Many gardeners select plants to coordinate bloom time throughout the growing season but often underestimate the value of fragrance in their overall plan. The visual characteristics of the garden are usually the priority in our designs. But, plant scents can be a powerful quality in any garden. They can bring back a fond memory or give a sense of peace and relaxation.
Choosing plants for their fragrance can be done by checking the plant label in the pot. Plant characteristics including fragrance are often listed on these labels. You can also go to the Cornell Gardening Web site, www.gardening.cornell.edu, and search flower varieties for fragrance. Also, many mail order catalogs will include this plant characteristic in their descriptions. Keep in mind that breeding of plants may sometimes change their fragrance or eliminate it totally. As a general rule, the size of the bloom often dictates the intensity of the fragrance. One such example is the Peony.
If you would like to pump up the fragrance in your gardens, throughout the growing season, here are a few plants you might like to consider that do well in our Saratoga region. They are primarily cold hardy zone 4 perennials and shrubs, but I do include zone 5 plants. Your property characteristics will determine weather 4 or 5 zone plants will work.
Spring
Spring bulbs are great selections for early garden fragrance. Varieties of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths make great border plants to start off your growing season. Spring blooming shrubs that do well in our region include the Korean Spice Viburnum, Summer Sweet, Mock Orange, Star Magnolias and of course the Lilac. My favorite ultra-fragrant lilac is the Miss Kim dwarf variety. Those tiny buds give off an unbelievable scent. The Lily of the Valley is a great spring perennial with lots of fragrance, but be sure to plant it where you have lots of space, as it can be highly invasive.
Summer
Early summer perennial selections for fragrance include varieties of irises and peonies. An often overlooked vine plant is the zone 4 Wisteria Floribunda. In shrubs, the Gold Flame Honeysuckle is a nice choice.
Later summer perennials include many varieties of lilies particularly Oriental, Geraniums and the new varieties of the Coneflower. Coneflowers are not just purple anymore. The white Angel, Sundown orange and Twilight reddish color are all fragrant. Tall phlox are another great choice. The Salvia plant is known for the fragrance of its foliage, not the flower. Although highly invasive, Mint is always a nice addition to a perennial bed. You will have to be vigilant about taming this. It can overtake an area quickly. Great shrubs to choose from include the new varieties of roses. The Knockout Rose is not only more hardy and disease resistant for our area; it offers the traditional rose scent. There are many varieties of hydrangea to choose from. My favorite late summer choice for fragrance is the Tardiva. The blooms make stately indoor flower arrangements. All parts of the Lavender plant, really a sub shrub, is known for its rich fragrance. Great annuals for fragrance include the sweet Alyssum and Dianthus (Carnations).
Fall
And, what would the fall be without the scent of mums? Something about them makes me think of football games and homecomings. Again, breeding will dictate the strength of their fragrance.
Winter
Even in winter your garden can offer fragrance with evergreen shrubs and trees. The Balsam family is well known for its unique scent.
Selecting flowers for their fragrance is easy. But did you know that you can maximize flower fragrance on your home property merely with some foresight in planning? Here are a few tips I use to maximize enjoyment of the bloom time and wonderful flower fragrances.
First and foremost, I try to position flowers and shrubs well-known for their fragrance at home entrances. There is nothing more inviting and welcoming than entering a house with the beautiful scent of Japanese Lilac or Korean Spice Viburnum in early spring. In addition to the entrance, you might consider planting your fragrant selections in your general outdoor living area. Walkway, patio and deck areas are perfect choices. My mom recently purchased a Miss Kim Lilac and selected a planting site off the garage. I talked her into putting it at the end of the porch so she could enjoy the spring fragrance while sitting out there reading her latest book.
If you have an enclosed area of your property, consider planting in still spots versus out in the open. Walls, fences and corners of the house line might capture the scents versus open areas that will sweep it away in the breeze. If you lack these spaces when planting, consider an area in the yard where the breeze can carry the scent towards the house.
If you are a container gardener, give some thought to the level of your container plants. By raising the containers from ground level you will notice the flower scents more readily. In addition to hanging baskets, you might consider raised garden beds, window boxes or deck railing planters to achieve a higher level.
Think also of fragrant plant locations in your garden bed. Placing a Tall Phlox in the back border or center of the bed is a logical choice due to its height. But you may eliminate your opportunity to catch their unique scent. Placing the Phlox at your mailbox post provides you a daily dose of the scent as the blooms are up near that box you visit each day. Alyssum a very fragrant annual is my top choice for borders. It is especially powerful when lining a walkway or cascading down a raised bed area.
As the growing season comes to a close in our region, we all take inventory of our gardens. We evaluate what worked, and what did not. This year, sit back and give some thought to planting for fragrance next year. You can enjoy a full season of your favorites with just a bit of planning in advance
Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping. She designs, constructs, and maintains outdoor landscape and water garden features in Saratoga County. For more information visit: www.chipslandscaping.net.
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