The beautiful flowers are the main reason for planting a rose garden. Roses have been popular throughout the ages. The Empress Josephine, following the French Revolution, was so impressed with roses she went about collecting every known type of rose for her garden and made gardening the "thing to do" for generations of gardeners.

Currently, there are many varieties of roses, some that are descendants of the early roses. Besides the many varieties available there are other characteristics that attract people to roses. They come in all colors, form, fragrance and substance. Some bloom once while others bloom all through the season. This is the reason why gardeners find roses so appealing and want to include them in their rose gardens.

The beauty is in all parts of the flower, but it is the petals that most people consider perfection in a rose. The elements that make up this perfection include their color, fragrance, substance and arrangement. Petal formation comes in three groups:

Single form with 5 petals, Semi-double with 2 to 3 rows of 12 to 16 petals, and Double form with 17 and up to 40 or more petals.

While on the topic of petal formations, let's take it a bit more in detail and consider the arrangement of the petals. Multi-petaled roses with large or formal shape are frequently labeled exhibition roses. They have gracefully formed petals that are symmetrically arranged with a high pointed center. The arrangement of petals as they begin to bloom is judged on symmetry as well as the spacing of the gaps. Each variety of rose has its own inborn characteristics but each exhibition rose is at its perfect stage of bloom when it is between half and three-quarters of the way open.

Roses are also judged by their colors. Some of the elements that contribute to its color are brightness, hue, and chroma. Brightness refers to how clear and vivid the blooms are. Hue includes the visual impact of the petals and how that color varies from other colors. Chroma is the intensity and purity of the hue with no gray or white in its hue. The ideal petal of substance is an amazing blend of brightness and chroma.

Obviously many gardeners choose roses for more than their fragrance, but it sure is nice to be able to enjoy their fragrance as an added benefit. Many of the most beautiful roses have little or no fragrance but they have beautiful showy blossoms. About 20 percent of roses have an intense fragrance so keep an open mind when shopping. If you only want roses that have a wonderful fragrance you may miss out on some of the exceptional varieties available. The fragrance may be link between fragrance and the other characteristics of the rose. Darker roses are more fragrant than lighter ones. Those with lots of petals have a stronger more intense scent than those with fewer petals. Reds and pinks are closely related with the classic rose scent. The scent of white and yellow roses is similar in to that of orrisroot, violets and other flowery and fruity scents. The 'Crimson Glory' and 'Chrysler Imperial,' both red hybrid tea roses, have won awards for their fragrance as well as the other attributes.

Armed with these top reasons for planting a rose garden, you will look upon your garden and selection of specimens for your garden in a new light. For the most satisfaction include a variety of fragrant and non-fragrant plants.