Some people say the flower has a musky smell, but I never noticed it. And I didn't think the foliage smelled, either.

Tracy

If I remember correctly, it doesn't smell bad - just a bit allium-like (and only if you're rubbing the foliage and close to the plant).

The odor bothered me enough to avoid planting it again. Maybe I'm overly sensitive, but I didn't like the way it smelled -- at all.

Sounds like a bit of a crap shoot, LOL. I wonder if it depends on the cultivar?

Jen26, do you think the odor would have been strong enough to stink up hanging laundry a couple feet away?

Kristin

I've grown cleome on multiple occasions and never been bothered by any odor. Hard to see how any would be apparent unless you crushed the foliage and inhaled deeply, but there are people who seem ultrasensitive to fragrance and perceive a variety of smells (especially those that are pungent or musky) as bad.

The only way to know for sure is to grow it yourself.

...But then a nice stinky cheese is valued above the mild ones.

how will this flower grow in the desert..in the summer where the temps are over a 100'd.. i have a few seeds planted indoors..will they transplant well..

I think it smells like catnip - or, if you've ever smelled it, mink musk, a mildly skunky smell.

Al

I've had the plants for several years now and there is a skunky smell. But it's like a skunk that's far away. :) I have them by one of my front room windows and I seldom smell it there. But when I'm on the deck by them and the wind is blowing right, I'll get a wiff of it. The 1st time I bought them, I was going to several different garden centers. I had bought these and left them in the car while I went shopping at another place. When I came back and got in the car, I could smell it pretty good. But outside it's really not bad. And the flowers are just beautiful. Mine get at least 5 ft tall and I only have about 4 that are growing. By early August they look like an ocean of pink and white with just those 4 plants. I start to deadhead them in early July. They really branch out more for me when I do that. Since they get so huge, I started putting a peony cage around them when they were small. Otherwise I had some that would tip over. Mine get thorns so I have to be careful when I deadhead. Mine reseed like you wouldn't believe. I have to turn the soil over in spring so they don't all grow. I still have to pull some out all thru summer, but they aren't hard to clear out. They are one annual that I'll keep on having.
Enjoy!

Kat

I don't like the way they smell and I don't care for the way they fee when I touch them, either. That said, the smell is not noticeable unless you're right in the planting bed working with them or around them.

What made me give up on them was the fact that they seeded all over everywhere and they were unpleasant to weed because of the smell and the feel.

I don't think that the plants smell too bad, but when they have the seed pods set up, those smell like diesel fuel I think. It is a strong a nasty smell.

Stacie

Because I just KNOW you all were breathlessly waiting for a conclusion: today it occurred to me that my cleome seedlings were no doubt big enough to sniff, so I did so.

And ... I agree with Al. It reminds me a lot of catnip. Which has never been one of my favorite scents (stinky socks!) but is miles away from "skunky". And I had to put my nose up right against them to get it.

Kristin

Kristin, they're seedlings now...wait. LOL! As for the skunky smell, people smell different smells from the same things. You may also have a different kind of cleome. The smell is lighter away from them, but mine are right by my deck and a front room window and the right breeze comes along and you can smell them when sitting on the deck or by the window. Btw, I love the smell of houttuynia (chamelean plant) where I've read here that so many can't stand it. I'll pick the leaves to rub them and get the smell. LOL!
I hope you enjoy your cleome. Smell or not, I just love having a few in my garden.

Kat

I wasn't bothered by the smell, but I stopped growing them because of the little thorns.

I have never even noticed the smell....and I have grown cleome every year since....like forever!
Now daisys? They stink!
Linda C

They do stink to me. I planted them one year in my front garden in front of a window i open in the summer time and the smell came in the window. No one sat in that chair until I ended up pulling them out of the garden. My husband thought they smelt like cat pee, but i can see why people think they smell like skunks.

I just bought some today and read in this post about deadheading Cleome. The nursery person told me not to. Please advise if they should be deadheaded. Also I am assuming supports are necessary?

Thanks!

No deadheading. Supports not necessary if they are in full sun.

Seems to me the darker the cleome, the stronger the smell. Those purple ones are the strongest. But it doesn't bother me - it's just the smell of cleome!

Collecting seed is fun though.

IMO, cleome smells terrible, it has thorns, and the stems are have a weird sticky feel. Basically, this plant just creeps me out, but no matter what I do, I find them growing in my garden every year. This year, they were in bloom before I spotted them.

Tina McG

The foliage smells so strong to me, it makes my eyes water and burns my nose and throat. I still grow them, they're beautiful. Olfactory perception is unique to each person....as is what they find pleasant and unpleasant. I've never had to stake them, either if they are grown in the right exposure and not pampered.

Yes, they smell. To me, they smell skunky. I can only smell them when I'm up close or brush up against them.

However, the deer won't touch them because of that smell and the small thorns - which makes them winners in my book.

They also reseed so profusely that they can be pests.

I used to grow cannabis (skunk) back in Spain and I would like to call myself an expert, so for me to say that this plant smells exactly like cannabis is a huge statement.

We were visiting friends who had a row of cleome around their front porch. After sitting there a while I was very glad to be called in for dinner. After dinner I suggested the back patio to get away from that smell of dirty socks. I don't know why anyone would grow it. The flower is not spectacular by any means and the stench is enough to turn your stomach

IDK why someone's only comment on GardenWeb is to bring this discussion back to life after 9 yrs, or how Max found it to make a comment at all, but count me for a vote that it smells great!

I wondered at that as well - even wrote a post shortly after Max's that was just a little snarky, but I deleted it; and though I'm not enamoured of the scent of cleome and wash my hands after handling it or deadheading the seed pods (I do that), it's not nearly as bad as DG makes it out to be.

Al

Like Calliope said in the post above, we all smell things differently. I pick up on certain odors fast, & others I hardly notice. But Cleome I notice it right away...skunk. I did plant mine by our front room window, but we'd only smell it when the window was open & the wind was from the east. In summer, that doesn't happen too often. I love the plants though & continue to have some.