For many flower lovers and gardeners, a flower isn’t right unless it has a fragrance. Sadly, with many plants, breeding has lost the fragrance, often accidentally, because no one was ‘paying attention to that’. You can’t put a scent in a photograph, and it is pictures that sell plants. Luckily for the Sweet Fragrance Easy Elegance® Rose it is also beautiful, but what makes it extra special is how it captures perfectly the classic rose scent that is so prized in perfume making. Carefully distilled from fresh rose petals, that scent, in perfumes, soaps and beauty products, is instantly recognizable as ‘rose’. That is exactly what you get when you bring your nose to a bloom of the Sweet Fragrance Rose – pure, perfect, rich rose scent fills your head, triggering sweet memories and images of luxury. Combine that with the gorgeous apricot tones and large, perfect tea-rose form – just like a florist would deliver – and you have a winning rose you will adore having in your garden. Did we mention that it is everblooming, disease resistant and easy to grow? Well, it certainly is all that too – just amazing.

Growing the Sweet Fragrance Easy Elegance® Rose

Size and Appearance

The Sweet Fragrance Rose is a shrubby rose bush, with many sturdy branches rising from its base, growing in a season into a compact bush 2 to 4 feet tall, and almost as wide. It has leaves that are divided into 5 or 7 leaflets, each about 1¼ inch long, with serrated edges. The leaves are medium-green, with a soft sheen and a healthy look. Since this plant is resistant to both the major rose diseases (black spot and powdery mildew), the foliage stays fresh and healthy, without dropping, all season long – think of it, no more yellowing or a bush that looks like a skeleton by mid-summer, unless you spray weekly with nasty chemicals. As well, you don’t have to worry that this plant will send up crazy shoots from the ground, that take over and destroy your beautiful bush. Those stems, called suckers, come from the roots of grafted roses, and must be removed, but this rose is grown on its own roots, so every shoot is guaranteed to be only the Sweet Fragrance Rose.

Blooming begins in early summer, and new blooms continue to be produced right into the fall, and even into winter in warm zones. Each growing stem produces two, or sometimes one, bloom, each one lasting almost a week. What amazing blooms they are – very large, between 3 and 4 inches across, and very full, with up to 40 petals in a bloom. They have the classic hybrid-tea form, full, with a tall center, opening into a bowl of glowing beauty. The color is the most gorgeous apricot, a rare and precious color for roses. As it matures the flower shifts through coral and deep yellow into a salmon-pink – a wonderful thing to see. On top of all that there is the rich, powerful fragrance that is increasingly rare in roses. This truly is a gorgeous bloom, adored by all rose lovers.

Using the Sweet Fragrance Easy Elegance® Rose in Your Garden

The shorter height and compact growth of this rose make it ideal for smaller gardens, the front of shrub beds, and for edging a path or driveway. It is also ideal for container-growing in warmer zones. Grow it alone or in groups in your beds, among other flowering shrubs, or in an island bed in a lawn, all by itself. For edging or group-planting, space plants 2 feet apart in each direction.

Hardiness

The Sweet Fragrance Rose is hardy without any winter protection from zone 5 to zone 9. It would probably overwinter well in zone 4 with standard rose protection during the winter months. It grows especially well in warmer zones, where it may bloom until Christmas.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Exposed to full sun is the best location for all roses, and this one is no exception to that. Grow it in any well-drained soil, and it thrives and blooms best in heavier clay or loam, plant in soils enriched with plenty of organic material, such as garden compost, manures or any commercial composts that are available in your area – the richer the better.

Maintenance and Pruning

Mulch in late fall or early spring with a 4-inch layer of organic material. This will feed your rose, discourage weeds, and conserve moisture. With such good resistance to black spot and powdery mildew, regular spraying is completely eliminated. Any pests are usually insignificant on this vigorous rose, and should they become a problem they are easily controlled with a simple soap spray. Water regularly during dry weather, as dryness will stop your rose from blooming, although the bush will be fine. Although not essential, we recommend removing flowers as the petals fall, cutting back to just above the first full-sized leaf. New stems will soon emerge and develop more blooms. In spring prune your bush. Remove any weak or dead stems, and on older bushes any stems older than 3 years. Trim back the remaining stems by about one-third, cutting just above an outward-facing bud. If you are uncertain, wait until you see the buds clearly swelling, and be guided by them, cutting back to larger, healthy buds.

History and Origin of the Sweet Fragrance Easy Elegance® Rose

The Sweet Fragrance Rose was created by the skilled breeder Ping Lim, one of the great rose breeders of this century. Working as head breeder for Bailey Nurseries at their facility in Yamhill, Oregon, he took pollen from a rose created by his mentor in rose breeding, Jerry Twomey, called All that Jazz (`TWOadvance`). He used it to pollinate a rose called ‘Earth Song’, created by Dr. Griffith J. Buck in 1975. Both these roses are fragrant. One seedling was selected in 2000 for its unique characteristics and patented with the name ‘BAInce’ in 2009. This is the rose that Bailey Nurseries have released as Sweet Fragrance Easy Elegance®.

Buying the Sweet Fragrance Easy Elegance® Rose at The Tree Center

If you love scents, you can’t be without this amazing rose in your garden. Even if you don’t especially, the stunning color, classic form and grand size makes the Sweet Fragrance Rose incredibly desirable. Don’t hesitate to order, because our stock is limited, and roses of this quality sell out very quickly indeed.