Fragrant Flowers for Your Garden

source: Milberger's Nursery

Whether it’s the fresh scent of lavender or the sweet aroma of a rose, fragrant plants can make the difference between a pretty garden and an unforgettable garden. After all, our sense of smell has a stronger connection to memory than any of our other senses - even sight. That’s why fragrance should be one of the key factors when selecting plants for your garden.

And there is no shortage of options, whether your garden is sunny, shady, wild or formal! To help you get started with your fragrant garden, the editors at Sunset Magazine have picked 17 of their favorite fragrant blossoms.

Here are my picks.

Lilac (Syringa x 'Declaration')

Star-shaped reddish purple flowers appear in large dramatic clusters in early spring. The scent is spicy sweet - the essence of spring. The deciduous shrub reaches 6 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide; it takes full sun, or light shade in the hottest climates. Most lilacs bloom best in regions with winter chill (Sunset climate zones A1–A3; 1–11, 14–16). In mild winter areas (zones 18–22), try Descanso Hybrids.

Angelwing Jasmine (Jasminum laurifolium nitidum)

This semi-evergreen vine has glossy green leaves and pinwheel-shaped white flowers. Sunset climate zones 12, 16, 19-24, H1, H2.

Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)

Though the purple varieties are more common, the white-flowered form is the most fragrant. Perennial in climate zones 15-17, 23, 24, H1, H2; annual elsewhere.

Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia)

A woody shrub, it has pendant flowers in a range of colors. Most varieties are fragrant, but 'Charles Grimaldi' is the best. Sunset climate zones 12, 13, 16-24, H1, H2.

Roses

Many old varieties - including Bourbon, China, and damask - are fragrant, as well as more modern ones like Yves Piaget. Sunset climate zones vary by species.