Tag Archives: fragrant plants

Fragrant Plants Blooming Now

Enjoy the fragrance of yellow primroses in your garden this spring.

I’m ready for spring. Those few warm spells have given me spring fever. Many plants blooming now are fragrant. Mother Nature encourages pollinators to find sweet nectar thereby ensuring plant propagation What makes flowers fragrant anyway?

Fragrance in flowers is nature’s ways of encouraging pollination. Just as it draws you to take a deeper whiff, it lures insects to blossoms hidden by leaves. Some flowers are fragrant only at night and attract night-flying pollinators like moths, while others are more fragrant during the day and attract insects like bees and butterflies.

The fragrance itself comes from essential oils called attars that vaporize easily and infuse the air with their scent. Aroma chemistry is complex and the smell of any flower comes from more than a single chemical compound. These molecules are present in different combinations in different plants, but often they are markedly similar which is why there are irises that small like grapes and roses that smell like licorice.

Our noses can detect those chemical compounds that have a major impact on the aroma. Often a particular molecule will make a large contribution. Some roses, for instance, derive their scent from rose oxide and other from beta-damascenome or rose ketones. These molecules are detectable by our noses at very low concentrations. Carnations, violets, lilacs, chrysanthemums, hyacinth- all have their own set of compounds that contribute to their particular scent.

It’s interesting also that as we become accustomed to the same smells our brain phases them out. A compound called ionones, found in violets and rose oil, can essentially short-circuit our sense of smell, including the receptors. This shut down is only temporary and the ionones can then be detected again and registered as a new smell.

Blooming now since early winter, the pale yellow primroses fill the air with the sweetest scent. It’s only the yellow ones and not all shades of yellow that are fragrant but these make your head turn. The sweet alyssum I planted last fall on the deck is getting a run for the money in the fragrance department, too.

Many other spring bloomers are deliciously fragrant. Whether you’re planting edibles in the vegetable garden or containers on the deck, include plants that entice you to linger and enjoy their sweet scent.

The word fragrance comes from the 17th century French word fragrantia, meaning sweet smell. A garden’s fragrance can be as unforgettable as its appearance. The scent of a particular flower can make you remember past times and places. Plant them along a garden path to enjoy as you stroll, in containers to scent a deck or patio or locate them beneath a window and let their aroma drift indoors.

Old fashion lilacs will be blooming soon. Nothing says “spring” like the legendary scent of these shrubs. Give them a spot in full sun with enough room for them to spread 6 feet wide. While most plants accept slightly acidic soils, lilacs are an exception. Dig lime into your soil at planting and side dress yearly if your soil is acidic.

Looking for something in vanilla? Evergreen clematis vines make a great screen with 6 inch long, glossy leaves and creamy white, saucer shaped, vanilla-scented flower clusters. Provide study support for them to climb on. They are slow to start but race once established.

Fragrant shrubs that are easy to grow are Mexican Orange (choisya ternata) which blooms most of the year. Pittosporum eugenoides, tenuifolium and tobira all have tiny blossoms that also smell like oranges. The tiny flower cluster of Fragrant Olive (osmanthus fragrans) have a delicate apricot fragrance. Other fragrant shrubs include California native Philadelphus lewisii (Wild Mock Orange). Calycanthus occidentals (Spice Bush) is another native to our Central and Northern California mountains. Their fragrant burgundy flowers smell like red wine. Ribes viburnifolium, carpenteria californica and rosa californica are mildly scented, too.

Plant for fragrance. It’s your reward for all the care and tending you give your garden.

Fragrant Plants of the Santa Cruz Mountains

Summer has arrived finally. Seems like it took long enough to get here but I’m enjoying the warmer weather. The sun is shining, the bees are buzzing and the scent of fragrant flowers fills the air.

While hiking recently in Oregon I encountered many Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii ) growing near the Jackson Creek. Their scent was noticeable from a long way off. They are native here also. Easy to grow and make a stunning addition to any garden.

Star jasmine are in full bloom now. I definitely need one. Their lovely scent is one of my favorites and the flowers bloom last for a long time. You might grow one as a shrub, a ground cover or on a trellis as a vine.

Lavender has to be the superstar of fragrant plants. With vibrant purple blooms and intoxication fragrance, this Mediterranean marble knows how to steal the show. The scent is calming and often used in meditation eye pillows. It’s a magenta for bees and butterflies adding an extra touch of magic to your garden.

Citrus blossomed can really scent the air. You can smell them for miles around a citrus orchard. Whether you choose lemons, oranges, mandarins, kumquats, grapefruit or limes you can’t go wrong with a citrus plant. Established trees need a good load every other week to keep them on a separate watering system from your other edibles.

Inside the veggie garden, include scented plants that attract beneficial insects. Fragrant lavender and sweet alyssum are good choices. For sheer enjoyment, plant perennial carnation and dianthus for their intense clove fragrance. Cinnamon Red Hots grow to 15 inches, are deer resistant, bloom all spring and summer and don’t need deadheading. Velvet and White border carnations are among the least demanding and most satisfying perennials in the garden. As cut flowers they are long lasting and highly fragrant in bouquets.

Roses are a classic addition to any garden. A timeless symbol of beauty and love for that sunny spot in your garden. Every season growers introduce more fragrant varieties that are disease resistant, too, which is a needed attribute given our wet spring.

Heliotrope arborescens ‘Fragrant Delight’

If you’re looking for a plant with an irresistible vanilla scent try heliotrope. Their deep violet flowers are beautiful and worth replanting each year if hit by frost. The flowers are reminiscent of freshly baked sugar cookies.

If you crave an intense, exotic fragrance in your garden, gardenias are the epitome of elegance. These evergreen shrubs are easy to grow if given rich soil and the right amount of light. If you’ve had bad luck before with a gardenia, they are worth another try.

And then there’s honeysuckle. Some like Hall’s are quite vigorous while others are more well-behaved. I like ‘Goldflame’ with it’s extremely fragrant deep rose-pink flowers with yellow centers. Honeysuckle are hummingbird magnets and who doesn’t want more of these little beauties in their garden?

The Santa Cruz Mountains offer a diverse range of climate and microclimates , so consider the specific conditions of your garden when selecting plants. Happy gardening and may your garden be filled with the sweetest scents nature has to offer.

Plant for Fragrance

Some yellow primroses have a delightful scent.

Every year the garden is different. Some plants bloom early and some later depending on the weather. But you know that. This spring my yellow, fragrant primroses have been spectacular as always. FYI – it’s only some of the yellow ones that have a scent. That reminds me I’ll have to get some dark purple petunias later this spring. They smell like vanilla. I just picked up a heliotrope to scent my deck with licorice and vanilla. Their vivid dark violet flowers are intensely fragrant and spectacular. Butterflies can’t resist them Some say they smell like cherry pie. I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Heliotrope arborescens ‘Fragrant Delight’

My pink jasmine is doing its thing, too. This common vine can easily overgrow it’s spot. Prune periodically to keep your vine in bounds. Fragrant Carolina jessamine has finished blooming so now is a good time to prune them back.

The word fragrance comes from the 17th century French word fragrantia, meaning sweet smell. A garden’s fragrance can be as unforgettable as its appearance. The scent of a particular flower can make you remember past times and places. Plant them along a garden path to enjoy as you stroll, in containers to scent a deck or patio or locate them beneath a window and let their aroma drift indoors.

Old fashion lilacs are still blooming in some gardens. Nothing ways “spring” like the legendary scent of these shrubs. Give them a spot in full sun with enough room for them to spread 6 feet wide. While most plants accept slightly acidic soils, lilacs are an exception. Dig lime into your soil at planting and side dress yearly if your soil is acidic.

Clematis armandii (Evergreen clematis) flower.

Another vanilla scented vine is Evergreen clematis. They make a great screen with 6 inch long, glossy leaves and creamy white, saucer-shaped, vanilla scented flower clusters. Provide study support for them to climb on. They are slow to start but race once established.

Citrus blossoms really scent the air. Plant lemons oranges, mandarins, kumquats, grapefruit and limes in full sun areas. Established trees need a good soak every other week during the warmer months so keep them on a separate watering system from your other edibles.

Sweet Alyssum attract pollinators and smell sweet- just like their name.

Inside the veggie garden, include scented plants that attract beneficial insects. Fragrant lavender and sweet alyssum are good choices. For sheer enjoyment, plant perennial carnation and dianthus for their intense clove fragrance. Cinnamon Red Hots grow to 15 inches, are deer resistant, bloom all spring and summer and don’t need deadheading. Velvet and White border carnations are among the least demanding and most satisfying perennials in the garden. As cut flowers they are long lasting and highly fragrant in bouquets.

Fragrant shrubs that are easy to grow are Mexican Orange (choisya ternata) which blooms most of the year. Pittosporum eugenoides, tenuifolium and tobira all have tiny blossoms that also smell like oranges. The tiny flower cluster of Fragrant Olive (osmanthus fragrans) have a delicate apricot fragrance. Other fragrant shrubs include California native Philadelphus lewisii (Wild Mock Orange) and Calycanthus occidentals (Spice Bush) another native to our Central and Northern California mountains. Their fragrant burgundy flowers smell like red wine. Ribes viburnifolium, carpenteria californica and rosa californica are mildly scented, too.

Plant for fragrance. It’s your reward for all the care and tending you give your garden.