FRAGRANT PLANTS
These plants are fragrant. Some release an aroma that travels far; others are appreciated at a closer proximity.
* Alyssum: This annual comes in white and lavender forms and reseeds itself readily. Though it won’t overpower a garden, it releases a sweet odor when disturbed.
* Citrus: Not only do citrus smell heavenly when they bloom in the spring, their fruit also tends to be fragrant as it ripens. There is a wide array of dwarf varieties available today, which makes citrus easy to grow in a container on your patio.
* Gardenia: The white flowers of this plant are intensely fragrant. There are several varieties available, including hedges and small shrubs. Many bloom throughout the year.
* Geraniums: You’ll find a wide array of scented geraniums, some with more pleasing fragrances than others. Two favorites include apple and rose. Place geraniums in an area where they can be brushed when walking, or situate them so that guests can easily pick leaves and smell them.
* Heliotrope: This evergreen perennial blooms most of the year. The flowers have a sweet vanilla scent, especially the white variety. All parts are poisonous.
* Jasmine: Several varieties of jasmine make especially fragrant additions to the garden, including pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), which blooms in the spring and early summer. Star jasmine (Trachelospermum), which is really not a jasmine, blooms in spring.
Also not a real jasmine is night jessamine (Cestrum nocturnum). It blooms during the late summer and fall. Stephanotis floribunda, commonly called Madagascar jasmine, has funnel-shaped, white waxy fragrant flowers that bloom throughout the summer.
* Lavender: This popular herb is known for its intoxicating scent that is said to calm nerves. Both flowers and leaves are fragrant. There are many varieties to choose from; one of the most aromatic is English lavender. Most lavenders bloom from spring into fall.
* Lilac: Although this is a common fragrant flowering shrub in other parts of the country, it has traditionally been difficult to grow here because of the mild winters. Two newer lilac varieties said to grow well here are ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘Lavender Lady.’
* Michelia tree: There are several varieties of this tree. M. champaca, which grows 25 to 30 feet, has small orange, highly aromatic flowers that bloom most of the year; heaviest in winter and summer. ‘Jack Fogg’ is shorter at 18 feet with large white fragrant flowers and blooms through the spring. The banana shrub (M. figo) blooms from March through May with yellowish-purple, banana-scented flowers. It grows slowly, generally only reaching 4 to 8 feet.
* Moonflower (Ipomoea alba): A member of the morning glory family, this annual vine does not reseed readily like its cousin. It has pretty heart-shaped leaves and blooms during summer and fall nights with large, white, highly fragrant flowers.
* Nicotiana: This summer-blooming tender perennial grown as an annual, has tubular flowers in a variety of colors that open at night and release a memorable fragrance. Some reseed readily. Use caution: All parts are poisonous.
* Osmanthus fragrans: This evergreen shrub grows to 10 feet or more. Where space is limited, it can be pruned to upright growth. It can also be trained as a small tree. Although the plant’s flowers are white and inconspicuous, their sweet apricot-like scent is very strong. Blooms heaviest during spring and summer but will flower sporadically throughout the year when winters are mild.
* Plumeria: Many of these shrubs or small trees sport fragrant flowers during summer and fall that are often used in Hawaii to make leis. In late fall most lose their leaves and become dormant.
* Roses: No aromatic garden would be complete without these fragrant favorites. Use caution when choosing roses, however: Some of the newer hybrids have very little, if any scent. Although many miniature roses do not smell, there are several on the market with an aroma.
* Sweet peas: Now is the time to plant these sweet-scented annual flowers that will bloom from winter into spring. They come in bush types and climbers and can be planted from seed in containers or the ground. Just be cautious: They are highly poisonous.
