Romancing the rose

Which are the most romantic roses of all? JACKIE FRENCH goes out on a limb (or a stem) to name her top contenders

The most romantic rose is the one my husband leaves on my place at the table on my birthday. It’s a deep red, almost black, richly fragrant climber, ‘Papa Meilland’, from the bush that grows over our woodshed, where it thrives in the reflected light from the roof. A single, fully opened ‘Papa Meilland’ is perfect in a bud vase. It will sit on my desk for a week, or possibly two, depending how the weather has treated it.

The most romantic roses are fragrant, so you can bury your face in their scent, unless you or your beloved is allergic to perfumes, that is. Only then may you choose a scentless one.

Romantic roses should also be a deep, passionate red, although I am prepared to admit that soft-pink and golden roses are also eligible.

The most romantic roses also do not come from the flower shop in bunches of 12, ready-wrapped and scentless.

Roses should suit the person you are giving them to. Do they crave the classic long-stemmed lovelies? A dear friend insists that ‘Mr Lincoln’ is the most romantic rose of all. It is deep red, with rich velvet petals and a scent you can drown in. Its long, vase-perfect stems are thorny (all roses have thorns in the best fairy tales) but the bush adores heat and laughs at drought, blooming and blooming as long as it gets sun, tucker and water.

Or why not try ‘Dark Desire’, a rich violet-red rose that has a spectacular scent and long stems, as well as vigorous, disease-resistant foliage. (The most romantic rose does not have black spot...)

old-fashioned opulence

It would be hard to go past the David Austin-bred ‘Boscobel’, whose dark red buds open into a lush, flesh-pink (as seen on our cover this month). ‘Boscobel’ looks as if it might have been carried by a heroine in a bonnet drama, but it’s actually a vigorous, modern, upright Shrub rose with fresh green foliage and blooms from spring to late autumn. The scent is glorious, if more fruity than classic roses.

‘Bathsheba’ is another opulence contender. Its many soft apricot-yellow petals have an almost silken texture.

This recent release is a vigorous rose, to 3m high, excellent for an arch or trellis. It has an old-fashioned floral scent that is almost honey-like.

A classic sweetheart rose? Think ‘Addictive Lure’, a rose that looks much more innocent than its name suggests in pale pink to a richer salmon, depending on weather conditions. It also ages to a more subtle tone, so don’t panic if it looks too bright at first. It’s beautifully rose-scented, vigorous and perfect for someone who wants to wander around the garden, or even down the aisle, carrying a bunch of long-stemmed roses.

Then there’s the white-tinged-with-pink, magnificently fragrant ‘Desdemona’, which may be exactly what your true love desires, or the soft-pink, many-petalled ‘Fairytale Magic’, surely a name that says it all.

loud and proud

Would the one you adore prefer a rose that shouts “I love you”? That might be ‘Dolly Parton’, a gaudy orange-red rose with a scent you’d expect from a gal like that. It’s a strong grower and ever-blooming.

They might also find ‘Kiss Me Kate’ irresistible, and not just for the name. She’s a large, opulent pink climber to scale your beloved’s wall and perfume the bedroom.

Multi-coloured ‘Scentimental’ is another you might buy for its name, as well as its gaudy dark-pink stripes on a paler pink background. ‘The Poet’s Wife’ is a lush, multi-petalled, almost glowing golden rose – definitely not one that can be ignored.

roses for blokes

Are you thinking of presenting your man with a rose? You need a tiny rose that can be slipped through a buttonhole (or pinned, if he prefers zips or T-shirts). A buttonhole rose must also last out of the vase all day; no-one wants a wilted buttonhole.

‘Cécile Brünner’ has been a favourite buttonhole since it was introduced in 1881. It’s also known as the ‘sweetheart rose’ for exactly that reason. It’s nearly thornless, with perfectly shaped buds and soft-pink little blooms. But although I hate to be disloyal to Cécile, the modern roses are more generous and disease-resistant, and also offer the classic rose shape.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Velvety red ‘Mr Lincoln’; ‘The Poet’s Wife’ is a rich yellow; pretty pink ‘Kiss Me Kate’; orange-red ‘Dolly Parton’; apricot-yellow ‘Bathsheba’; stripy ‘Scentimental’; pale pink to salmon ‘Addictive Lure’; ‘Cécile Brünner’ is a double pink rose; apricot ‘Buff Beauty’.

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The enchanting, fragrant ‘Fairytale Magic’.

‘Irresistible’ is, of course, irresistible. A tiny, soft-pink to white rose, it keeps its almost-budlike shape for up to a fortnight with a scent like Old Spice. ‘Loving Touch’ is slightly darker, and bred as a cut flower. It’s very disease-resistant and ideal for pots.

a fine romance

Despite 34 years of receiving a deep-red, long-stemmed rose with love and happiness, when I think ‘romance’, I see someone in a long, floating dress wafting through a thousand flowers, in a garden in a forest. She’s tall and elegant (so she’s definitely not me) and carrying a basket filled with roses (the short-stemmed kind that droop with the weight of their petals).

They are probably ‘Buff Beauty’, the parchment-coloured rose whose perfume and subtle glowing colour make me melt. Like all Hybrid Musk roses, its scent can fill a room or garden. The blooms are short-stemmed and lax, perfect for filling a basket or for someone who loves flower arranging. That is also not me. I usually go for the ‘bung them in a vase’ method, but, luckily, ‘Buff Beauty’ holds four or more flowers on each stem. My second and very simple way to arrange flowers is to use my bud vase or the narrow opening of an antique bottle, or even an interestingly shaped modern bottle, most of which will quite coincidentally have contained alcohol. Some of the blooms will droop delightfully down the bottle’s neck, while a bud and a couple of fully open roses gaze up at you.

A simple collection of roses in bud and full bloom, arranged exactly as nature intended, with a fragrance that makes you sing, glowing on a tabletop or windowsill – what could be more romantic?

Turn over to discover roses that are so romantic, they’ve inspired great art.