Oh the scent of those Portland roses!!

16 years ago

I got two little bands from Rogue Valley roses this spring, Pickering's Four Seasons Rose and Rose du Roi. I have them in pots, because they are so little.

Rose du Roi had a really nice deep pink bloom a week ago, and oh,...the fragrance just as it opened!! There is one more bud on it, it should open in a few days. Can't wait!!! I want this rose to keep on growing!

Yesterday, Pickering's Four Seasons had two beautiful flowers on it, and one bud. I love the little button eyes, so I cut the flowers yesterday and put them in bud vases (they don't last long, but even a day is better than nothing at all). They weren't very fragrant.

But this morning, that third bud opened. I leaned to smell it, and OH MY G-D!! That same beautiful Damask scent, (not quite as strong as Rose du Roi), oh so nice! It almost made me late for my bus to work

The flowers don't seem to last long (I'm hoping that will improve as the plants mature). But that Damask scent...it just takes my breath away. I wish all my roses smelled like that!

Featured Answer

riku

16 years ago

Portlands have been one of my two favourite rose types since I discovered OGRs. Hope you enjoy the photos. I find them small lovely tight bushes for the most part and very floriferous.Unfortunately I am not a fragrance buff so can't tell you much about them. I am more a form and color fellow and this rose type is perfect for my one (with protection).

i have lost a couple to winter but retain the photos but for the most part they -do well with protection.

Arthur Sansal

Duchess of Portland

Indigo in Transition

Panachee de Lyonais

Jacques Cartier

Joasine Hanet

Marie St Jean

Miranda

Rose du Roi

Sydonie

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Comments (17)

brandyray
16 years ago
Sounds wonderful, Nova! I hope some of the ones I get this fall will be fragrant. (Son't know if damasks would do well on the hot, humid coast.) Now, if only you could post the scent so we could all share it... Brandy
belmont8
16 years ago
My Indigo is blooming now and I can't believe how just a few blooms can be smelled 10 feet away. And someone told me it didn't have much scent...
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lori_elf z6b MD
16 years ago
Oh, if you love those you must also grow Rose de Resht, Indigo, Marchessa Boccella/Jacques Cartier, and Sidonie. I love all the Portlands!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lori's Portlands
nova_novice
Original Author
16 years ago
Lori,
Thanks for the suggestions. I really love that spicy, rosy Damask scent. I have Jude the Obscure (a very fragrant rose), and love the fruity fragrance, but that old rose, perfume of Rose du Roi was really nice. I am hoping that, as the plant grows, the blooms will last longer and be even more fragrant.

I enjoy reading your, Olga's & Patrick's posts on here, since we are in the same area. Roses are so addictive, I should have been warned.

Your garden page is so nice, something to aspire to! I have very limited space, unfortunately, (raised bed by my townhouse). I do have question for you and everyone else in rose land: How is Marie de St Jean as a rose? How big are the flowers, and do they hold up to the heat (I am looking for a replacement white rose, wondering if it is an alternative).

-Basil
Molineux
16 years ago
I'll never forget the first time I smelled a bloom on COMTE DE CHAMBORD. The parfume made my eyes roll back in a fit of ecstasy. Same thing happened when I smelled its childe GERTRUDE JEKYLL.

That F-R-A-G-R-A-N-C-E!!!

BTW, since you like Portlands then you ought to try AUTUMN DAMASK. It is the orginal repeat blooming Damask rose. In my mind it serves as a benchmark to what Damask really smells like.
rozannadanna
16 years ago
Basis, when I lived in Texas I grew Noisettes for the fragrance but when I moved to Denver I started trying roses that would not withstand the heat of my former home. One of the first was a portland - Miranda and it bloomed right away - I agree - OMG - the wonderful fragrance. I have since bought several more. I love them
buford
16 years ago
Comte de Chambord is special. He had a few blooms earlier this year and I kept walking through the roses and could smell it from 5 feet away. I kept smelling the blooms on roses closer to me, but it was CDC. Love the color, the scent,the bloom form and even all the thorny canes.
paparoseman
16 years ago
Marie de St Jean has blooms that are perhaps two inches wide and smell delicious. However the blooms last a day at most and we have no heat given our high temps during summer of the mid to upper 70's.

Lance
carla17
16 years ago
I just looked at photos of Miranda on HMF and it is beautiful
Darn you Rozanna!
Come on someone and enable me.

Carla
rozannadanna
16 years ago
Carla, all I can say is that Miranda smells like roses are supposed to smell X 100.
lori_elf z6b MD
16 years ago
I love my Marie de St. Jean. She is in a spot that gets some afternoon shade and the blooms seem to last longer than a day, especially when it is cooler out. The bush stays small and compact which is good if you don't have a lot of space. I much prefer her over Blanc de Vibert which is the other white Portland that I used to grow but it balled all the time and I seldom got to enjoy the blooms, while MdSJ never balls.
buford
16 years ago
That RdR is lovely!
celeste/NH
16 years ago
nova novice....

Just for you, I posted some pictures of the Portlands that I grow over on the Gallery. I agree....they all smell DIVINE....the way roses are supposed to smell!!

Here in New Hampshire where it gets mighty cold in the winter, all my Portlands do very well. I really enjoy this class of roses.

Hope you enjoy the photos!

Celeste
monarda_gw
16 years ago
As a music lover I am very interested in Pergolese. I saw this one in Barcelona. Does anyone here have it, I wonder?
nova_novice
Original Author
16 years ago
Celeste,

What lovely pictures of your family and your roses. Yolande D'Aragon just blew me away, I'll have to add it to my wish list

Riku / Lori,

I love your pictures. So much to consider. I am being "enabled" in all sorts of directions (likes Jacques Cartier!!)

-Basil
carla17
16 years ago
Riku, thanks for the lovely photos. Definitely does the trick for me.

Carla