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'Prima Ballerina ®' rose Reviews & Comments
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Would anyone growing this rose care to describe its scent? Is it citrusy, fruity/peachy, quintessentially rose, licorice-like, tea-like, clove-like, or something else? If you could compare it to other well-scented roses you grow, that would help. This is one of Fragrant Cloud's parents and the other parent (I think) was not known for its strong scent, so chances are PB is primarily responsible for FC's fragrance. OK, it might not be that simple, I guess, but is PB's scent similar to FC's?
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#1 of 7 posted
27 JAN
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* This post deleted by user *
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I'm growing Prima Ballerina for the first time this year and I would say it has an average scent although it's fairly noticeable and a bit sweet when sniffed. Not especially fruity or exciting and I don't recommend the plant.
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#3 of 7 posted
yesterday by
Hamanasu
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Thank you for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated.
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#4 of 7 posted
yesterday by
 HubertG
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Tantau, in their 1957 catalogue when it was introduced, describe 'Prima Ballerina' as strongly scented ("die stark duftende Blume") and that "Der Duft schwebt so intensiv über ihr, daß eine Vase mit dieser Neuheit im Zimmer sie schon von weitem ankündigt." (the scent wafts so intensively around it that a vase of this novelty in a room announces it from a distance). So, no mention of the quality of the scent apart from strength, but it does sound pretty strong.
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#5 of 7 posted
yesterday by
Hamanasu
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Thank you. Indeed, many sources mention a strong scent, though your quote is interesting in singling it out as exceptional. I am still intrigued about what it smells of. Perhaps some other users will chime in.
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Jack Leigh Harkness in his book 'Roses' said he'd have given Prima Ballerina a 10/10 for fragrance but he only gave its offspring 'Fragrant Cloud' a 9. Personally, I prefer 'Fragrant Cloud' - a good wafter in the garden but even so not my favourite rose to sniff.
I've been a little disappointed with PB. The flowers, unlike what I had expected (though there were copious amounts of them) didn't appear to be useful to bees, they looked pale, unspectacular and didn't have a very pronounced fragrance. To me it was more like an odour, sweet granted but something that you might find in a detergent or bathroom product. If you like those kinds of smells then I heartily recommend 'Mum in a Million' over PB. 'Mum in a Million' is a much better plant and its scent is complex and interesting.
'Reconciliation' by Harkness - now that has a beautiful smell - something like a freshly opened ripe corn cob with sweet rose, apricots and cloves.
'Caprice de Meilland'/'Best Friend' also has a clear, distinctive fruity smell - raspberry and blackcurrant.
'Fragrant Plum' one of my faves, smells at its best in early Summer and late Autumn (here in the UK) when the flowers are darker.
I have yet to test Prima Ballerina in the vase, to discover how pervasive her scent is, we're only in July but there don't appear to be any any flowers left to try out.
My favourite rose for fragrance in the vase is the mystery one which I'm trying to identify - please see my comments on the 'Rosenresli' (by Kordes) pages and the 'Norma Major' pages, HMF.
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Thank you for the further insights. I feel scents are still largely treated as an afterthought by rose breeders and growers. We seem to have moved towards a recognition that scent matters, but the emphasis is on intensity rather than type, and it baffles me to see that only DA, Meilland and Kordes seem to bother to unpick the fragrance types of different varieties in the detailed way you have done in the comment! I have been considering trying Reconciliation for years… I have resisted so far because for some reason I tend not to like the look of Harkness roses in the flesh, and my growing space is very limited. But your comment perhaps will break my resolve! I have been wanting to try Rosemary Harkness too, on account of its smell reputedly of passion fruit, but I dislike frilly roses with a vengeance and I’m sure RH wouldn’t last long in my garden, regardless of scent. This is a wild guess, but might your mystery rose be Fryer’s Cloud Nine? The colour seems to vary from light salmon to dark pink and it’s supposed to be intensely fragrant. Rumswood Nurseries in Kent seem to be the only ones who carry it. I don’t grow this rose myself (another one I have been resisting) but I have noticed that Fryer seems to be the breeder with the highest number of roses with a truly classical high-centred structure with reflexing petals, and I note on your comment on Norma Major that the mystery rose reflexed its petals.
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Repeating myself, but the two great roses of the 20th century, Peace and iceberg, are neither high-centred nor strongly-scented.
That being said, I think more and more that a rose has to be well-scented to make up for having prickles.
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