Why don’t modern roses smell like the old fashioned roses?
It’s a myth that modern roses don’t smell like old fashioned roses. This has been increased by the advent of florists roses which are different varieties to our garden roses and have been bred to have a long vase life and long straight stems – but no scent! In the 1970s, rose breeders bred roses for their colour, size and disease-resistance. Scent was considered less important, leading to the introduction of many new varieties with no smell. This attitude has changed in the past twenty years and much more emphasis is now placed on scent. On a final note, 200 years ago people were saying modern roses don’t smell like old fashioned ones!
