rykel!!! I'm SO ordering it! :)

More Nahema today for those drooling over this rose. :)

Evelyn goes quite pale and beige after a few days in the vase. A few Nahema on the right.

sigh...i needed that. :)

carol

Sighhhhhhh...... so lovely....

Memorial Day is fast becoming one of my best fragrant cut roses. I cut a large bunch last weekend as you can see above and an even bigger bunch today! The flowers are strongly fragrant and they are born singly on long thornless stems. Yes that's right there was not a single thorn on this bunch of roses. So easy to handle! What a rose lover's dream come true!!!

And to my surprise another bunch of Double Delight!

wow!!! how many rose bushes do you have?? over 100? i'm just amazed!!!

carol

Not at all Carol, I only have about 35 bushes for cutting as I have limited garden space. All the bouquets you see here were cut from a single rose bush per bouquet. That's why I am so impressed with some of these roses as they really are flowering machines!

Seriously! This thread is unreal!! Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Can't wait for my Sonia and Nahema to do that!! What's your care routine for your roses?? Fertilizer, water, everything!!! Judy

Those Double Delights are gorgeous! Your roses are simply amazing, just like Judy said, this thread is unreal!

i don't think it's the rose varieties that are amazing. i think it's you that is amazing!!!!

incredible!!

carol

Thanks girls but I don't think I can take all the credit as there are roses that just don't do that well in my garden. Gertrude Jekyll for example has very poor repeat after the Spring flush. Fragrant Plum has not been as floriferous as I'd like either. But yes I will outline what I do with my roses when I have a little more time, if you're interested, Judy!

i'm very interested!

carol

Ok here it goes.... I am in a hot dry area and my native soil is like beach sand with very little organic matter at all and water repellent when dry. So in order to grow anything at all soil amendment is the first thing I do. Before planting I would dig a big hole and mix the sandy soil with added Bentonite clay and aged pulverised chicken manure for water retention. I would then add iron sulfate and citric acid to acidify my soil (which would otherwise be pH 8-9, and most plants will show chlorosis), then I would let the soil sit for 2 weeks before planting. At the time of planting I would add a trace element mix and then drench the soil with a water wetting agent. I then mulch the soil with fresh garden waste - usually trimmings from my trees and vines etc. All organic matter is recycled back into the soil in the form of mulch. I have a shredder and any branches and leaves that are thin enough will go through the shredder. The large branches are used under large trees as mulch. They take much longer to rot down. They small and soft trimmings and shredded mulch rot down pretty quickly with the heat. With water restriction here I can only water 3 times a week by reticulation. Without the mulch no new plantings will survive. I plant in Autumn and very early Spring when rain is still available for the plants to establish. There is zero rain here in Summer for months on end. In terms of fertilizers there's the chicken poo at planting and then I top dress with manure every winter. After each large flush of flowers (every 6 weeks or so) I would also apply a granular general garden fertilizer to the garden beds high in potassium. If there are signs of chlorosis I would top dress with citric acid and micronutrient mix and water it in. Sometime if this is not enough I would drench the soil with iron chelate. Some roses are more susceptible to chlorosis than others. Double Delight is particularly susceptible. The garden trimmings provide humic acid when they rot down and help to neutralise my water which has a pH of 8-9 and very high in calcium. In wet winter season the reticulation is required to be turned off for 3 months by our local regulations. A thick layer of mulch will help retain whatever rain we can get in the soil. I hack all my rose bushes down to 1 foot tall in winter, then spray immediately with lime sulfur. This is usually the only fungal spray I need to do per year as it's so dry here and fungus don't do well. In Spring I have major issues with thrips and I will spray with deltamethrin and confidor until the plague settles. Sometimes if insecticides were not controlling their numbers I have to remove every single flower and buds from the bushes and have a break from flowers to break their reproductive cycle. Those damn thrips! They tend not to be as bad in summer and autumn for some reason. Anyway, that's it really, and I cut a lot of blooms for indoors which helps to control the size of the bushes and forces them to regenerate.

wow!! you do a lot! you also have a great grasp of chemistry. you should copy what you wrote and save it, so that if anyone asks again, you can just paste it. i can see why your roses are so fabulous - unlike me you put a lot of thought and experience into what you do. i kind of just guess what i should do. thanks for the great info!!!

carol

Thanks so much fragrance. I will copy it like Carol says for future use. Thanks so much for taking the time to type Out all of your great info. I really appreciate it. Your roses are breath taking!! Judy