Blue Moon Stone

By Paul Smith, pemdasgarden.com

Blue Moon Stone is the rose for gardeners who choose with their nose first.

Blue Moon Stone is known for a fragrance that shifts through the day — bright citrus notes in the morning air, deeper floral tones as the bloom warms. One bush can smell different at noon than it did at dawn, which is exactly why fragrance lovers seek it out.

In this guide: the scent profile, the blooms, and how to grow this changeable beauty.

Free planning tools: put this guide to work with the When to Prune and Planting Calendar on our Gardening Tools hub.

A Perfume That Refuses to Sit Still

Mysterious. Shifting. Alive.

Most roses have a scent. Blue Moon Stone has a wardrobe. When the bloom first opens, it wears the elegant, luxurious perfume of classic French roses — orange blossom, iris, lily of the valley — refined and intoxicating.

Then the day warms up, and the fragrance deepens: orange and honey, golden and soothing, the kind of scent that slows your breathing. You start planning your evenings around it.

And then it rains — and everything changes. The softness burns off and what rises is bold musk, citronella, and herbs: intense, green, almost wild. The same flower. A completely different soul.

We've grown hundreds of fragrant varieties. Nothing else does this. Blue Moon Stone doesn't have a fragrance; it has weather.

The Myrrh Standard

Rose people talk about "myrrh scent" the way wine people talk about terroir — reverently, and with endless debate about what it actually means.

For us, Blue Moon Stone is the definition. That resinous, deep, slightly spicy warmth that sits underneath the brighter notes — it's the base note that makes the whole perfume feel expensive. If you've ever wondered what the fuss about myrrh fragrance is, one bloom of this rose answers the question permanently.

Beyond the nose, the flower is beautiful in its own right: cool blue-lavender tones, elegant form, the kind of bloom that looks moonlit even at noon. But let's be honest — you're planting this one for the perfume. Everyone does.

The Mosquito Question

So… does it actually repel mosquitoes?

Here's our honest answer: the citronella-lemon character in the fragrance is real and pronounced — especially in the evening and after rain. Whether it meaningfully reduces mosquito bites the way a citronella candle does? We can't promise that. No rose is a substitute for repellent.

But planting fragrant roses near seating areas does change the evening experience. The air smells of citrus and herbs instead of just… air. And on a summer night, with Blue Moon Stone releasing its boldest perfume after a rain shower, you'll be too busy breathing deeply to think about mosquitoes anyway.

Call it aromatherapy with plausible deniability.

Growing Blue Moon Stone: the Essentials

Light. Full sun for the strongest fragrance — scent compounds develop best with good light. In extreme heat, light afternoon shade protects the delicate coloring.

Soil and feeding. Rich, well-drained soil with compost. Fragrant roses are working hard producing all those volatile oils — feed steadily through the season. Our feeding guide keeps the perfume at full strength, and these fertilizing mistakes are worth avoiding.

Placement. This is a positioning rose. Plant it where you'll actually smell it: beside a path, under a window, near the patio, flanking the front door. A Blue Moon Stone hidden at the back of a border is a tragedy.

Water. Deep watering at the base; avoid wetting the blooms, which can mute fragrance and invite disease.

Pests. Fragrant roses can attract attention — keep foliage clean and watch for mites in hot, dry weather with our natural control playbook.

This is for you if… you're a fragrance collector — the gardener who chooses roses by nose first, and who wants a perfume that changes with the weather like a living thing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Blue Moon Stone actually smell like?
It depends when you smell it: French-rose elegance (orange, iris, lily of the valley) on opening, honeyed warmth on hot days, and bold musk with citronella and herbs after rain.

Will it really keep mosquitoes away?
The citronella-like notes are genuinely strong, but think of it as a beautifully scented garden companion, not a repellent. Plant near seating for the loveliest effect.

Is the blue color real?
It's a cool lavender-blue tone — as close to blue as roses get without genetic engineering. The color reads beautifully against green foliage.

When is the fragrance strongest?
Warm evenings and just after rain, when the musk and citronella notes surge. Morning brings the more delicate French-perfume character.

Good for cutting?
Wonderful — bring the perfume indoors. Cut in the cool of morning when the delicate top notes are at their peak.

Fragrance intensity varies with temperature and humidity in your region — hot, humid evenings produce the boldest perfume. Planting and care timing shift with your USDA zone; adjust by a few weeks for your climate.

Wrapping Things up!

We wish words could carry scent. We've tried — really, we've tried — and every description of Blue Moon Stone falls short of the actual experience of standing in front of it on a warm evening after rain.

Some roses you admire. This one you inhale. Plant it where you'll pass every day, and let the weather write a different perfume for you each week.

Find it in our rose seed collection, and explore more fragrant legends in our French roses guide and Growing Guides.

And as always, if you ever need help choosing, planning, or growing… we're here!