Almond drifting from a clematis on a wall, cocoa from the dark cups of chocolate cosmos, and four o’clock flowers that unfold their jasmine scent only late in the afternoon: perfume is something you can plant deliberately. Give each one the light and soil it asks for, and the garden repays you with scent from spring to autumn.
Although some flowers are only fragrant up close, like thrush, others spread their perfume wide and far, like lilac, Mexican orange tree or simply nearby like the mimosa tree.
A short plant list of fragrant plants.
Feet in the shade, crown in the sun, at the base of a wall or on a balcony. That is what clematis requires. One particular variety, Clematis armandii, spreads a sophisticated perfume with hints of almond. Prune it after the blooming.
The most famous, Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) is purple or white (‘Alba’) with an intense fragrance. It blooms abundantly in May and in summer, and loves full sun.
Planted in part sun, this vigorous honeysuckle produces abundant fragrant flowers.
The Lonicera japonica variety produce white flowers from June to October and copes well with growing in pots (sun or part sun).
This annual plant (Lathyrus odoratus) will advantageously decorate a wire fence and also does great in pots.
The four climbers above ask for slightly different things: use this table to match one to the light you have and the spot you want to perfume.
| Climber | Position | Scent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clematis armandii | Feet in the shade, crown in the sun; wall base or balcony | Sophisticated, hints of almond | Prune it after the blooming |
| Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) | Full sun | Intense | Purple or white ‘Alba’; abundant bloom from late spring into summer |
| Lonicera japonica | Sun or part sun | Fragrant white flowers | Flowers from early summer to mid-autumn; copes well in pots |
| Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) | Wire fence or pot | Scented annual | Also does great in pots |
Between them they cover shade at the root, full sun and container growing, so almost every garden has room for one.
Its yellow or pink flowers only open towards the end of the afternoon, and the smell that wafts from them is somewhat similar to that of jasmine. Four o’clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa) loves sun but demands rich soil and frequent watering; fertilizer is needed during the blooming!
This white or purple perennial (Hesperis matronalis) doesn’t live for very long but it re-seeds easily. From May to June, its tall stems bear flowers that also smell a bit of jasmine in the evening.
Ideal for poor and rocky soil, wallflower (Erysimum cheiri) exhales a powerful fragrance and embellishes low rock walls with its bright colors.
Also called “Catgrass”, catnip (Nepeta cataria) attracts cats thanks to its fragrant leaves. The wallflowers produce a delicious fragrance.
Both these hardy plants love sun. As for the chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus), it is sought after for its delicate smell of cocoa.
Shear catnip back by about half once the first flush of flowers fades, and it will usually flower again.
Daphne, jasmines, butterfly bush, viburnum… there are a great many shrubs that smell fantastic. Rose trees of course spread distinctive fragrances like the centifolia and the damascena, and many more typical ones exist among the hybrid varieties. Extremely abundant blooming, long-lasting flowers with repeat flowering characterizes the ‘Martin des senteurs®‘ variety, with orange, fruity-smelling flowers.
Many viburnums are scentless, so look for named fragrant kinds such as Viburnum carlesii or Viburnum x bodnantense if perfume is the point.
Butterfly bush flowers on new wood, so cut the stems back hard while the plant is dormant, and snip off faded spikes to keep more coming and limit self-seeding.
Aside from lavender and rosemary, which require well drained soil, think to use easy and little-known herbs and spices:
• Lemon balm
• Fragrant dill
• Mint: pepper, green, ‘Chocolate Peppermint’, ‘Eau de Cologne’…
• Lemon verbena
• The curry plant (Helichrysum)
Dill resents root disturbance, so sow it straight where it is to flower.
Alyssum are great to cover pot arrangements and produce a delicate honey-like smell from May to September. Lobularia ‘Snow Princess®‘ is a vigorous crawling variety. Taller Plumeria trees also do great in pots, and their fragrance is amazing.
A small hardy shrub, Cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides ‘Klem’s Hardy’) bears star-shaped flowers and evergreen, very fragrant leaves.
By C. Levesque
Stand the pots beside a doorway, a bench or an open window, where the scent is actually caught.
