This spring I was on the lookout for some very fragrant roses I could plant next to my screen porch. I found all sorts of lists on the internet, and the names of several cultivars kept reappearing. Rose ‘Double Delight’ was mentioned on just about every list. I was excited to find it at a local garden center.
Unfortunately my plant reacted badly to a foliar spray and didn’t recover in time to bloom very much before the Japanese Beetles came marching in.
The blooms that did survive were pretty, but I wasn’t at all wowed by their scent. I’d read that you can sometimes smell their fragrance even before the buds open up. I had trouble smelling anything when I was standing right over the blooming rose.
The beetles are gone now, and my plant is about to rebloom. I’m hoping to be knocked over backward by that heavenly rose aroma. Otherwise I’ll be tempted to dig it up and try something else.