All roses are beautiful but rose white O’Hara has the full package – beauty, fragrance, and long vase life. It buds a mix of raspberry-cream and green that fades to the palest white with a hint of blush in the centre as it begins to unfurl, fading further as it opens into a frilly white ruff of a rose. The petals are cupped initially, then reflex to reveal curls of inner petals and occasionally the merest hint of gold stamens. The flowers, which reach around  12 cm in diameter, are born on long, thorny stems, which are the only downside.  O’Hara’s blooms have a glorious fragrance – a honeyed Old rose with notes of sweet fruity scent.