Have you ever leaned in to sniff a bouquet of roses, only to discover they had no scent? How disappointing! Such beauty without the sweet scent that I remember once was. When I was young we had a rose bush in the back yard that required nothing (or at least that's what it got) for care and always had beautiful, abundant and fragrant blooms. I have planted mail order roses claiming to have an inviting scent and once again was disappointed. Where has the fragrant, intoxicating rose gone?
After a bit of research I have learned some interesting things. Due to demand for size, color, form and disease resistance- much of the fragrance has been inadvertently bred out of todays modern roses. I appreciate the beauty of a rose. I appreciate the beauty of all flowers. I expect my roses to smell like roses!
So what's a rose lover to do? If you want to grow your own try an heirloom variety or choose roses described as "strong" scented. Ask your florist for more fragrant roses if their selection doesn't satisfy your senses. They in turn will ask their suppliers/growers, and eventually it will come back around to what nature intended. Smellin' like a Rose!
