Scent in the garden

Fragrance in the Garden

By Amy McDowell

Gardening is a full-immersion hobby. Unlike reading or watching television, gardening tantalizes all five senses—from the soothing sight of a leaf unfurling and the sound of birds singing to the taste of tangy tomatoes and the sting of a rose thorn—our senses tingle to life when in the garden. And the fragrance! Thousands of plants scent the air, not to enchant our noses but to attract pollinators. We might as well admit it; their sex scents seduce us, as well.

If you’d like to add fragrant plants to your garden, consider the following list.

Aromatic Annuals – Garden centers offer ready-to-plant packs of these scented annuals: Alyssum, snapdragons, Nicotiana and Viola. Also look for larger pots of Heliotrope and scented geranium (Pelargonium). Sow seeds of the following annuals directly into the ground: Datura, Nasturtium, four o’clocks and sweet peas.

Tantalizing Tropicals – Expand your repertoire to include tropical plants that easily overwinter indoors. Brugmansia, Jasmine, Gardenia, Stephanotis, night-blooming Cereus and citrus plants top the list.

Perfumed Perennials – These guys will return year after year to scent your garden: Achillea, Allium, Candytuft (Iberis), Hosta, Iris, Lily of the Valley, Monarda, Peony and Scabiosa. Although butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a woody plant, it frequently dies back to the ground during our winters, so it’s a good idea to mentally place it into the perennial category.

Scented Shrubs – Lilacs come to mind first because they are blooming as I write this. I always cut stems and bring them inside in massive heavy glass vases. But the long list of fragrant shrubs offers generous choices. Consider Roses, Caryopteris, allspice (Calycanthus), Clethra, Daphne, Mock Orange (Philadelphus) and Viburnum. In addition, a couple of fragrant Forsythia varieties can kick your spring off with scent including F. geraldiana and F. ovata. For Viburnum, look for V. x burkwoodii, V. x carlcephalum, V. carlesii, V. fragrans and V. x juddii.

Fragrant Trees – Thousands of scent-free Crabapples on the market have led us to believe they are not fragrant. But look for Malus sargentii, M. coronaria, M. hupehensis and M. transitoria ‘Golden Raindrops’. Other scented trees include fringe tree (Chionanthus), snowdrop (Halesia), golden chain tree (Laburnum), Magnolia and Pine.

Voluptuous Vines – In addition to the tropical vines listed above, there are few winter-hardy vines, including climbing roses, Wisteria and honeysuckle (Lonicera).

Finally, a word of caution: not all plants are pollinated by bees, butterflies and birds. Some, like the Hawthorn tree (Crataegus crusgalli) are pollinated by flies. And what scent attracts flies? You got it—rotten meat.