You can find a fragrant plant that blooms almost any month of the year. I have picked out about a dozen or so plants that will grow in our climate and perfume the garden about each month of the year. Some of the plants I have chosen have pretty flowers, and some would be grown mainly for their fragrance. All of these possess a strong scent.
The cold gray days of January are brightened with the sweet fragrance of wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox). This is followed by Breath of Spring (Lonicera fragrantissima), which starts blooming at the end of January and continues for a month or more. Both are “old timey” shrubs that are not going to be the prettiest plants in the garden, but they might have the most fragrance.
Daphnea odora and Edgeworthia are two more shrubs that bloom in February and possibly into March. They perfume the air and are both blooming now.
Witch hazel, with its traditional clean sulfur-colored flowers, blooms early in the year and sends out a lovely scent. There are many varieties, adorned with yellow, copper or red flowers. Be sure to purchase one that is highly scented. The intensity varies, and I would not want you to be disappointed.
Viburnums are a large group of plants. Some varieties are extremely fragrant, while others are not. I have a viburnum “Mohawk” given to my by my daughter Laura that has a delightful clove scent, which I love.
Lilacs are a must have for the mountains. The aroma is delightful, and the flowers are stunning. There is a large bush on Highway 176 by a cow pasture near Saluda that I love to see each spring. It is tremendous in size and delightful to see in bloom.
It can be planted on the windy side of the house because it loves the air movement.
Moving on into summer, you have the magnolia grandiflora with their stunning white flowers, the quintessential Southern flower. I have one tree that blooms on and off well into fall. I love their shiny, dark green foliage that glistens in the winter. They have beautiful white fragrant flowers that make this a plant worth growing. Kevin Parris of Spartanburg, S.C., hybridized one called Kay Parris, my favorite. It has smaller leaves and does not grow as large as most magnolias, making it perfect for my Saluda garden.
Deciduous azaleas come into bloom at different times of the year, and many are very fragrant. I have some that bloom in March and April, and there are varieties that bloom in the summer. Azaleas are listed under the name Rhododendron, which can confuse people. R. alabamense, R. arborscens, R. atlanticum, R. austrinum, and R. canescens are all fragrant, and all have handsome flowers.
Walking through the garden in late summer, you can smell a sweet, sugary fragrance from Clethera alnifolia. There are several cultivars that are fragrant, but one of my favorites is a compact variety called “Hummingbird.” It has lovely white flowers, and mine is about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide after about eight years.
Along the back stairs of our home, I have Elaegnus angustifolia planted. I love to descend the stairs and smell the wonderful fragrance in December. It is a bush that will seed about, and some claim it to be invasive, especially in warmer climates, but I have it planted and I love it, with its tiny flowers that are hidden among the leaves and fill the air with a pleasing aroma. Mine is trimmed into a hedge after it blooms, which helps with the seeding.
There are many other very fragrant plants such as oriental lilies, lavenders, lily of the valley, certain daffodils, certain roses. I tried to only mention shrubs and small trees. I do love fragrant plants, and I hope breeders will continue to keep the fragrance when they are making crosses and doing their breeding work.
In planning your fragrance garden, if possible, plant fragrant plants out of the wind, in a calm place where the fragrance is not whisked away. Arbors or fences or hedges can help hold the fragrance.
You should also consider having different fragrant plants that bloom at different times, or if they bloom at the same time, consider having them in separate parts of the garden, rather than having scents that could clash with each other.
Betty Montgomery can be reached at 864-585-9213 or BMontgomery40@gmail.com.
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