Garden Help
Diagnose plant problems and treat garden pests


Get Gardening Help!

Home > Gardening News >

Top 10 Plants Year round Fragrance


Scent plays a crucial part in any garden and is the sense that evokes the most memories. It is used by plants to attract pollinating insects so the plants that flower in winter, when the least insects are around, have to work hardest and are amongst the most fragrant. Make sure you plant these where you can smell them without having to walk into the border.

If you garden with containers, move the plants forward as they flower, or position them near a door, so you can appreciate the scent as you pass.

Chimonanthus praecox

Known as “wintersweet” this shrub fills the garden with scent on a calm, sunny day in winter and early spring. It has small creamy-yellow flowers with a red centre along the branches. It flowers best in a sunny, sheltered position and is ideal for training against a warm wall or fence.

Daphne

There is a Daphne for almost every situation, so you can choose one to suit your soil and the position in the garden. They are all highly fragrant shrubs, most are hardy and they prefer light shade to full sun. Two examples are Daphne ‘Jacqueline Postill’, which is superb for scent in late winter and ‘Perfume Princess’ has excellent fragrance in spring.

Dianthus

Carnations and pinks are almost all fragrant, but the pinks are particularly good in the garden, giving off their strong, sweet, clove smell all summer. They love a hot, sunny spot and also grow well in containers. Good examples include: ‘Gran’s Favourite’, ‘Memories’ and ‘Doris’.

Lavandula

Lavenders just love a hot, sunny position. The silver hairs on the leaves reflect light, which means they cope better than many other plants. Popular with bees and many other pollinators, the foliage is fragrant in the sunshine and the white, blue or pink flowers not only smell good in the garden, but can be dried for use indoors.

Lonicera

The “honeysuckles” range from winter-flowering shrubs to climbers that flower in spring, summer or autumn. They all have a strong honey scent that lingers on calm air. Winter-flowering shrubs include Lonicera x purpusii and Lonicera fragrantissima. Climbers include ‘Serotina’ (late summer), ‘Halliana’ (evergreen, summer flowering) and ‘Heaven Scent’ (summer-autumn).

Mahonia

There are many types of Mahonia, from low, spreading shrubs to tall, imposing, back-of-border plants. Some have better scent than others, so it is worth checking for the best lily-of-the-valley fragrance. They produce golden-yellow bell-shaped flowers from autumn to late spring, according to variety. Good forms include: ’Apollo’ (spring), ‘Winter Sun’ (winter) and ‘Lionel Fortesque’ (autumn-winter).

Rosa

Roses always merit a place in a garden for fragrance. From bush roses of all kinds to climbing varieties, nothing beats the scent of a rose in summer. The vast range of colours, shapes and sizes means there is a rose for every garden and the perfume varies so widely it is a matter of personal choice. Always smell before you buy!

Skimmia ‘Kew Green’

There are many forms of Skimmia, but ‘Kew Green’ is one of the best for fragrance. This small, spreading evergreen shrub flowers in late spring, producing large panicles of yellowish flowers with a strong lily-of-the-valley scent.

Trachelospermum

An ideal climber for a sunny, sheltered patio, Trachelospermum is known as the “star jasmine”. It is a twining, woody plant that needs to grow on a support and will bloom throughout the summer and autumn. The flowers are highly fragrant and there are white, pink and yellow forms.

Viburnum

There are many forms of Viburnum, all shrubby and flowering in different seasons. For winter fragrance, choose Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ or ‘Charles Lamont’. For spring scent, look for Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’ and for summer Viburnum x carlcephalum.

Latest News from garden.help

This story was published on: 19/07/2024

Image attribution: Pexels / Jonathan Borba

Links to external, or third party websites, are provided solely for visitors' convenience. Links taken to other sites are done so at your own risk and Garden Help accepts no liability for any linked sites or their content. When you access an external website, keep in mind that Garden Help has no control over its content. Any link from us to an external website does not imply or mean that Garden Help endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or the use of such website. Garden Help does not give any representation regarding the quality, safety, suitability, or reliability of any external websites or any of the content or materials contained in them. It is important for users to take necessary precautions, especially to ensure appropriate safety from viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other potentially destructive items. When visiting external websites, users should review those websites' privacy policies and other terms of use to learn more about, what, why and how they collect and use any personally identifiable information. Hyperlinks and hypertext links are provided on our website to promote easy access to the variety of information and services provided. We accept no liability arising out of the use of such links, including: misuse or misunderstanding of these hyperlinks and hypertext links and web site navigational methods third party interpretation of data or information which is distributed around the web site and reached using hypertext and hyperlinks third party understanding of or use of the navigational structure of the site or the interpretation of distributed information on the site We may revise this disclaimer at any time, without prior notice, by updating this web page.

We work hard to make sure that every image is used properly and according to the creator's wishes. If you feel that there is a attribution or copyright issue, please Click Here IMMEDIATELY

Latest Gardening News



Latest Gardening & Horticultural Careers


Explore Gardens from Around the World


/

Desert Botanical Garden
Phoenix, Arizona, USA

/

Dubai Miracle Garden
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

/

Lalbagh Botanical Garden
Bangalore, India

/

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Richmond, United Kingdom



Watch a Video!

When and how should I prune a jostaberry?
When and how should I prune a jostaberry?
Why are my pansies and violas wilting?
Why are my pansies and violas wilting?
5 Essential Spring Bulb Tips in 1 minute
5 Essential Spring Bulb Tips in 1 minute
How do I treat liverwort?
How do I treat liverwort?
Will tulips grow in the shade?
Will tulips grow in the shade?
Five Essential Tips for Growing Lemons
Five Essential Tips for Growing Lemons