On Feb 26, 4:35*pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 2/26/2009 2:58 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:





Gerrit wrote:
And maybe I should explain: I do not have a garden, as I live in a
three up appartment. I do have lots of potted plants though, and I
buy cut flowers too. *Right now a few hyacinths are in full bloom on
my window sill, and I love the scent.
BUT:
Is scent as such ever used as a selection-criterion by the
professional propagators / cultuvators to 'create' any new variety?:
"Yeah Ma'am, I know this rose, well it looks kind of plain, but now
just smell it. Now ain't that gorgeous?"

Yes there are cultivars that have been selected on this basis. *We have
roses that we chose for both looks and perfume where we could have had more
showy looks but no perfume.

David

Unfortunately, most developers of new rose varieties seem to put scent
at the bottom of their priority lists. *Higher in priority are color and
form of the flower, resistance of the plant to disease, and adaptability
to as large a variety of climates as possible.

When roses were developed regionally for a local climate, scent had a
much higher priority. *Now some of the most fragrant roses from 30 years
ago are no longer available commercially. *These include climbing
'Chrysler Imperial' (which, however, might still be available as a
bush). *Last year, I searched and searched for this one. *I couldn't
even find anyone who had one growing in their garden who might be
willing to send me a cutting for me to root.

Here's a Chrysler Imperial for you. And they ship to the States bare
root.

http://www.pickeringnurseries.com/web_store_wpic.cgi
Dora

On 3/1/2009 5:00 PM, wrote:
On Feb 26, 4:35 pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 2/26/2009 2:58 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:





Gerrit wrote:
And maybe I should explain: I do not have a garden, as I live in a
three up appartment. I do have lots of potted plants though, and I
buy cut flowers too. Right now a few hyacinths are in full bloom on
my window sill, and I love the scent.
BUT:
Is scent as such ever used as a selection-criterion by the
professional propagators / cultuvators to 'create' any new variety?:
"Yeah Ma'am, I know this rose, well it looks kind of plain, but now
just smell it. Now ain't that gorgeous?"
Yes there are cultivars that have been selected on this basis. We have
roses that we chose for both looks and perfume where we could have had more
showy looks but no perfume.
David
Unfortunately, most developers of new rose varieties seem to put scent
at the bottom of their priority lists. Higher in priority are color and
form of the flower, resistance of the plant to disease, and adaptability
to as large a variety of climates as possible.

When roses were developed regionally for a local climate, scent had a
much higher priority. Now some of the most fragrant roses from 30 years
ago are no longer available commercially. These include climbing
'Chrysler Imperial' (which, however, might still be available as a
bush). Last year, I searched and searched for this one. I couldn't
even find anyone who had one growing in their garden who might be
willing to send me a cutting for me to root.

Here's a Chrysler Imperial for you. And they ship to the States bare
root.

http://www.pickeringnurseries.com/web_store_wpic.cgi
Dora


Yes, they have the hybrid tea 'Chrysler Imperial'. That's a shrub. But
there was a sport of it that was a climber. It was available 25-30
years ago. Today, there is no grower in the U.S. that has it.

I understand it's available in Canada, but shipping live plants across
the border is so fraught with bureaucracy that no grower will ship it.
I could visit my daughter, who lives in Canada, and buy it there.
However, moving live plants across the border is even more difficult for
individuals than for commercial growers.

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/.

Don't ask "Why is there road rage?" Instead, ask
"Why NOT Road Rage?" or "Why Is There No Such
Thing as Fast Enough?"
http://www.rossde.com/roadrage.html