Sweet Autumn Clematis is astoundingly fragrant, but you only get it August to September... better to plant that, and then some super-smelly stuff in between. - You can get some VERY fragrant daffodils for early spring. - Later in spring,and through summer, you can plant a ton of different fragrant dianthus that will drive her crazy. They can handle the part shade fine. - Roses that are the most scented and that would tolerate that kind of shade... the best one is Darlow's Enigma, a beautiful white climber. - Early spring, White Forsythia carries for like a block, and I think you could find one that'd fit your space. Blooming in mid-spring, a dwarf cultivar of a VERY fragrant viburnum like "Korean Spice" will produce a whole lot of smell in a relatively small, tidy bush. For summer, maybe a Buddleia - they're all a sprawling, untidy mess though, with the exception of White Ball in my experience. Honeysuckle is always pungent too. I'm not sure how any of these fare in afternoon shade. - Don't give up on lilacs entirely - some of the dwarf forms are very small and very fragrant! I think Miss Kim can handle a little shade too. - If you're looking for something annual but architectural in the summer, there's always Nicotiana sylvestris - fragrance carries for a block or more, and part-shade tolerant. Also, moonflowers will space out the vine-derived fragrance for a couple months before the clematis starts, and if you get some really fragrant sweet peas you can have it unbearably perfumey out there by May or June. - Other annuals and perennials that are very fragrant and have smell that carries - fragrant stock (you can get regular stock AND evening stock so it's 24-hour smelly), four o'clocks, some phlox, DEFINITELY sweet william... I'm trying some Zaluszianskya this year and we'll see how it goes! All of these prefer more sun but can do some shade, if it's not too bad. Lily of the Valley is waftingly pungent - and it's INVASIVE so she'll be picking it off HER lawn too! heh heh... - When in doubt, Oriental lilies can be the smelliest thing next to lilacs. They want sun, but maybe a few well-placed ones at the front of the section would get enough. My neighbor has one called "Silk Road" that I can smell practically a quarter mile away. It's astounding. Since you're in a good climate for them, you could probably get a really good selection of super-fragrant lilies going (everything but the Asiatics) from late June to late August. ...all I can think of for now... let us know how it goes!

look at some of the ideas on this posting linked below from a while back. i don't recall if it was mentioned but dianthus is very fragrant (spicy) and some cultivars are tall enough to use as cut flowers. your best bet for long bloom season might be summer annuals. zinnias come to mind. they are not fragrant but will bloom all summer and make long-lasting cut flowers in many colors. also, roses are good for cutting but some are disease prone in humid climates. gardenias are an old standby in the south. intensely fragranct flowers on an evergreen shrub. they prefer afternoon shade in the hot, humid southeast. Here is a link that might be useful: fragrant flowers for cutting

Hi Mike, May 30th is really early to get mature blossoms from a spring sowing if you do not already have the plants growing inside under lights by mid- to late-March. And, there is no such thing as "surefire May 30 blooms-in-abundance" simply because success or lack of such is dependent on uncontrollable conditions--like the weather (tornadoes, late freezes, severe thunderstorms, hail, etc.)--and somewhat controllable ones--like the quality of your soil and how much time you have to maintain the plants and watch for pests etc. If you already had a yard full of plants, either perennials or reseeding annuals, you probably could count on having armloads of flowers, but it is hard to have armloads of flowers from new plantings that are just a couple of months old. I can tell you what is usually in bloom here in my yard in late May, and maybe that will help you make some decisions about what to do. In our yard in May, we have blooms most years from the following reseeding annuals or perennials: larkspur in shades of pink, blue or bluish purple, and white; chamomile (tiny white flowers); poppies (reds, whites, pinks but not really great cutting flowers); roses from well-established plants several years old; Texas Hummingbird Sage in pink and red; veronica in shades of blue; salvia farinacea (blue flowers); zinnias (early varieties only); cannas; gladiolus; perennial salvias like "Indigo Spires" and "May Night"; catmint (blue flowers); dianthus (red, pink, white); verbena bonariensis (lilac-purple); marigolds (orange and yellow); celosias; Indian Blanket Flower (red and yellow); shasta daisies (white and yellow); petunias; lilies; Bells of Ireland (green); and sometimes the earlier types of sunflowers. If you had flowering shrubs like lilacs and hydrangeas, for example, you might have blooms on them in late May depending on what kind you had, the weather, etc. I assume you are hoping/planning to raise your own flowers for the wedding and I have to tell you that even though it makes sense economically, it is going to be very hard to pull off if you are starting from scratch. I would be somewhat nervous about doing it myself for a late-May wedding and I have flowers all over the place. The key issue is that Mother Nature throws us a lot of curve balls here so nothing is guaranteed. If it were me, and I were starting from "scratch" with no or few existing plants, I'd be preparing my soil right now, and then I'd go to a full-line nursery with knowledgeable personnel (NOT a big box store where you may or may not be talking to someone who knows what they are talking about) and seek their advice. Then, I'd buy the most appropriate plants available in six-packs or 4" pots, plant them as soon as the weather permits--about early to mid-April, I'd guess, for your part of the state, and give them impeccable care--watering and feeding them enough but not too much. (And no feeding with a high-nitrogen fertilizer because it will give you all foliage and few flowers.) Furthermore, I'd ask all my gardening family members, friends and neighbors if they'd grow some flowers for the wedding and let me come cut them (or, better yet, cut them for me). Many people who love to raise flowers probably would be thrilled to contribute their blossoms to the wedding. Finally, I'd have a plan B, just in case a late freeze or hail hits in early May and the plants don't have time to recover. Plan B could be many things.....renting or borrowing potted plants, silk flowers from a craft store, etc. A lot probably depends on your daughter and how flexible she is....because if she is extremely picky and everything has to be "just so", then home-grown flowers might not be to her liking.....so I am assuming she is OK with this? I'd be willing to let you drive down to Love County a couple of days before the wedding and cut armloads of flowers from my beds. Having said that, though, neither you nor I know what the weather, the wildlife, or the plants themselves will do between now and then. That's what makes growing-your-own so problematic. I also could bring plants to you at the plant swap in mid-April, but we can't be sure they'll be producing blooms by late May, although they most likely would be. Dawn

Noseo, I’m impressed that you were able to get those roses to root, after petal drop in the vase! Rooting cuttings isn’t something I’ve mastered yet. Only my “not Louise Odier, probably Grandmothers Hat” has been successful. It must be an easy one, because every try has been successful. Thank you, Ingrid. It must be wonderful soil, it’s certainly not due to my doing anything special. I skipped yesterday’s picture, and today it’s “out with the old and in with the new” time. Alnwick held up far better than I expected. One last picture, then it’s going into the bin. Alnwick Day 7 That one bloom still looks pretty good, and I’ll have to remember how well that filler from Annie’s, Gomphrena decumbens, has held up! Lisa