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Plants with the most fragrant blooms?

prairie_northrose (3b north of Calgary AB, Canada)

7 years ago

Curious, which plants have had the most fragrance for you?

I planted some sweet peas from a pack of seeds this year, and I find them more enjoyable than I thought I would! Some are more fragrant than others. The pale lilac ones are the most heavily scented. Next year, I want to try the varieties 'Hi-Scent' and/or 'More Scent.'

Brought a bunch inside:

Other heavy hitters for fragrance for me are oriental lily 'Stargazer,' my tangerine tree(although technically an indoor plant), and roses 'Scarlet Pavement,' 'Snow Pavement,' 'Blanc Double de Coubert.' All these have strong wafting fragrance, several meters from the plant.

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Comments (7)

weeper_11
7 years ago
Some peonies have great fragrance..usually the older doubles and semi-double types, especially pinks and whites..it really varies from variety to variety. I don't have tons of peonies, but 'Leto' and 'Noemie Demay' are probably the most fragrant that I have right now.

My J.P. Connell rose seems to be quite fragrant and blooms all summer (still blooming well right now). I can always smell it when I am weeding! I have a double pink Scots rose that is very fragrant. There are loads of old roses, such as alba's and gallica's and others that are often quite fragrant, though they are more tender. I have a couple alba's that have done well.

Bee balm is quite fragrant, in a herb-y kind of way, but that is the foliage I think, not the flowers.

I have a LA hybrid lily that is quite fragrant, but it wasn't a named variety when I bought it from a bulb sale, so I don't know the name and don't know if it is available commercially. It is a salmon-orange colour.

And of course various lilac's! I have a number of different ones in our yard.

My double flowering plum seems to be quite fragrant.

I used to have a very fragrant phlox, called 'Blue Paradise' that had a heavenly scent! (I thought so, anyway!) I would definitely buy it again. It was hardy, but it kind of got crowded out by some more monstrous plants and slowly died away.
SouthCountryGuy Zone 4b-5 SE BC
7 years ago
Nicotiana is a MUST have in our garden for its evening scent.
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Hosta guacamole/plantaginea, azalea arborescens, azara microphylla, passiflora incense, chimonanthus praecox, clethras(recommend this species, especially the alnifolia), osmanthus heterophyllus, loniceras, not to mention countless others in the fragrant plants faq. Osmanthus species are evergreen and are ideal for bushes also. Some gardenias are hardy, quite a few jasmines will survive frosts, officinale for one. For vines, mandevilla laxa is root hardy for frosts so it should come through especially if it's sheltered. I can't think of any reason to exclude roses, especially david austin roses which have the most fantastic scents including: Benjamin Britten - Very strong fruity scent, can't think of many scents I prefer Brother Cadfael - Gorgeous old rose scent, very strong Jude the Obscure - Lovely strong kiwi scent RP1
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I have quite a few daphnes, and I highly recommend odora 'Zuiko Nishiki' for your zone. Amazing fragrance & foliage that holds up well in the cold. I've found that odoras are marginal, and I had an alba that struggled in the cold & finally died that year. 'Eternal Fragrance' can smell wonderful and sometimes waft under the right conditions (warm spring evening) but it is a fantastic tough plant that can even be pruned to old wood & bounce right back. Magnolia grandifloras are evergreen & have amazing flowers. My 'St Mary' is a real beauty, both in flower & foliage. I'm pretty crazy about English roses. 'Evelyn' and 'Jude the Obscure' are a couple of the most intense perfumes. Aaaah, Fragrant...every time I see your wieseneri, I die a little inside;). Want. So. Bad.
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wayne
7 years ago
I think the Dwarf Korean Lilac is the strongest smelling for me, I just have one plant for now, a hedge would knock your socks off.
ubro
7 years ago
Mock orange, incredible fragrance and when I sit on the deck the sweet smell of oranges is intoxicating.
donna_in_sask
7 years ago
I always plant night scented stock in the garden, particularly near our entrances and windows. The flowers aren't really that impressive but it's a lovely scent.
FrozeBudd_z3/4
7 years ago
Oriental and Orienpet lilies really do it for me, here's 'Beverly Dreams'.

I also really like buddleia, though I must admit that the fragrance isn't all that strong to my nose at least. This is 'Crown Jewels', it has been blooming since the middle of July and this photo being snapped today.
prairie_northrose (3b north of Calgary AB, Canada)
Original Author
7 years ago
Oh my goodness Twors, Beverly Dreams is stunning! Do you have to do any special protection for them during the winter, or have they been reliable for you?

Thank you to everyone for the great suggestions, I'll definitely be adding some of these suggestions in the long run, especially dwarf lilac, nicotiana, stock, peonies and lilies! Our neighbor has a huge mock orange right by the fence, so we are lucky that way.

Weeper, I am liking JP Connell rose more and more, mine has been continuously blooming as well, it does have a good lemony perfume-like fragrance. Is it tip hardy for you, or does it die back?

Alas, so many of the never Canadian roses have limited fragrance. However, 'Morden Sunrise' is another good for me, the blooms smell quite fruity. Not knock-you-socks off in intensity of the smell, but definitely wafting.

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