[GYO Girl]

I have decided I would like more roses in my garden.  All I have at the moment is a few climbers - Zepherine Drouhin, St Pauls Scarlet, Climbing Iceberg and Pink Perpetuee - and although they are flowering well this year there is no scent. 

I want scent!  And preferably a long-ish flowering season.  Other than that I'm open to suggestions. 

What is your all-time favourite rose that you wouldn't be without?

[mumofstig]

I have some lovely roses here, but the one that I have planted in each of my gardens,  except the Greek one, is Mme Alfred Carriere. White flowers may be considered a bit boring, but it is such a pretty, reliable, strong growing, repeat flowering rose with large sweetly scented flowers - that I wouldn't be without it. I planted one here last year 

Have a look at the roses on Peter Beales site restrict the search for 'very scented roses' or 'scented'
http://www.classicroses.co.uk/productindex.php?type=rose&prodfinderformroseScent=very-scented

David Austen roses are truly lovely - but must admit to being less than overwhelmed by some of their perfumes. They are scented to some degree - but not necessarily with what I think of as rose perfume  :blink: Although Falstaff, the dark red/purple one in my garden photo, is gorgeous in shape and smell 

[Debz]

Peace is a beautifully perfumed one. 

[Optimistic Gardener]

"Compassion" is a great climber.  I first saw it at the Geoff Hamilton gardens.  It was over 20ft tall with masses and masses of flowers growing up the outside of a conservatory wall.  It has unbeatable fragrance.  It grows really well (I planted one last year and already its up to the top of my 6ft fence panel).  Each bud is on a lovely single stem and there are no thorns so it is ideal for cutting.  The flowers are yellow into apricot into pink.  The fragrance just knocks you out.  I'm sure it can be pruned to be kept a bit smaller if you need it that way.

[Goosegirl]

I have a semi-circular rose hedge of "Felicia" - hybrid musk I think - with a bench in the middle. The fragrance it to die for! It is pink and full-flowered, and repeat-flowers in autumn if you prune the flowering branches off. It can grow leggy, so needs judicious pruning in winter to cut off older branches to about a foot to enable newer branches to take over.

[Growster...]

An Albertine!

Beautiful scent, and masses of flowers in a good year!

Also great for security, as nobody ever gets through one of those..;0)

[GYO Girl]

  Thanks for the suggestions - all duly noted, researched and added to the wish list!  Mum, I notice that Peter Beales suggests Mme Alfred Carriere as good for a north facing wall - this is therefore a definate must-have because I have exactly the right wall (a brick shed) which I had discounted as ever having anything pretty growing against.

I also notice that Peter Beale lists Zephirine Drouhin as fragrant.  Mine isn't.  I wonder if its because its still a youngster (only planted last year)?

I'm still a big fan of climbers, they take up less horizontal space and extend the interest upwards, freeing up more soil space for other plants - great value in my opinion!

[Optimistic Gardener]

Rambling Rector is also good for climbing up north facing walls - I've got my eye on one of those already!

[Trillium]

My Zepherine isn't really scented either despite claims. And I found very few of the David Austins to be nicely scented. You had to get up very close, as in nose on pollen, to smell them which is rather contrary to the point.

I have a huge New Dawn growing along my arbor; the flowers are gorgeous but the thorns are deadly.

I'm now falling in love with Tuscany Red that a friend gave me a cutting of. It's really hardy and almost drought resistant, which is a plus in my very dry summers.

[Stree]

The ceiling rose in the bedroom. I hate a bare cable just appearing out of the ceiling.
This rose is plaster of paris and cast with fruit and flowers Bachannalian fashion,which I have painted to match the William Morris wallpaper.
2nd choice is the white climbing rose on the trellis outside the old pigsty thet Rosie the rabbit and Henry the old french cockerel live in. Lovely couple.
Can`t remember the name of the rose, will have a look when next at the nursery I got it from.

[snow white]

Standard Hybrid tea rose, 1st sunset, looks and smell are devine, 2nd Iceburg white rose that stands well as a cut rose is sturdy as a plant looks clean and smells gorgeous.

[Beetroot queen]

In my garden all of them

I love roses but wont ever ever grow one, my grandad was a huge rose fan and just looking at them brings back too many sad memories, silly i know but i just cant. I love seeing other peoples and think they are beautiful but not where i can see them all day long 

Actually florence carries the middle name Rose as a tribute to the fact he was cremated the day she was born. 

He used to have such pretty roses.

Sorry back on topic

[Flowertot]

I would not be without my Princess Alexandra of Kent (David Austin).  Absolutely beautiful purply pink flowers and the scent is divine.

[mumofstig]

2nd Iceburg white rose that stands well as a cut rose is sturdy as a plant looks clean and smells gorgeous.

That's strange because most websites tell you that Iceberg has little scent as does the OP 

Climbing Iceberg ............ - and although they are flowering well this year there is no scent. 

[RichardA]

I was tempted to say the rose on a watering can but I am actually very grateful for this thread so I will stay respectful -- my garden lacks a rose and I have been undecided about what to get for a season or two. Good ideas from you all and I might steal a recommendation or two. I always liked WhiskyMac perhaps because it was the last rose my dad planted for my mum before he died but it has good and bad seasons so is not an automatic choice.