:O)

My most favourites have to be the Phlox Paniculata. It's from this one plant grown in my mother's garden when quite young that I began to learn of gardening.

Last year I noticed the scent of Buddleias (Butterfly Bush) and that one makes me stick my nose in it everytime I walk by now. If there's enough blooms in one place, then the perfume takes over. How sweet it is!!

Agastache Purple Pygmy- smells like bubble gum, drought
tolerant, draws bees and hummingbirds, perfect plant!
Nicotiana- fragrant, draws hummers, but mine need staking
Four o'clocks- fragrant, but reseeds too much and blossom are closed all day.
Moon vine- fragrant, beautiful blossoms but only open at night! Ugly vine, IMO, and flowers only open at night. Didn't bloom here till fall.
Lavender and rosemary, but they don't survive winters in my clay yard.
Basal- and, gotta have it with 'maters.

And I WORST smelly plant I have ever met is cleome. Smells like B.O. Love the blossoms, won't grow it anymore because the stink gags me. Yuk!

Karen

Good additions!

Phlox: I love it, and so do the deer. It reseeds well in sandy soil at least.

Four O'clocks: I've never really noticed the scent, maybe because my plants don't do well (shade? sand?) and deer eat them!

Moonflower (Datura) I think Karen meant, unless she meant the Ipomoea. This year I want to plant them (Datura) where I can easily enjoy them at night, not in the middle of the fenced tomato patch like before!

Butterfly Bush: Oh yes, I love that too. Mine do well in my part-sun, but I'm sure others get bigger bushes with more blooms. The deer don't touch it!

I keep trying to get Cleome to grow, maybe it will be better if the seeds fail again this year! Does it smell worse than Tree of Heaven?

Nicotiana.

Mignonette: I grew it for the first time last year and I won't be without it from now on. The only way I can describe the smell is like the old fashioned candy shops when I was little.

Violets: Nothing compares. How something so small can smell so beautiful!

Stocks: Spicy, and the smell lingers in the air for ages.

Carnations.

Great thread!

Zone 5:

Easy to grow from seed:
Evening Scented Stock--my neighbors enjoyed it more than I--I was apparently upwind. :)
Lemon and Tangerine gem marigolds
rosemary

Stuff in my yard that I have had for 5 or more years with little fuss (meaning spring compost mulch and fall leaf mulch, fertilizing (roses), and occasional water if it's too dry)
Heritage and Tradescant roses (I am hoping to add Jude the Obscure--the scent IS incredible, but last year was his first year in my yard)
Lilac
Peony
Hyacinths
Butterfly Bush
Stargazer Lilies
Aphrodite Hosta--WONDERFUL SCENT! Freesia/lily scent with huge, double flowers that last and last.
Peppermint and lavender

cheers,
Nora Belle

Here are my favorites:
-Jasmine - I keep killing this one because I don't have enough light in the house
-Monarda - love the fragrance that waft with the slightest brezze.
-Buddleia - I killed mine too. I miss the oriental Buddleia. It's much more fragrant than the ones we get in temperate climate.
-Honeysuckle - I have this by my bedroom window so I can get a whiff of it all summer long
-Roses - Tiffany and David Austin 'Heritage' & 'Sharifa Asma' are most fragrant of all in my gardens
-Clemaitis 'Betty Corning' I have this right by my side door where I can stick my nose in every time I walk in and out.
-Lily 'Regale' and several other longiflorumtoo strong indoors, though
-Hosta plantaginea
-Primrose ...Ah....sweet.
-Lilac.. I have Meyeri Paliibin from cuttings
-Lavender  I killed all of mine too, because the gardens are too stuffed
-Narcissi Â..some are very fragrant indeed.

Your post is chasing away my winter blues! I'm in zone 5 also and am dreaming of the scents of spring & summer.

May I ask? Do any of you know of a source for Mignonette seeds? I did find them on ebay but was hoping to find a few different things to order at once.

My choice for scent so far? My peony. 1 bloom fills the entire house with perfume. Heavenly!

Valerian- can smell it from 30 feet away in June
Lilacs- intoxicating
Anise Hyssop- just cuz I just LOVE the smell of licorice!
An UNK large yellow daylily that I got from a garden swap.

Bad: BOXWOOD! Ok, so I bought this 'meatball' bush because it was cute...but the smell is like stinky feet. Ew!

four o clocks in the evening
winter honeysuckle
hyacinth
oriental lilies
some viburnum
buffalo current
exbury azalea
valerian flowers not the roots for sure
a very few mock orange shrubs

Lily of the Valley! The only downside is you usually have to get down on your hands and knees to smell it, lol!

I suppose some people will say it's invasive also, but I have actually just gotten it established after almost ten years. We'll see what happens in the next few years, lol.

Lilacs. Mine are in too much shade and I need to move them to get more blooms. I can't walk by them without literally sticking my nose in to take a whiff.

Honeysuckle. Again, can be invasive, but what a fragrance!

Sweet peas. Can't really think of a downside to this one.

Marigolds. Many people don't like the scent of them, but I find them spicy and different.

Roses. Well, from the few that I can get to bloom in my garden, I think they are wonderful. If I could only figure out what I'm doing wrong and get them to be more prolific.

I have an evening-blooming jasmine that I've managed to overwinter in the house for several years now. I still can't decide whether I like it or not. Kinda like lilies, I find it a bit overpowering and too sweet. Surprisingly, the DH loves it.

Hyacinths. Nuff said.

Gardeningwithlcgrace, I got my mignonette seeds at Select Seeds last year. You might check there again this year.

Ah, now I can't wait for spring!

:)
Dee
P.S. Oh yeah, hafta agree with Karen on the basil - I have a little herb garden near the back door, and I always have to touch the basil and oregano, etc., when I go in and out, just so I can breathe deeply!

Sweet William (or any other dianthus) - super easy to grow, and divine scent.

Dee- you suppose that's a regional thing? Sticking faces in lilacs? I do the same thing. Good thing there's no pollen in there...although I've been caught with a yellow powder-face more than once after sniffing daylilies...

My yard is lined with Lilacs and I LOVE the smell of them after a light rain.

Speaking of Jasmine, I received some seeds for WS'ing, when should I start them here in zone 5?

I don't grow it (yet?), but I love jasmine.
And vanilla (hey, it's a flower! -- got the pic right on the bottle.)
And lavender -- I hope my lady lavender grows!
Hyacinths.

Also, when I was growing up, there was this weeping tree with leaves that had a wonderful scent when crushed. (Some kind of gum tree?)

Inside I have a lakeview(or is it lakeside?) jasmine that perfumes the whole up stairs. But if you get too close it kinda reminds me of mothballs!! I also have stock inside but I can't smell it over the jasmine.
Outside I have lilacs that haven't bloomed in three years, I'm gonna rip them out and replace them with butterfly bushes if they don't do something this spring!
I can't smell four o clocks either, don't know if it's my nose or the plants. I haven't been able to get nicotiana or mignonette to grow up here, our growing season is too short.
Love the roses! Bought about ten old garden roses last year and was forever bringing them inside!
Love dianthus-swiped a bunch from the public bike path last year-it's not considered stealing if you share right?
I'm trying evening scented stock this year. I'll also add to my sweet peas and lavenders.
What about the lowly alyssum? Yummmm!
-B

Brugmansia !! It absolutely overwhelms when blooming.

duane

Oh yes, Brandy, alyssum! How could I have forgotten to list that one? I let it reseed all over my vegetable garden, and I love when I'm out there and smell it on the breeze.

LOL, Mary! I've gotten the "yellow nose" from pollen too! My kids often point out to me that my face is yellow!

:)
Dee

Have to agree with lilacs & hyacinths! You can smell them even when you're not up close.

Also, I love fragrant iris, I can't ever pass by mine with out diving in to get that lovely smell! Now I'm working on adding more.... :)

Lilacs ... Peonies ... Carnations ... and tomato vines.

Another favorite of mine is artemisia annua (Sweet Annie) - it smells so good I don't care that it reseeds everywhere.

If you can wait a year let biennial Swiss Chard go to seed. Ift has remarkably butt-ugly flowers yet the scent is so intoxicatingly sweet it will knock you over from the other side of the garden.

I also love iris, I've got one that is white with a purple edge, very pretty, and the scent is just like an Italian Bakery at Easter! Yum!

Boxwood. Ick! Ick! Ick!

They use this to edge formal gardens or turn it into poodle-clipped lawn bonbons. I can't stand the stuff--it smells like a two-month old cat box on a rainy day.

The usual suspects...

Lilacs
Narcissus (some daffodils and paper whites)
Hyacinth
Lily of the Valley
Mainthemum canadense - little Canada Mayflower, another one you have to get down on your hands and knees to smell!
Nicotiana
Hemerocallis 'Hyperion'
Hosta 'Royal Standard'
Phlox paniculata & maculata
Buddleia
Some Echinacea
Dill & Fennel - Dill especially scents the whole garden!
Spiranthes odorata - fragrant Lady Tresses

I like the smell of Cleome! Agastache, Mint, Lemon Balm, Monarda, all have wonderfully scented foliage.

Salvia nemorosa (May Night, Snow Hill, etc.) smell like stale stinky feet! Ewww - no wonder I avoid deadheading these.

My favorite fragrant plants are old roses and new-old roses like the English roses. Autumn Damask, Felicia, Gertrude Jekyll, mmmm.... I also love oriental lilies, lilacs, hyacinths, pheasants-eye narcissus, lily of the valley (which I can't seem to grow), lavender, lemon thyme, dames rocket, and fragrant violas such as Etain. Unfortunately, I can't wintersow most of flowers I listed!

Lois in PA

I LOVE the smell of wild rhododendron (rhododendron roseum)--so spicy! More favorites:
old fashioned petunias
tina james magic evening primrose
violas
lilacs
peonies
certain iris, tulips and lilies
wild roses
heliotrope
passion flowers
clary sage
most scented geraniums
I'm crazy about the smell of tomato plants, too.
I DON'T LOVE the smell of poppies--yuck--but they're awfully pretty. Gotta agree about may night salvia--yuck again! In my opinion, cilantro is the worst. Gross!

jaynine - I agree. Cilantro is the worst. It almost makes me sick to smell it. I once loved all Mexican food until someone decided it had to be ruined with cilantro. Yuk. I noticed on the list of eleven loved OR hated foods, it was number two, so we are not alone.

My favorites are Lilacs, Hyacinth, Phlox, Roses, Alyssum, Agastache, Dianthus, and my true favorite-Eupatorium pupureum (Sweet Joe Pye).

I dislike Cilantro, too. I heard somewhere, I think Rachael Ray, that some people have genetics that cause a dislike for it. I must have the gene!

Ooh, isn't that funny, I love the smell of Cilantro, and it has delicate feathery foliage and such pretty little white flowers and reseeds nicely in between the perennials.

I'm WSing Eupatorium purpureum this year, and am thrilled to know it is fragrant!

Another cilantro-disliker here too!

Jaynine, you mentioned wild roses. Before I ever started gardening, I lived in a condo that backed up to a steep hillside, and it was covered with wild roses (such a shame they are invasive no-no's, because they are so beautiful). One of my favorite memories is of a day in June. I was pregnant with my first child, and it was a horrible pregnancy - sick every single day from conception to birth, lol. But anyway, one June morning I slept late, and woke to the wonderful smell of those roses wafting in through the open windows. It was a wonderfully lazy, fragrant, luxurious, comfy moment.

:)
Dee

I just started doing some container gardening late last summer. I had exclusively herbs, and I had the sheer LUCK of picking up a lemon verbena plant. I had seen/smelled that scent in body lotions, but nothing does justice to the real scent of this plant. You can smell it when you are very close, but especially if your hands just brush the leaves, it is amazing! I have overwintered mine inside and new shoots and leaves have just started sprouting. Now that I think of it, I don't know how or if it flowers at all? If you love scented plants, I highly recommend that you get this plant!

Anyway, my other favorite fragrances of the herbal variety:

Rosemary (also great for bbq skewers)
Mint (I have apple, chocolate, several spearmints which have already started sending up new green shoots!)
Oregano & Marjoram
Cilantro (which I HATE like a passion in mexican food, but love fresh sprigs on a salad)

Floral:
Lilac (my absolute favorite but I don't have any lilac yet)
Honeysuckle (reminds me of home where it grows everywhere and smells divine)
Hyacinth
Peonies (I have one small plant, but don't know if it's still alive)

This year, I am obsessed with vines and fragrant plants, so I have the following seeds for planting:

Sweet peas
Moonflower
Four O-clocks
Night Scented Stock
German Chamomile
Lobelia (is that scented?)

I can't wait for the spring!

Absolute favorite in my garden - lilac! Mock orange has a lovely CLEAN smell, and night phlox too! My sniffer doesn't work for much else ...

PV

Lilac is my all time favorite. My neighbor has a long hedge of lilac. When in bloom I open my bedroom window and breath in its wonderful scent.

I also have a star jasmine that I overwinter. Easy to care for in pot and blooms on and off all summer/fall.

Heliotrope, annual: I have found that I need to smell them in bloom at the nursery. Some have a wonderful vanilla scent, others not so much and can even have a repulsive scent. I add these to my containers and plant something in front of them as find that late summer the lower foliage can get browned and ugly.

Nicotiana: the deep purple is the most fragrant one I have grown. I like to keep a container on my deck just for the fragrance. They are also very beautiful. These are easy and grow well in both full sun or part shade.

Mock orange: I trimmed mine to the ground to renew the bushes several years ago. Find that I need to fence them in or rabbits cut them back as love the tender growth. Wonderful spring scent.

Herbs: Rosemary, thyme, lemon verbena, mints, oregano, etc. Most of my herbs are grown just for the scent. Love to crush them and breath in their aroma. Have an herb bed and also put a plant or two in other beds. One favorite for foliage is tri-color sage.

I hate cilantro, taste and smell. Started some for my son and couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Sweet alyssum: love it and plant some in containers near doors. Self seeds so have it in many areas of the garden.

Lily of the valley: I bring small bouquets indoors, small because the aroma is so strong. Yes, it is invasive. Need to dig some out again this spring.

Phlox paniculata: Favorite is 'David', very mildew tolerant
Deer love phlox so I spray with a deer repellent. Good second bloom.

Hosta: some have a fragrant bloom

Clematis: 'Sweet Autumn': another open the window and breath in the scent, fall bloom

I thought I was planting clematis 'Betty Corning' as have heard that the aroma is lovely. Got a very pretty clematis but not 'Betty Corning'. Will try again but won't buy unless it is in bloom. Clematis are notorious for being labeled incorrectly.

Plants that I grow despite the scent: agastache, tarragon--hate the anise scent and taste, basil,
shasta daisies, marigolds, petunias, cyclamen

Bulbs: hyacinth, some tulips and narcissa: Love the blossoms but not the scent

I'd have to say Oriental lilies, all types, but especially Lilium auratum and Stargazer (my favorites). Also, basil and rosemary; I just love sniffing them in the summer.

I would love to say Lilacs, but mine have never bloomed. Beats me why.

my friend gifted me a small jasmine plant today. it is full of white coloured buds. how to i take care of it?

shall i plant in a pot and keep on west side porch? the tag says house plant but i would like to keep it outside and let it grow.

Lilies of the valley - remind me of my Mom
Some of the primrose - except I only get close enough to smell them when I'm weeding in the spring
4 o'clocks - does anyone else think they smell like sun block?
I'm not sure we're counting trees, but the Linden Tree when blooming in May is wonderful

Nobody mentioned privet/ shrub/ . Am not sure if I have any different variety than now sold, because my shrubs were there at least 30 years but they stink to the heaven during May.
Needless to say I do not tolerate floral smells.

Daisy, jasmines are tropical, so I think it will only survive outside if you live in zone 10 or so! You can have it outside during the frost-free months, though.

Lindalana, when I was little my neighbors had a hedge of what I think is privet--there are tiny white trumpet-shaped flowers? I love that scent!!

I love Mock Orange too, although the one my mom bought has no scent. I have tiny seedlings WS from a fragrant shrub, I hope they survive and smell nice!

Rosemary--I enjoy brushing my hand over it. I have that and a citronella geranium in my front window, and they get brushed by the curtains when I open them. I love it!

I love scented geranium foliage. Chicago Botanic Gardens has at least 15 different ones, and if they would just root cuttings and sell them, they'd make a lot of money over the summer!

bringing it uo for Neil.

Thanks, daisy08, for bringing this back. I had forgotten about it.

Just reread the whole thread.
I love Cilantro. Grew up eating it all my life. Grow it in my garden too. :-D

Alyssum.... tee hee hee....I think it smells like cat's urine, so I don't grow it anymore. :-P

Gardenia & Jasmine - grew up with them ...killed them here. Not enough light in the house. May try Jasmine again this year.

Milkweed!! Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Common Milkweed, all of them! They are very fragrant and sweet. And the Butterflies love them.

Thanks daisy08 for bringing this thread back. :)

I remember we have a plant in the Philippines and it's called Dama de Noche. The fragrance is quite strong that you can smell it even 20-30 ft away although with the help of wind. Maybe I should try it again but don't know where to find seeds.

Definitely, I should have milkweed in my yard. :D

This was a neat thread to read. Funny how one thing smells great to one person and smells awful to another :)

I have grown cilantro and it does not smell the best but I like it in salsa so I am letting it reseed.

I like
Dill
Catmint (not very strong though)
wormwoood (artmeisa silver mound) kind of a licorice smell

Don't like
Cleome
Petunias

Karen

I don't like the scent of cleome either. It has a very strong scent but not my type. There are times that it's good, maybe it's from my agastache korean. I like petunias sometimes because it's sweet but sometimes, there is a slight rotten smell. :)

But definitely love the milkweek weed scent. I'm hoping that Wisteria vine smells the same way. I heard claims that they have a very strong sweet scent. I'm planning to plant one next year. I already saw someone from ebay selling it.

Neil, I would reconsider planting Wisteria. It grows too vigorously. I planted one on the wall of my house. Ripped it off after a couple years. Grew over the roof each season. It is an absolute thug. Nothing short of huge logs or steel beam will support its weight.

Hi Mone,

I'm planning to build a pergola but away from the house. I would like the wisteria to cover it. I was also told to buy Blue Moon cultivar. They said that suckers from Blue Moon aren't that aggressive as other cultivars. What do you think?

Neil,

If you build a pergola, make it very BIG & wide & use at least 6x6 posts. I think Blue Moon is a Chinese Wisteria. It's pretty.

Maybe if you train and grow it to be a tree, it might be easier to control its height and growth. I saw one in Japan, it's beautiful.

My aunt has a wisteria trained on an old clothesline t-post, and it is manageable and blooms nicely. It's maybe 10 years old. It is important to have it on something really strong, and not a house.

Before you buy a wisteria, make sure it's a species and cultivar that will bloom. I think Blue Moon does. I bought something a few years ago that has never bloomed. This problem is common. Of course I lost the tag, so I can't tell you what it is.

I found an interesting seed company: FragrantPathseeds.com . I've been browsing their lists and finding new stuff--like there's a perennial lunaria?

{{gwi:29747}}
{{gwi:29749}}

Here are my two most fragrant plants. The first is a Dracunculus vulgaris and the second one is a Sauromatum venosum.
jim_6b

My faves......

*Nicotiana alata (common evening flowering white)
*Datura inoxia
*Matthiola incana (started blooming in 90+ degree temps!)
*Clarkia elegans (Clarkia amoena does not have a fragrance)
*Lilac
*Blue Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana).....Native to Eastern WA. I'm scoping out seeds around the corner from me...empty lot. It's a matter of getting them before the birds do though LOL! They are still in flower and smells soooo heavenly :O
*Common Milkweed (give it it's own area!) I've been yanking out runners this year 15' away from the mother plant...runners didn't start until year 4!
*Phlox paniculata

As far as foul smelling:
*Pelargonium x hortorum
*Ginkgo biloba....steer clear of females; their fruit are extremely foul smelling!!
*Ligustrum obtusifolium (Privet)
*Juniper (I think it smells of cat urine)

Of course most herbs, however there is no smell until leaves or flowers(of some) are crushed,rubbed, etc. Some people think Catmint smells like cat urine. Not sure which Nepeta they have, but mine sure smells much more pleasant than that LOL!