Fragrance in the Garden

There's a sense of calmness that overcomes me when I walk through a lush green garden, and I always get a happy feeling deep down inside when I see a bed of beautiful flowers...but it's the sweet scent of  fragrance wafting through the breeze that  makes the garden a memorable place for me.

 I'm sure all of you know what I'm talking about...strolling through the garden and inhaling the heavenly fragrance of citrus trees or confederate jasmine hanging heavy in the air. Or brushing up against a Rosemary shrub and catching the unusual scent released from the leaves. The scent of fragrance in the air causes me to stop and take a deep breath...while letting my whole being soak up the scent.

Recently, as I got out of a car inside a parking garage I immediately noticed that the air was saturated with fragrance. Generally, a parking garage does not smell that great, so I kept inhaling the scent trying to figure out what it was, and as I walked outside my eyes immediately began to search out the source. It ended up coming from 8 large ligustrum trees covered in flowers. I couldn't believe those 8 trees created such a powerful scent.

In my humble gardening opinion, I think adding touches of fragrance all around your garden...in all four seasons...adds to the whole experience of the garden. Imagine dining on your patio surrounded by the musky scent of gardenias. Even your non-gardening family or friends will stop and take notice of your garden.

Place fragrant plants close to a patio or porch so you can enjoy them even when you're not in the garden. Plants with fragrant foliage such as rosemary and basil or low-scent flowers like nasturtians are best placed along a pathway so their scent can be released when someone brushes up against them or reaches out to tough their foliage.

If you'd like to add a touch of fragrance to your garden, here's a short-list of some deliciously scented plants and trees to choose from:

Annuals

Basil

Nasturtiums Tropaeolum majus

Spider flower Cleome hassleriana

Sweet alyssum Lobularia maritima

Grasses

Lemon Grass Cymbopogon citratus

Perennials

Butterfly ginger Hedychium coronarium

Flowering Tobacco Nicotiana tabacum

Four o’clock Mirabilis jalapa

Garden phlox Phlox paniculata

Garlic chives Allium tuberosum

Ginger lily Hedychium coronarium

Oregano Origanum vulgare

Peppermint Mentha X piperita

Pineapple Sage Salvia elegans

Spider lily Crinum

Sweet marjoram Origanum majorana

Shrubs

Angel trumpet Datura species

Angel trumpet Brugmansia species

Banana shrub Michelia figo

Florida Anise Illicium Floridanum

Gardenia Gardenia augusta

Night-blooming Jessamine Cestrum nocturnum

Rosemary Rosemarinus officinalis

Sweet shrub, Carolina allspice Calycanthus floridus

Sweet Viburnum odoratissimum or suspensum

Tea olive Osmanthus fragrans

Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica

Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow Brunfelsia australis

Trees

Carolina cherry laurel Prunus caroliniana

Citrus species: Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, etc.

Frangipani Plumeria

Fringetree Chionanthus vagrancies

Ligustrum Ligustrum japonicumLoblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus

Magnolia - Southern Magnolia Magnolia grand flora, Sweet bay Magnolia virginiana,

        Saucer magnolia Magnolia x soulangeana, Lily magnolia Magnolia liliiflora

Orchid tree Bauhinia variegata

Silk tree Albizia julibrissin

Vines

American Wisteria Wisteria frutescens (this is a non-aggressive variety unlike the Chinese wisteria)

Chalice Solandra maxima

Confederate Jasmine Trachelospermum species

Moonflower  Ipomoea alba

Posted by: Central Florida Gardener