 Okay so I briefly ranted. It's over now, I promise. Scentimental is a striped rose par excellence. But even when we dismiss the aforementioned prejudice, it almost falls at the second hurdle- that name. Rose names these days are either depressingly brutalist (City of Scungeycrust), punny/cringe-tastic (Tee Hee Lady Panties), supercilious literary references (oh hi, David Austin), or just hideously cynical (OMG Best Mum Eva!!!). So while it could have been worse, Scentimental is a crap title for this amazing floribunda and really plays into the rose snob's hands. Look at the pic to the right there; if that plant was called Premier Ribband de la Toute Courtesan or some shit like that, there would be acres of foolios gushing over its superior qualities. | Striped roses are like BDSM. You either roll that way or you do not, so I'm not going to try and sell you this variety if you object on principle. I totally respect your discretion. Ha ha! Just kidding. Rose snobs are the worst and they should absolutely be judged and shunned because they are wrong about almost everything. Their assertion that striped roses are somehow intrinsically vulgar is utterly asinine; that's like arguing that tigers are in bad taste. Nature knows what she's doing with those colour-break genes and she doesn't need critique from people in popped collars and taupe anything.  |
Scentimental it is, unfortunately. Though I am baffled as to why. I have sniffed this rose in a dozen settings and can report that there just isn't much worthwhile scent to speak of, and it's not like anyone who sees it in full bloom will give much of a toss what it smells like anyway. To my reckoning, 'scent' must be consistently present and furthermore worthy of your nosetime to be rated as such; fucked-out pot pourri dust (as is the case here) doesn't count. It may just be the particular bud material propagated in NZ, but as a sensory panel veteran I can faithfully declare this is not an anosmia. It's hardly surprising, though- overselling scent is a rose breeder con driven spectacularly out of hand in the last few years by online sales.
 | Lack of scent is just one of the reasons Floribundas deserve caution. Despite their industrial remontance, too many are so objectively deficient in the rose's inherent virtues- beauty of flower form, fragrance and colour- that you're left scratching your damn head over why somebody bothered. Let me assure you that Scentimental is a special case. In our mild, often frost-free conditions this plant would roar away above 6 feet high and wide if I didn't prune to keep it around 5. The leaves are typical of its class; flipper-esque, shiny and olive-leaning, furnished in tiers from top to bottom so it is fully dressed and doesn't suffer that horrid chicken-leg look. There are large thorns placed irregularly toward the bottom of the canes but I had to go out and check on that, so they haven't really bothered me. Scentimental's constitution is a straight 10/10. It has been torture-tested; a few years back after being very carelessly ripped out of the ground on a hot day, almost shorn of its roots and dumped in half shade, this plant looked distinctly peri-mortem. |
On my return a couple of weeks later it had completely recovered and burst into another round of flowers.
Its health, good form and performance are gobsmacking. I mean, above left is a rose competing with Horse Chestnut roots and half day shade in early spring. In these humid, no-spray conditions it resists rust almost completely and blackspot is never able to outshine its vigour; I can't recall seeing it more than 1/3 spotty, even in the very worst years. Cane dieback is a bit of a problem here too among wimpier roses, but I don't think it's ever lost a single one.
It's obvious that Scentimental draws its genes from a deep ancestral well of quality plants. Its parents are Playboy and Peppermint Twist, both descended from generations of unkillable roses. We need more like this.
Its health, good form and performance are gobsmacking. I mean, above left is a rose competing with Horse Chestnut roots and half day shade in early spring. In these humid, no-spray conditions it resists rust almost completely and blackspot is never able to outshine its vigour; I can't recall seeing it more than 1/3 spotty, even in the very worst years. Cane dieback is a bit of a problem here too among wimpier roses, but I don't think it's ever lost a single one.
It's obvious that Scentimental draws its genes from a deep ancestral well of quality plants. Its parents are Playboy and Peppermint Twist, both descended from generations of unkillable roses. We need more like this.
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Scentimental's blooms are produced in profusion, both clustered and individually (meaning there is always a decent number of picking prospects) over the entire plant. Although slender, the stems support the blooms well with just enough nod to ease that awkward Floribunda brass neck stance. They are quite Hybrid Tea-ish at first, their clean white liberally streaked with deep, vivid raspberry, the former dominating in shadier positions while the red will take over in full sun. Few things are more lovely than a vase stuffed with an armful of Scentimental once they have opened out to reveal their generous eyes of pale golden stamens. It flowers in lengthy pulses for me starting in late spring through to early winter, meaning it's a top choice for a position that needs prolonged and reliable impact.
Earlier stripeys like Commandant Beaurepaire and Ferdinand Pichard might have more refined individual flowers, strictly speaking. Rosa Mundi might have more roguish vintage charm. A number of modern striped roses promise more complex colour combinations. But I grow CB, FP and RM and Scentimental pwns those guys by almost every criteria except fragrance. And I can't even remember the number of modern striped varieties I've punted onto the compost heap after they've proven themselves inexcusably feeble.
If you can reconcile yourself to the fact that striped roses are awesome and fancy just one for your own place, this is the plant to go for. They're addictive, though, so make sure you have room for the rest of them.
Earlier stripeys like Commandant Beaurepaire and Ferdinand Pichard might have more refined individual flowers, strictly speaking. Rosa Mundi might have more roguish vintage charm. A number of modern striped roses promise more complex colour combinations. But I grow CB, FP and RM and Scentimental pwns those guys by almost every criteria except fragrance. And I can't even remember the number of modern striped varieties I've punted onto the compost heap after they've proven themselves inexcusably feeble.
If you can reconcile yourself to the fact that striped roses are awesome and fancy just one for your own place, this is the plant to go for. They're addictive, though, so make sure you have room for the rest of them.
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