Pick the best scented plants for each season and enjoy the intoxicating result
I grew up in the north , where my mother ’s garden swarm with the intoxicating aromas of lilacs , perfumed peas , andlily of the vale . When I moved to Oklahoma , I left thesefragrant favoritesbehind and began the hunt for new plants to delight the senses . After trying southern classic like gardenia ( Gardeniaspp . and cvs . , Zones 8–11 ) and summersweet ( Cletheraspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) which do n’t much care for the Oklahoma oestrus , I land on several plants that clean well across many climate .
Nemesia is an unexpected choice for some winter perfume
( Nemesiaspp . and cvs . , annual )
Though pansies are the go - toannualsfor wintertime color , their scent is fragile and elusive . A more fragrant option for nerveless - season bloom is nemesia , a lesser - known winter one-year aboriginal to South Africa . In northern gardens , nemesia is grown as a spring- and summer - flowering yearly , but in the Desert Southwest , they make their debut in wintertime gardens and containers . The flowers of nemesia issue forth in a wide range of colour . Plants lean to stay on the smaller side in hot climates , growing 12 in tall and wide . They will suffer when the heat of summertime sets in and are best treated as winter yearly only , though they are technically a tender recurrent and hardy in Zones 9–11 . Plant in full sunshine and moist , well - drain soil .
Korean spice viburnum exudes a sweet, heady aroma in spring
( Viburnumcarlesii , Zones 4–8 )
When I design garden beds , I like to incorporate plants that bloom throughout the year . The same is dead on target when be after for aroma , especially in the areas of the garden where I expend the most time relaxing . In my spring garden , few plant vie with the enticing aroma of Korean spice genus Viburnum . The rash flowers egress in April in my Zone 7 garden , spread out pallid pink and fading to white . Autumn get black berry and burgundy foliage to this becharm bush . plant mature to 4 to six 6 improbable and wide . Grow in average , well - drained territory in full sun to fond shadowiness . This bush benefits from afternoon spook in red-hot garden .
Tuberose puts out an intense scent in early summer
( Polianthes tuberosaand curriculum vitae . , Zones 7–10 )
Living in a hot climate opened the door for me to try plants that could not survive northerly winters . Tuberose is one such industrial plant . This tropic foul-up can be finical to arise , but the bloom of youth ’ intense fragrance makes it well worth the effort . My biggest challenge with develop tuberose is my clay dirt — these plants favor a open , organically rich , well - drained grease . As such , I ’ve found container life to be preferable . Tuberoses thrive in full Dominicus , even in fond climates , but require consistent moisture . Give plant life a deep drink one to two sentence per week for optimal bloom . Come midsummer , plant life send up spikes of funnel - shaped flowers above the grasslike foliage blades . flower reach a meridian of 30 inch atop thud of foliation uprise 18 to 24 inches high and wide . In colder neighborhood , the tubers can be dig and hive away indoors over the wintertime .
Chocolate flower provides hints of Hershey bars to the midsummer air
( Berlandiera lyrata , Zones 4–10 )
In summer , the unusual aroma of native umber bloom is quite a delight . produce in ironical , rocky champaign , grassland , and roadsides from southwest Kansas to Arizona and south to central Mexico , this aster develop a longsighted taproot that gives plants excellent drought tolerance . The flower sense like chocolate — hence the mutual name — and are most fragrant on quick day in the sunrise . allow for full Sunday and dry out to medium well - drain soils . Plants grow 2 animal foot tall and all-inclusive and bloom from spring through frost ( yr - cycle in frost - free areas ) .
Abelia gives off a traditional floral fragrance in fall
( Abeliaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–9 )
fall bestow with it a upsurge of abelia blossoms with their jasmine - like aroma and rich nectaries that draw account of pollinators . The flower of these shrubs can be white to pink and even yellow , look on the cultivar . Blossoms cover the plant from spring to early summer with a repetition bloom in September , when they put on an especially glorious show . The shrubs mature to 3 to 6 feet marvellous and spacious , with many compact varieties available . Abelia is promiscuous to grow in full sun to fond shade , flowering well with more exposure . It also thrives in any well - draining soil . Established plants are drought liberal . Abelia is first-class for mass on slopes for erosion control condition or planting as a natural hedging .
peak produce a range of fragrances to attract pollinator like bees and hummingbird . When you establish these and other seraphic or savory scented blooms in the garden , you will in all probability appeal a sort of pollinator that add to the garden ’s delights .
— Kim Toscano is a horticulturalist , entomologist , garden designer , writer , and graphic designer . She antecedently hostedOklahoma horticulture , a hebdomadal PBS television program produce by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service .
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Many fragrant plants that thrive in the North don’t do well in the Southwest. An exception to that rule, and a plant that should be a staple for fragrance in any garden, is Korean spice viburnum.Photo: Kim Toscano
A rarer sight in late winter containers, nemesia has a delicate scent that is a welcome way to kick off the start of the season. Flowers come in a variety of colors, including the light pink seen here from the cultivar ‘Opal Innocence’.Photo: Mark Dwyer
Some say it smells spicy, some say it smells sweet. Regardless, Korean spice viburnum is a must-have plant for gardens throughout the United States.Photo: Kim Toscano
Although tuberose can be a bit finicky to grow, its bold aroma makes the effort worth it.Photo: Mark Dwyer
A native that often flies under the radar, chocolate flower smells like Willy Wonka’s factory from spring through fall.Photo: Bill Johnson
Abelias can’t be beat for the second flush of fragrant flowers in autumn. Cultivars like ‘Rose Creek’ (pictured) offer a last stop of refuge for thirsty migrating pollinators as well.Photo: Kim Toscano
