Mister Lincoln
Swim & Weeks, 1964 · Zones 5–9 · Deep velvet red · Intense damask fragrance
The rose “most fragrant” lists are tested against. A mature bush in warm evening air carries its damask perfume ten feet, and a single long-stemmed bloom will scent a room. Sixty years on, still the standard red fragrant hybrid tea.
View Mister Lincoln in the PetalPals catalog
Papa Meilland
Meilland, 1963 · Zones 6–9 · Crimson · Very strong damask fragrance
Rival to Mister Lincoln and often judged richer — a deeper, darker damask scent from deep crimson hybrid tea blooms. Slightly less vigorous, so in humid climates give it generous airflow and morning sun to dry the leaves.
View Papa Meilland in the PetalPals catalog
Double Delight
Swim & Ellis, 1977 · Zones 5–9 · Cream with red edges · Strong spicy-sweet fragrance
Fragrance and showmanship in one plant: the creamy petals redden at the edges as they open, and the scent is a famous blend of sweet rose and warm spice. Blooms nonstop all season, so the perfume never takes a break either.
View Double Delight in the PetalPals catalogGertrude Jekyll
David Austin, 1986 · Zones 5–9 · Clear pink · The classic old rose scent fragrance
If “rose perfume” means one specific smell to you, this is almost certainly it — the old damask scent, strong and true, on a modern repeat-blooming shrub that flowers from June to frost. Slightly prickly and best grown as a bushy shrub rose.
Munstead Wood
David Austin, 1991 · Zones 5–9 · Deep crimson-purple · Old rose with fruity violet fragrance
Gertrude Jekyll’s dark-romantic cousin — velvety claret blooms with a rich old-rose scent layered over blackcurrant and violet. A bushy, healthy shrub that stays around four feet, making it the best intensely fragrant rose for a smaller garden.
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Madame Isaac Pereire
Garçon, 1881 · Zones 6–9 · Rose-pink, quartered · Intensely fruity old rose fragrance
The perfume champion of the old garden roses — a mature plant in October bloom can stop you from across the garden. Old-fashioned quartered pink flowers on a Bourbon that repeats, with a spectacular fall flush that rivals its summer one.
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Fragrant Cloud
McGredy, 1963 · Zones 6–9 · Coral-orange · Strong sweet-fruity fragrance
Proof that fragrance isn’t only red: rich coral-orange blooms with a heavy, fruity, almost tropical perfume. A tidy hybrid tea that delivers scent in a color palette where true fragrance is rare.
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Crimson Glory
Wilhelm Kordes, 1935 · Zones 6–9 · Velvet crimson · Classic damask fragrance
The ancestor of most fragrant red hybrid teas, and still worth a spot for its nodding, intensely perfumed velvet blooms. Old-fashioned habit — shorter and arching — that suits the front of a border where the fragrance can be reached.
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Jubilee Celebration
David Austin, 2002 · Zones 5–9 · Salmon-pink with gold · Strong fruity with lemon-raspberry fragrance
Large domed blooms of salmon-pink touched with gold, carrying one of the most complex scents of any modern rose — lemon, raspberry, and fresh fruit over a rose base. A refined, well-rounded shrub that repeats generously.
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Madame Hardy
Julien-Alexandre Hardy, 1832 · Zones 4–8 · Pure white, green eye · Legendary damask fragrance
The most famous of the white damasks — snow-white, perfectly quartered blooms with a tiny green eye at the center and a scent that defined “old rose perfume” before it was named. Once-blooming in early summer, and worth every square foot it takes.
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