by Joan Fiore, Fulton County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer
This article is part of Garden Buzz, a series from Appen Media and the North Fulton Master Gardeners, where rotating columnists explore horticulture topics like herbs, insects, and wildlife conservation. Find all Garden Buzz articles here.
We often think the enjoyment of our garden is a sensory experience for our eyes. The colors, shapes and textures of the flowers and leaves, as well as the additional visual interest of pollinators and birds, are how we envision gardens. But there is a sensory experience that we might not think about, although sometimes it attracts our attention when we least expect it. That is scent. We are fortunate here in the Atlanta area that our climate allows us to incorporate plants with scents during every season to complement the visual experience.
Here are a few options, season by season, to incorporate into your garden and how to layer them into the landscape.
Winter
- Daphne (Daphne odora) is a real treat to the senses. It flowers in January and February when the weather is dreary and cold and we gardeners are dreaming about spring. It has very fragrant, white to pink flower clusters. Daphne is an evergreen woody shrub that grows slowly in an area that is part sun, part shade.
- Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) is botanically related to Daphne. While it is deciduous, it is also is a winter bloomer with very fragrant flowers. Before the leaves fall off in the fall, the buds form and look like a white ball. From January to February the flowers begin to open and are a tight cluster of white tubular flowers with yellow centers.
Spring
As the garden awakens from winter, spring is one of the most aromatic seasons and offers numerous options for the garden.
- Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is an intensely fragrant, evergreen vine with white flowers, opening in late spring. It is excellent on trellises, arbors, or fences. Jasmine prefers four hours of morning sun.
- Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) is a fragrant spring flowering bulb that is planted in the fall. It grows to a height of less than 12”, and the densely clustered flowers come in white, pink and purple. Perfect to plant along a sidewalk.
- Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) is a deciduous ornamental shrub with fragrant, dark red flowers that blooms in April and May and prefers full sun. It is deer resistant
- There are several native deciduous azaleas that are found in our area of Georgia. Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescens) features white to pink flowers and a musky-sweet, honeysuckle fragrance. Alabama azalea (Rhododendron alabamense) has white blooms with a yellow blotch and a lemony-spice fragrance. Florida Flame azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) sports fragrant yellow to orange flowers. Typically, these plants prefer a woodland environment.
Summer
We spend more time outside in the warmest season, so the scents in the garden can make our senses come alive.
- Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) comes in many sizes, everything from low growing varieties, perfect for the front of a border or along a sidewalk or pathway, to varieties that are taller and can be used as a backdrop or foundation planting. All are evergreen and have white flowers that come in a variety of shapes with a recognizable aroma.
- Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) This plant was named because it was believed that it decreases libido. It is a deciduous, aromatic shrub in the mint family. In the summer it produces showy, blue lavender flower spikes that attract butterflies and pollinators. It is grown either as a small tree or large shrub.
- Roses (Rosa species) are very much a part of the summer landscape, and many varieties have a beautiful scent. Hybrid tea roses are often fragrant. Other fragrant roses that do well in Georgia include ‘Belinda’s Dream’, ‘Teasing Georgia’ and ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ to name a few.
- Lavender (Lavandula species) can be grown in Georgia even though their preference is for heat and low humidity. Some newer varieties (‘Phenomenal’ and ‘Sensational’) can withstand our humidity. Lavender wants full sun and well-draining soil.
Fall
- Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora) is a vigorous vine with masses of small, white fragrant flowers in the fall. Perfect on a trellis, arbor or fence.
- Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) From late summer into fall this plant produces fragrant white/pink tinged bell-shaped blooms. This semi-evergreen shrub grows 3 to 6 ft tall and wide.
- Tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) blooms several times during the year, when you least expect it. The insignificant white cluster flowers of this plant are very aromatic. The shrub itself is very useful in the landscape as a hedge or backdrop with its dark green leathery evergreen leaves.
Happy Gardening!
Learn More
- The Georgia Gardener, “Fragrant Plants,” Walter Reeves
- Fragrant plants can be pleasant to your sense of smell and attract pollinators, UGA CAES
About the Author
This week’s “Garden Buzz” guest columnist is Joan Fiore, a Master Gardener since 2020 and Johns Creek resident. She is a lifelong gardener and studied horticulture at NC State University. Her favorite plants are perennials, as well as plants that surprise us with a scent that enhances our experience in the garden.
