Specialty Gardening: Fragrant wish list, 0 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
If you don't like a bright or red rose, an old one which I got from David Austin is the centifolia rose, Fantin-Latour. The catalogue just says a light scent, maybe it is not like the powerful old reds, but it has the most gorgeous scent like I remember as a child, a 'real' old rose scent. It is also very easy, keeps most of it's leaves in winter, needs very little pruning (I just prune off the flowered bits), and grows in a dry, semi shady spot with ease. It will get to a good size, the cat. says 6' x 5', mine has been growing for 7 years and is close on that, perhaps it would get a bit wider rather than tall. the branches tend to bend gracefully, and when full of flower it is a marvellous sight.

The old roses do only have one good flush, but it IS a good one, and a beauty beheld for a short time is sometimes more satisfying in its brief glory than to have something less satisfying for all the season. I too often hear people say 'but it doesn't flower for long', well if they want to miss out on a beauty for the sake of quantity then they are more than welcome to be sick on it.
Her is mine