Fragrance is in the nose of the beholder, and behold the variety: A Phlox paniculata ‘David’; B Passiflora alatocaerulea; C Hosta plantaginea; D Clethra alnifolia ‘Rosea’; E Dianthus plumaris hybrids; F Pelargonium citrosum ‘Mint Rose’; G Geranium macrorrhizum; H Hydrangea arborescens ‘Invincibelle Spirit’; I Heliotropium arborescens cv.; J Clethra alnifolia ‘Creel’s Calico’; K Piper auritum; L Vitex negundo ‘Heterophylla’ (rub the stems to release the scent); M Abelia mosanensis; N Daphne burkwoodii ‘Briggs Moonlight’; O Rosa ‘Pink Knockout’.

 

Many flowers are fragrant, and evolved to smell in a way we (and their pollinators) find irresistible. You might plant a sensory garden with fuzzy-leafed herbs that must be handled in order to release their smells, like scented geraniums (Pelargonium varieties). There could be a spice garden with cultivars of dianthus—pinks—that contain eugenol, a chemical compound with a clove-like aroma.

A planting could be based on night-fragrant exemplars for the patio. Look for white flowers like nicotiana, datura, and white petunias that attract moths and other creatures of the night. Some flowers do not even open until their insect associates are active. Moonflower (Ipomoea alba), for example, and four-o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa), which got their common name from the time the buds unfurl.

Many tender perennials have perfumed flowers. These plants spend their summers outdoors in northern gardens, where they are planted in large containers or in flower beds. Others, like the bulbs of tuberose, will be stored dormant in cool basements for winter. Some potted plants, like citrus trees that blossom with the lengthening daylight hours in winter and heliotrope with perfume that could be described as cherry, vanilla, and baby powder, go to a sunny window indoors or to a greenhouse. Many of these plants can live year-round in subtropical gardens around the Gulf of Mexico. A favorite of mine is Hoja santa (Piper auritum), a large shrubby relative of the source of black pepper, with large heart-shaped leaves that, when crushed, summon another common name: root beer bush.

A host of annuals smell too, including stock, mignonette (Reseda odorata), and sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), whose honey-like fragrance fills my sister’s neighborhood in Northern California.

Cold-hardy perennials for fragrance include snakeroot (Actea, syn. Cimicifuga spp.), bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis), fragrant Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum), phlox (species and varieties), daylilies, some hostas (i.e. H. plantaginea), lavender, garden lilies, lily-of-the-valley, daffodils (especially cultivars of Narcissus jonquilla), hyacinths, and many tulip varieties.

Trees and shrubs also have fragrant flowers, of course. Examples are flowering almond and apricot, black locust, magnolias, and linden trees. Shrubs include paper bush (Edgeworthia spp.), winter viburnum species, winterhazel (Corylopsis glabrescens), witch hazel (Hamamelis varieties), tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans), daphne species, buffalo or clove currant (Ribes odoratum with the same odiferous chemical that’s in the dianthus), mock orange (Philadelphus varieties), Carolina sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), Mexican orange (Choisya ternata), sweet pepperbush (Clethra spp.), and of course, the celebrated lilacs and roses.