Pointed out one of my favorite varieties
A few years ago, I was walking through a wonderful rose garden with a friend when I pointed out one of my favorite varieties: the antique rose 'Madame Ernest Calvet', which has a rich, seductive, spicy aroma. "You have to smell this," I said. She leaned close and took a deep breath, was silent for a long time, and then said, "Wow. That... it really takes you places, doesn't it?" Smell, more than any other sense, has the power to take you places - whether it's a fresh flower that takes you to an exotic unknown land or a familiar and beloved lilac or lily that instantly transports you to a grandparent's garden. A garden full of scents is emotionally stimulating and will linger in your and your visitors' memories.
1. Lilium formosanum var. Bryce
Easter lilies, of course. They are excellent with a wonderful fragrance. Alas, they are not hardy in my area or most of the country. Formosa lily (L. formosanum, zones 6–9) is a wonderful close relative of Easter lily, but the upright species is huge (6 or more feet tall) and a bit questionable in winter hardiness for me in zone 5. So I tried growing a dwarf Formosa lily, since it is native to high mountain elevations, and I was confident that it would be hardy for me. Despite the notes that say it is hardy only to zone 6, it is. It has the same large, powerfully fragrant, 6-inch-wide, trumpet-shaped white flowers as the larger plant, but it is amazing that those large flowers sit on a plant that shoots out from the top 8 to 12 inches high — the flowers are almost the size of the rest of the plant.
The best way to grow this plant is in bulk: a dozen clusters in full bloom, providing an unforgettable visual and scent experience. Even better, it is very easy to grow from seed; If you start seeds in early spring, the plants will start blooming the following summer. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be abundant.
2. Dianthus superbus and cvs.
Pinks (Dianthus spp. and cvs., zones 3–10) are famous for their fragrance—except, of course, for the modern carnation-like forms that have been bred from them for their longevity in a vase. However, for those that are fragrant, the term most often used to describe their scent is “clove-like,” because dianthus, in fact, has a spicy aroma rather than a sweet and tangy one.
There are many excellent pinks, but the fringed pink is one of my favorites, not only for its high-quality fragrance but also for the distinctive long-trailing edge on the petals. For the best garden plant, give it a shady, well-drained location that will keep the plant compact. The stems, grown in rich, moist soil, can stretch up to 3 feet long and start to wilt everywhere. It blooms profusely in early summer, but if you deadhead it, it will often rebloom lightly in late summer, especially if it’s not too hot.
3. Oenothera pallida
Some evening primroses are weeds; some go around setting seed, while others will run like the wind and eat up a medium-sized border by lunchtime. But when they’re good, they’re very, very good, and the pale evening primrose is one of the best. The large, beautiful, 3½-inch-wide, pure white flowers are, of course, intensely fragrant, with a scent of almonds and jasmine. Most fragrant white flowers open only in the evening or are fragrant, but the flowers of this plant (despite its name, evening primrose) stay open all day, releasing their fragrance.
Even better, it starts blooming in late spring and blooms almost until frost. The only drawback to this plant is its growing habit. It forms a mound about 2½ feet high and wide, but it is a very flexible, wide mound, especially in well-drained, well-drained soil. I love it grafted into a full border of other perennials, where it will sway and wander, leaving its beautiful, fragrant petals here and there among the other plants.
4. Clematis heraglifolia and CVS
Shrub clematis smells like hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis CVS, zones 5–9). Really. It’s just as strong, as it is magnificent, but for a long time in late summer. Need I tell you anything else? Clematis is mostly a vine, but it’s one of those shrubs that makes a neat, well-behaved perennial. It won’t droop, doesn’t need a trellis, and doesn’t require extensive pruning. Plant it in the ground and enjoy the flowers later. Maybe you can cut some; if you mix them in a vase with one of the beautiful but odorless roses, you’ll be very happy.
5. Rubus odoratus
Prepare to be mesmerized by the list of amazing properties that thimbleberry boasts. It’s a raspberry with thornless stems; Stunning, large, maple-leaf-shaped leaves; and large, rose-scented, bright pink flowers (are you ready for this?) that bloom again all summer long. In shade. Did I mention it’s native to the eastern United States? And, oh, yeah, there’s more: Those flowers produce raspberries. Admittedly, they’re smaller raspberries but with a richer, better flavor. Native plant people, you need this.
Edible landscaping people, you need this too. Everyone else needs it for the fragrance. Okay, yes, it does have one small drawback: it will sucker and spread—but not too far, not too fast, just slowly enough to create a large garden. But since it doesn’t have thorns, the excess suckers are easily removed, keeping it in a 4- to 5-foot-wide patch that’s suitable for all but the smallest gardens.
6. Hosta plantaginea and CVS
Many people in my old neighborhood grew fragrant hostas. On warm August evenings, when the light fades, I walk in and out in rich, sweet clouds of honeysuckle-like perfume that can float for almost a block if the wind is calm. Some flowers require you to get down and stick your nose right in to smell them.
Fragrant hostas, on the other hand, are the ones that you have to go out and follow you. Hosta plantaginea is the original fragrant hosta, and is still worth growing for its large green leaves and white flowers in late summer. But now there are some wonderful hybrids that combine fragrance with very variegated leaves. The aptly named 'Fragrant Blue' has blue leaves on a small plant that's about a foot tall and wide. And the wonderful 'Guacamole' has chartreuse leaves with green edges, and grows to 18 inches tall and 3 feet wide at maturity.
7. Speirantha convallarioides
I was introduced to false lily-of-the-valley against my will. When I first visited Arrowhead Alpines, the nursery where I later worked, the owner, Brigitta Stewart, came up to me with a pot of a small, very boring-looking plant and insisted that I wanted one. I tried to say “no” twice, but finally relented and took the plant home. It spent the summer there, doing nothing, doing nothing. But when the following spring came, small spikes of star-shaped white flowers emerged and exuded an absolutely delightful fragrance.
I fell in love. Now I consider it a necessity, and, like Brigitta, I force it on reluctant gardening friends. I think the common name would be more accurate if the name “false” were changed to “well-behaved.” Growing 6 to 8 inches tall, this plant, with lily-of-the-valley-like leaves, flowers, and fragrance, grows in a neat, controlled clump, perhaps a foot wide, behaving like a dignified hosta instead of hostilely taking over the entire garden in the manner of a true lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis, zones 2–7).
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