I find the foliage to be fragrant as well; it's similar to Rosa eglanteria but not quite as pronounced. I thought I was losing my mind when I first noticed.
Caterpillars seem to love this plant more than any other rose in my garden.
Bit difficult to breed with, not because it's triploid (it sets hips quite frequently) but because of it's nasty prickles on the peduncle.
In general I don't mind the plant, it fades rapidly and the blooms are a bit untidy but it is healthy (as would be expected) but not something I gravitate too aesthetically.
Added to a no-spray public rose garden last year; has grown into a beautiful uniform low hedge of almost continuous bloom. Bushy, with attractive foliage. All shades from yellow to almost pure white enhance the display. Imagine our surprise when we got behind in late summer on dead-heading and the plants set quantities of yellow hips!
The color of this rose is somewhat unremarkable, as there are a lot of yellows fading to whites out there, and a lot fewer yellows that stay yellow. The fragrance is nice- it's a great sign to see some fragrance in a popular "landscaping rose."
Its placement in the Knock Out series is determined by the breeder/introducer/marketer. Historically, many roses have been added to "series" simply to market them better, whether or not they have anything at all to do with the originals.
