Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 New rose varieties delight nose 2080d2eb.jpg By HOLLY HAYES Knight Ridder Newspapers 2080d2eb.jpg SAN JOSE, Calif. Passing a rosebush in the garden or a gorgeous bouquet of roses sent to some lucky person in my workplace, my first instinct is to lean in and bury my nose in the blossoms. Too often, though, even the most spectacular flowers have just a faint aroma or worse, nothing at all. What happened to scents that would inspire you to inhale deeply and exhale with a sound of pleasure like ... oh, never mind. Turns out, it’s our fault for wanting it all in our roses: superior disease resistance, a color wheel of hues, plants that are practically idiot-proof to grow. Something had to give, and that was the heady fragrance many people remember from their grandmothers’ rose gardens. “Since the beginning of the environmental movement in the 1950s, scientists have been trying to create roses that did not require heavy spraying and constant care,” says Susan McCoy, a spokeswoman for the Conrad-Pyle Co., which markets roses under the Star Roses brand. “The result has been pretty robust flowers. Unfortunately, it has also resulted in the disappearance of the rose’s fragrance.” But that’s changing. Mel Hulse, the garden maintenance director at San Jose’s Heritage Rose Garden, says the public has had its head turned by some of the older, fragrant roses that have been crossed with more modern varieties. “David Austin has been a leader in this,” says Hulse, naming one breeder whose roses are known for strong fragrance as well as performance in the garden. “Competition has forced all the breeders to add fragrance as a breeding priority.” Star, for example, and the breeder House of Meilland in the south of France have partnered with perfumeries in France to identify specific scents to breed back into disease-resistant plants, says McCoy. Many are being sold under the company’s Romantica label. The dark-pink hybrid tea rose Peter Mayle is one of these, and it turns up on many rose lovers’ top-scent lists. Its heady, “old rose” aroma reminds McCoy of “sweet iced tea.” Lorena Gorsche, rose buyer for Yamagami’s Nursery in Cupertino, Calif., has fallen in love with the pure white, “exceptionally fragrant” Bolero, another Romantica from Star. “It’s a honey,” says Gorsche. But she has other pet roses. “People always ask about my favorites, and I never used to say. That’s sort of like picking a favorite child,” says Gorsche. She also touts: Centennial Star, a yellow-blend double hybrid tea; Aromatherapy, an aptly named pink hybrid tea with “strong, fruity fragrance” that’s new for 2005 from Jackson & Perkins; and Lasting Love, a rosy-red hybrid tea from Weeks Roses with a “rich, powerful fragrance.” Of course, fragrance preference is subjective. “Smell is the least standard of all our senses,” says Hulse, whose favorites include Papa Meilland, a dark-red hybrid tea, and Pretty Jessica, a dark pink shrub or English rose. But, he cautions: “There are roses I can hardly smell that are intense to others and vice versa.” Sunnyvale, Calif., rosarian Robin Rosenberg says you can have too much of a good thing. “I have found that if you have a bouquet with mostly fragrant roses in it, you can end up with a headache, especially if you put it in a warm location.” http://anyamccoy.com " Nature and Nature's law lay hid in night; God said " Let Tesla Be " and all was light. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Thank you for that post! All my roses are picked for smell as a first requirement. No smell, no buy!!! I will look for Aromatherapy. Gayla Roberts Always Enough Ranch Acampo, California goatclearing http://coloredboers.home.att.net/always.html - Anya New rose varieties delight nose 2080d2eb.jpg By HOLLY HAYES Knight Ridder Newspapers 2080d2eb.jpg SAN JOSE, Calif. Passing a rosebush in the garden or a gorgeous bouquet of roses sent to some lucky person in my workplace, my first instinct is to lean in and bury my nose in the blossoms. Too often, though, even the most spectacular flowers have just a faint aroma or worse, nothing at all. What happened to scents that would inspire you to inhale deeply and exhale with a sound of pleasure like ... oh, never mind. Turns out, it's our fault for wanting it all in our roses: superior disease resistance, a color wheel of hues, plants that are practically idiot-proof to grow. Something had to give, and that was the heady fragrance many people remember from their grandmothers' rose gardens. " Since the beginning of the environmental movement in the 1950s, scientists have been trying to create roses that did not require heavy spraying and constant care, " says Susan McCoy, a spokeswoman for the Conrad-Pyle Co., which markets roses under the Star Roses brand. " The result has been pretty robust flowers. Unfortunately, it has also resulted in the disappearance of the rose's fragrance. " But that's changing. Mel Hulse, the garden maintenance director at San Jose's Heritage Rose Garden, says the public has had its head turned by some of the older, fragrant roses that have been crossed with more modern varieties. " David Austin has been a leader in this, " says Hulse, naming one breeder whose roses are known for strong fragrance as well as performance in the garden. " Competition has forced all the breeders to add fragrance as a breeding priority. " Star, for example, and the breeder House of Meilland in the south of France have partnered with perfumeries in France to identify specific scents to breed back into disease-resistant plants, says McCoy. Many are being sold under the company's Romantica label. The dark-pink hybrid tea rose Peter Mayle is one of these, and it turns up on many rose lovers' top-scent lists. Its heady, " old rose " aroma reminds McCoy of " sweet iced tea. " Lorena Gorsche, rose buyer for Yamagami's Nursery in Cupertino, Calif., has fallen in love with the pure white, " exceptionally fragrant " Bolero, another Romantica from Star. " It's a honey, " says Gorsche. But she has other pet roses. " People always ask about my favorites, and I never used to say. That's sort of like picking a favorite child, " says Gorsche. She also touts: Centennial Star, a yellow-blend double hybrid tea; Aromatherapy, an aptly named pink hybrid tea with " strong, fruity fragrance " that's new for 2005 from Jackson & Perkins; and Lasting Love, a rosy-red hybrid tea from Weeks Roses with a " rich, powerful fragrance. " Of course, fragrance preference is subjective. " Smell is the least standard of all our senses, " says Hulse, whose favorites include Papa Meilland, a dark-red hybrid tea, and Pretty Jessica, a dark pink shrub or English rose. But, he cautions: " There are roses I can hardly smell that are intense to others and vice versa. " Sunnyvale, Calif., rosarian Robin Rosenberg says you can have too much of a good thing. " I have found that if you have a bouquet with mostly fragrant roses in it, you can end up with a headache, especially if you put it in a warm location. " Anya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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