Using fragrant plants throughout the year is one way to increase a garden’s interest beyond just the visual. Additionally, by placing fragrance garden plants in areas of the landscape where they will be seen often, gardeners will increase the enjoyment of the delicious scent these plants have to offer.
Lavender for a Craft-Lovers Fragrance Delight
Lavender plants are a favorite aromatic herb for increasing the fragrant appeal of a visually beautiful garden. Additionally, these drought-tolerant and sun-loving plants are useful in a variety of home décor and crafts. Crafting enthusiasts have used the fragrant lavender flowers in everything from sachets, to floral wands, to homemade potpourri. Lavender plants bloom for weeks in the summer with light purple flowers, although cultivars exist with white or pink lavender blossoms. As lavender plants are easy to grow, it's no wonder they are so popular in many fragrance gardens.
Roses for Fragrance – Heirloom or English Roses
While many people associated roses with a strong and beautiful fragrance, the truth is gardeners know that most of the modern roses bred for flower shape, have little of the traditional rose scent. The best types of roses for adding fragrance to the summer landscape, would include heirloom roses which were bred before the fragrance was removed from many varieties, and the newer English roses which were bred specifically to preserve the rose scent. As gardeners have demanded more and more fragrance in their shrub and landscaping roses, they are beginning to see a trend towards breeding an increased number of fragrant roses once again.
Sweet Alyssum for Summer Ground Cover Fragrance
Sweet alyssum is a popular annual bedding plant because of the full, easy growth as an attractive ground cover. The prolific flowers are often white, but also available in purple, pink or other shades and the sweet alyssum will bloom from summer through fall. Not only is the fragrance divine, but the flowers are highly attractive. Since sweet alyssum tolerates full sun through part shade, it makes a flexible ground cover or container plant for a wide variety of garden situations. Sweet alyssum grows only 3-9 inches tall, and is highly fragrant. Butterflies and bees are also attracted to the sweet alyssum flowers for many weeks in the summer and fall months.
Garden Phlox for Perennial Summer Fragrance
Hardy phlox is a midsummer flowering show-stopper. The perennial plant is popular in cottage gardens and for cutting flowers to bring indoors. Garden phlox grows best in rich, fertile soil with moderate water and full sun. Gardeners will appreciate the long-lasting flower clusters that are rather large and eye-catching. The summer blooms are available in a wide variety of colors but tend to look very well in rose, pink, purple, white and apricot shades. Phlox also has a heady fragrance that will attract butterflies, or fill a room with sweet scent when brought indoors in a flower arrangement.
Use summer blooming plants to increase a fragrance garden’s seasonal appeal after the spring flowers have begun to fade. These scented plants are a good place for any gardener to begin when adding fragrant appeal to a garden area.
Angela England - Angela England is a problogger, mother of four (yes I know what causes that), speaker, teacher, labor doula, gardener and so much more.
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