Scent adds an extra dimension to a garden, turning it into a place where you linger, indulging your senses rather than rushing through to the front door or garden shed. Use plants that flower in different seasons to turn your garden into a perfumed paradise all year round. Plant heat-loving shrubs like lavender against north-facing walls and surround them with brick pavers or stone pebbles to draw out their perfume. And position night-scented plants near your outdoor living spaces or windows so that you can savor their scent while relaxing in the evening.
{environmental concept}
1. Wisteria. The spectacular scented flowers of wisteria appear in spring on the bare vines, with leaves following soon afterward. Train this climber along pergolas or fences, or keep it trimmed as a shrub. Wisteria will tolerate frost but prefers a sunny spot.
Spring Planting: Wonderful Wisteria
SolScapes
2. Plumeria. If your idea of heaven is a beach in Fiji, you must plant a plumeria. The exquisite scent of this tropical shrub more than compensates for its lack of leaves in winter. You need a warm, sunny spot for plumeria; pots are best for those in colder areas so that plants can be moved to shelter in winter.
Monrovia
3. Daphne. Winter-flowering daphne has an unmistakable old-fashioned scent. Partial shade is best for these shrubs, with a free-draining, cool and slightly acidic soil. The flowers range in color from white to pinkish red and lilac.
Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates
4. Citrus. Citrus flowers are sweetly scented, plus there’s the bonus of delicious fruit. Citrus need plenty of moisture and food, particularly from spring until autumn. Most are vulnerable to frost, so plant in pots in cooler regions. The main flowering period is summer, but some citrus varieties, such as Meyer lemon, will flower and fruit virtually all year.
How to Keep Your Citrus Trees Well Fed and Healthy
Hortus Oasis
5. Star jasmine. The hardy, low-maintenance climber star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is well behaved. It has glossy dark green leaves and, from midspring to late summer, is covered in deliciously scented white flowers. Star jasmine is tolerant of light to medium frost.
Gardens by Monit, llc
6. Gardenia. This is a shrub that needs plenty of TLC, but its divine fragrance is well worth the effort. Gardenias prefer fertile, acidic soil, lots of moisture and partial shade. Plenty of compost or other organic matter in the soil is also essential, as is shelter from frost in winter.
Pamela Bateman Garden Design
7. Lilac. The sweet, old-fashioned perfume of lilac is rarely found in modern gardens, particularly in warmer areas. But lilacs are still common in traditional gardens in cooler regions. These frost-hardy trees can vary in fragrance, so choose plants when in flower. Lilac prefers a moist soil and will flower well after a hard frost.
Let Lilac Love Flower This Spring
California Flowerbulb Company, Inc.
8. Spring bulbs. The sweet scent of freesias (seen here), narcissus and hyacinth reminds us that spring is on its way even when trees are still bare. Freesia grows best in warmer regions, while narcissus and hyacinth are frost tolerant. In small gardens, spring bulbs are best in pots so they can be moved out of sight while the foliage dies back (an essential process to ensure good flowering the following season).
katie moss landscape design
9. Roses. The scent of a rose is pure joy. However, not all of them suit warmer areas, and many modern hybrids lack fragrance, so select your varieties carefully. English or David Austin roses usually have a good perfume, as do old-fashioned damask roses.
6 Captivating Roses for an Alluringly Fragrant Garden
Glenna Partridge Garden Design
10. Lilies. Of the many, many lilies you can grow in the garden, hybrids of L. regale and L. longiflorum produce the most beautiful scent. Some of the newer hybrids are less fragrant but easier to grow. You need a rich, well-drained soil and plenty of moisture to grow lilies well, ideally with cool shade around the roots and sun on the flowers. Grow them in pots if your garden doesn’t suit their needs.
Tell us: What are your favorite scented plants? Share your suggestions and pictures in the Comments!
More: Simple Pleasures: Scent and Memory How to Grow Your Own Cocktail Garden
{environmental concept}
1. Wisteria. The spectacular scented flowers of wisteria appear in spring on the bare vines, with leaves following soon afterward. Train this climber along pergolas or fences, or keep it trimmed as a shrub. Wisteria will tolerate frost but prefers a sunny spot.
SolScapes
2. Plumeria. If your idea of heaven is a beach in Fiji, you must plant a plumeria. The exquisite scent of this tropical shrub more than compensates for its lack of leaves in winter. You need a warm, sunny spot for plumeria; pots are best for those in colder areas so that plants can be moved to shelter in winter.
Monrovia
3. Daphne. Winter-flowering daphne has an unmistakable old-fashioned scent. Partial shade is best for these shrubs, with a free-draining, cool and slightly acidic soil. The flowers range in color from white to pinkish red and lilac.
Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates
4. Citrus. Citrus flowers are sweetly scented, plus there’s the bonus of delicious fruit. Citrus need plenty of moisture and food, particularly from spring until autumn. Most are vulnerable to frost, so plant in pots in cooler regions. The main flowering period is summer, but some citrus varieties, such as Meyer lemon, will flower and fruit virtually all year.
Hortus Oasis
5. Star jasmine. The hardy, low-maintenance climber star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is well behaved. It has glossy dark green leaves and, from midspring to late summer, is covered in deliciously scented white flowers. Star jasmine is tolerant of light to medium frost.
Gardens by Monit, llc
6. Gardenia. This is a shrub that needs plenty of TLC, but its divine fragrance is well worth the effort. Gardenias prefer fertile, acidic soil, lots of moisture and partial shade. Plenty of compost or other organic matter in the soil is also essential, as is shelter from frost in winter.
Pamela Bateman Garden Design
7. Lilac. The sweet, old-fashioned perfume of lilac is rarely found in modern gardens, particularly in warmer areas. But lilacs are still common in traditional gardens in cooler regions. These frost-hardy trees can vary in fragrance, so choose plants when in flower. Lilac prefers a moist soil and will flower well after a hard frost.
California Flowerbulb Company, Inc.
8. Spring bulbs. The sweet scent of freesias (seen here), narcissus and hyacinth reminds us that spring is on its way even when trees are still bare. Freesia grows best in warmer regions, while narcissus and hyacinth are frost tolerant. In small gardens, spring bulbs are best in pots so they can be moved out of sight while the foliage dies back (an essential process to ensure good flowering the following season).
katie moss landscape design
9. Roses. The scent of a rose is pure joy. However, not all of them suit warmer areas, and many modern hybrids lack fragrance, so select your varieties carefully. English or David Austin roses usually have a good perfume, as do old-fashioned damask roses.
Glenna Partridge Garden Design
10. Lilies. Of the many, many lilies you can grow in the garden, hybrids of L. regale and L. longiflorum produce the most beautiful scent. Some of the newer hybrids are less fragrant but easier to grow. You need a rich, well-drained soil and plenty of moisture to grow lilies well, ideally with cool shade around the roots and sun on the flowers. Grow them in pots if your garden doesn’t suit their needs.