Ingrid BergmanTea Rose Fragrance?

by Vicki Le Gare
(Valley Springs, CA: USA)

QUESTION: I have an Ingrid Bergman Hybrid Tea, about three years old and doing very well in a large container.

It is full & lush, it's blooms are large and extremely attractive, as your article states.

HOWEVER... there is absolutely NO fragrance, none! Never has been!

Was it something I did/did not do in it's infancy?

Do bush roses not do well historically, in containers?

I fertilize regularly, dead-head as needed, keep soil loose, etc.

Is there anything that can be done to encourage fragrance, or is it just the 'luck of the draw'?

I'd be grateful for your comments as I only want/buy roses that have wonderful scents.

I love to cut them & bring them in the house!
Thank you for any ideas!

ANSWER: Hi Vicky! I am not sure why the Ingrid Bergman rose isn't fragrant in your garden.

I do know that climate can affect rose scents, and so can the soil.

Did you plant it in a potting soil just for roses?

Always use rose potting soil for planters. It has the right pH value for roses.

Are you sure it's really an Ingrid Bergman rose?

Sometimes roses get miss-labled. It happens.

I am sure it wasn't anything you did to the rose, except maybe using the wrong potting soil.
Best Regards,
Annelie