6 highly fragrant white roses

The old rose alba suaveolens, an intense sweet fragrance

Long cultivated in gardens across Europe, the Rosa alba suaveolens is renowned for its sweet fragrance and remarkable hardiness. This bush reaches a height of 2.5 metres and blooms abundantly in summer, during June and July. It features very distinctive green and blue-grey foliage and bears semi-double flowers measuring 7 cm. The white roses open flat in a cup shape, revealing a highly fragrant heart of yellow stamens. Their sweet scent is intense, with powdery, musky, and fruity notes. Easy to grow, it beautifully brightens up a hedge or a flowering border.

Rosa alba var. suaveolens

The rose 'Mme Anisette', with its unique aniseed scents

The rose bush ‘Mme Anisette’ produces charming and highly fragrant flowers. This bush, reaching heights of 80 cm to 1.20 metres, blooms from June to October. It bears small cabbage-shaped flowers measuring 7 cm, in a creamy white hue with apricot undertones. With notes of anise, myrrh, spices, and honey, its flowers are perfect for creating elegant and fragrant cut flower arrangements. The ‘Mme Anisette’ rose bush is a modern rose developed by Kordes. It has received the ADR label, ensuring its exceptional resistance to diseases, and has won several awards, including the Fragrance Cup in Lyon. Another advantage is that this rose can easily be grown in pots. A treat for fragrance lovers on a balcony!

Rose ‘Madame Anisette’

The large-flowered rose 'Annapurna', with violet fragrances

Awarded 12 times in competitions, the ‘Annapurna’ rose has many advantages. It is repeat flowering and blooms from June to November. It is also resilient and vigorous. Finally, it inevitably catches the eye in a garden, thanks to its bright pure white colour and its powerful fragrance with hints of violet. Forming a bush 90 cm tall, the Annapurna rose produces elongated, turbinate buds that open into large 9 cm roses. They are adorned with around forty waxy petals and have the charm of English roses. They are also perfect for creating fragrant bouquets.

‘Annapurna’ rose

The large-flowered rose 'Pope John Paul II', a fresh scent of lemon

The rose bush ‘Pope John Paul II’ offers a long flowering period of stunning large pure white flowers, lasting from May until the first frosts. The flowers measure 15 cm in diameter, consist of around thirty petals, and display a lovely turbinate shape. They exude an intense and very fresh lemony fragrance. This bush rose grows up to a height of 1.15 metres and can be planted in a border or a flower bed. Its long, sturdy stems make it an ideal rose for cut flower arrangements.

Rose bush ‘Pope John Paul II’

The old rose 'Boule de neige', featuring highly fragrant old roses.

The creation of the old rose ‘Boule de neige’ dates back to 1867 and it is one of the best Bourbon roses. It is a repeat flowering rose that blooms from June to September. Its 8 cm flowers display a bright, pure white. Double and full, they open in a cup shape and resemble camellia flowers. Grouped in bouquets, the roses are highly fragrant and coexist on the bush with buds that are sometimes elegantly tinged with purple. The ‘Boule de neige’ rose takes the form of an upright bush reaching 1.20 metres. Plant it in partial shade within a flowerbed and pair it with other colourful roses, such as the rugosa rose ‘Frau Dagmar Hastrup’ in pastel pink or the rugosa rose ‘Hansa’ in bright pink tones.

‘Boule de Neige’ rose

The old rose 'Mme Hardy', a scent of lemon and honey

The ‘Mme Hardy’ rose was created in 1832 and is derived from the Damask rose, valued in perfumery. In June and July, it produces 7 cm flowers of pure white with a charming crumpled appearance. They bloom against a backdrop of abundant light green foliage and are highly fragrant, with notes of lemon and honey. The ‘Mme Hardy’ rose forms a bush that grows up to 1.5 metres tall. In a border, it can be paired with other repeat flowering old roses to alternate the bloom periods, such as the Jacques Cartier or Félicité Parmentier roses. To add a cloud of lightness, you can plant white or pink gypsophila alongside it. You can also place it in a hedge with other white bushes like a lilac or a mock orange for a refined monochrome effect.

‘Mme Hardy’ rose