Which rose bushes have the strongest scents, & which online stores are the best places to buy roses?

Rosa rugosa are often sold as hedging plants so you should be able to source one/more quite easily and hopefully cheaply

Edited to add: you can also grow them quite easily from seed. I snaffled an old hip years ago and grew several, they all came true (or near enough I couldn’t tell the difference)

 

I agree Rosa rugosa smells beautiful. My neighbour has them growing all along her fence and they cascade over my side which is just lovely and free!
Once a year as they are pretty rampant they can be sheared down like a hedge.
My favourite scented climbing rose is called Compassion and blooms all summer

 

It's worth it @Ergates quite frequently the most fragrant are also the most thorny. I've been wanting a hedge of them after seeing them used like that in a rental in Norfolk five years ago...if the conifer hedge on one side of my new garden fails... I'll get it

 

Finally bought two Rosa rugosa plants in the garden section at the Donkey sanctuary. Not the variety I really want ( with tight double flowers) but the ones they had are beautifully scented and very healthy looking.
What I’d be interested in knowing is if it is worth deadheading the developing rosehips to encourage more flowers? I know these shrubs are often grown for the attractive rosehips, but for this first year, I’d like to see more flowers! Or am I too late in the season anyway?

 

You could dead head up to mid August I'd think, they should be producing some more flowers after that to have some nice hips

 

Thanks, I’ll do that. Not sure where I’m going to plant them yet. Would be nice to have them not too far from the house, so I can pop out and sniff them!