Green Patch: Rose Gardening Advice

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Roses with outstanding fragrance will taste the best, says Contributing Editor Jim Long.

Q. I am a beginning gardener interested in rose gardening, but the process seems overwhelming. I don’t even know which variety to choose. Are most roses bred for beauty or aroma? Are all roses edible? Help!

A. With more than 140 rose species and 40,000 roses listed on the International Rose Register, it’s no wonder that choosing one to grow can be such a challenge. Centuries of hybridizing have produced an astonishing range of forms, bloom colors and shapes. Some roses are scent-laden, while others have little or no scent at all. Growth patterns also vary widely, from groundcovers only a few inches high, to erect and arching shrubs, to giant climbers and ramblers growing from 10 to 50 feet tall. So, then, are most roses bred for beauty or aroma? The short answer is a bit of both.

Keep in mind that fragrance is individually perceived—people typically have different reactions to and detect different nuances of the same scent. What smells heavenly to one person can smell unpleasant to another. Some say that antique roses as a group seem more fragrant than modern varieties. But many newer roses—including hybrid tea roses such as Fragrant Cloud and Mister Lincoln—are bred for fragrance, while some antique roses are completely lacking in scent. In general, the types of roses deemed to be among the most fragrant include alba, Bourbon, damask, moss, musk and rugosa. If a rose’s description doesn’t list fragrance, then its scent is most likely weak or nonexistent.

All rose petals and rose hips are edible, though some taste better than others. Just as with fragrance, flavors also vary depending on the type and growing conditions. Old-fashioned, aromatic shrub roses that are red or pink and organically raised are the most delicious, says Contributing Editor Jim Long. Some are sweet with subtle undertones, others are spicy, and still others hint of strawberries, green apples or other fruit. Some roses have a metallic taste, making them unpalatable to most people, though they are still edible.