Tilia -- the Linden (called "Lime" in books but not to be confused with the citrus) tree is surely one of the most fragrant during the brief week or two that it blooms, that is why they have Linden walks and Unter die Linden (grammar?). Eleagnus angustifolia is also fantantasic when its turn comes in late spring. And the more tender loropetalum that I used to smell in North Carolina is penetratingly fragrant -- I think there is a red-flowered one.

In my yard..
Dark purple petunia, evening
Evening stock, evening
Mock Orange
Brugmansia, evening
Honeysuckle

Michele

Hi all. I do not need to make a list. I am agreeable to you mostly. I have a habit to collect cultivars such as Osmanthus and Winter Sweet( or Waxy Plum). My four seasons type Osmanthus is starting to flower now. One of my Winter Sweet is still blooming.

Nobody has mentioned the family Narcissus. What a treat to stand downwind of a big swath of 'Sweetness' jonquillas now. Later it's the same with the triandrus 'Thalia' and Paperwhites (Tazettas) are so fragrant as to be distasteful to some people. Oh, and Hyacinths! Blooming now, too.

Why did you ask, Hema? I try to have something fragrant blooming year 'round.

Nell, not an expert

Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrance Year 'round in My Garden

Some of my very favorite fragrant flowers;
Old fashioned Dame's Rocket
Russian olive,
Butterfly Bush,
Stargazer lily,
Rugosa Rose,
Pirouette purple double petunia,
Poet Narcissus,
Honeysuckle vine.

Summer
Pinks--old-fashioned, clove-scented pinks, on a hot day with the sun on them.
Basket-of-snow alyssum under the same circumstances.
Crimson Glory climbing rose in its first spring bloom.
Sagebrush in the desert.
Petunias at night--particularly old singles--the kind that melt when it rains on 'em--but let 'em melt away for that smell.
Autumn
Dead leaves in piles--most any kind.
Autumn blooming clematis.
Winter
Winter honeysuckle--I just scrambled through a thicket of briars on an old home site to find where that scent was coming from.
Daphne odora reaches out an grabs you by the nose in February--with a clean-winter smell just when you need it.
Spring
Jonquilla with reed like leaves. They grow willingly in old homesteads in the south, when other, fancier plants have died back. (These don't count for the smell dispersal, but they sure smell great.)

No season for me
Hawaiian Pikaki--had a lei of it once, forty years ago and I've never forgotten the smell.

Hi lanemoss - Pikaki or jasmine sambac...such great scent. Every now and then I'd pick a handful and put them in a glass jar. Makes a room smell nice :)

Kasie

Hi Kasie- Thanks so much for the botanical name. I wonder if Jasmine Sambac will grow indoors (like other jasmines)? I'm in 7B and I doubt that it's hearty here. Is it a vine or a shrub? I'll google to find a nursery. I'd love to get that lei again. Thanks again-- Lane

Hi Lane - you're very welcome. Try www.logees It's not a vine. It's a shrub and you can control the size with pruning. It comes in single, double bloom and I guess triple (Grand Duke). The one call Grand Duke is , to me, a beautiful carnation like bloom. Also, if you type "jasmine sambac" in the search box of Gardenweb, you'll find threads about this plant posted by people in your similar zone. Good luck and happy hunting.

Kasie

Jasmine sambac will work as a house plant. Just put it in a pot and bring it inside during the winter.
I've got one that lives in the ground on the south side of the house, but that's kind of iffy. I've got another in a pot and it got hit by a hard frost before I brought it in but has grown back since bringing it inside.

Hi Cweathersby. I see you are also in 7b. The Sambac in a pot was hit, not the one in the ground? I have a very protected spot w/southern exposure. What kind of soil does the Sambac that lives in the ground like? (Hi Kasie--maybe I'll try one of your Grand Dukes from logees off my back porch--yum.) THX all--Lane

White ginger - I remember this from when I lived in Hawaii in the fourth grade - at least I think it was white ginger.

Lavender angustifolia and intermedia varieties.

Rose - Violacea
Rose - Apricot Nectar
Rose - Pink Peace

Jasminum Polyanthum
Cestrum nocturnum

Citrus when in bloom.

I have had Echinacea that have had a wonderful fragrance - not all of them do. Some buddleia do and others don't.

Decidous azalea - not sure which one - it was a native I came across while walking in the Sierra and I don't know the variety.

I am sure there are plenty more I can't think of just now.

Linda

Viola odorata - Sweet Violet. The aroma is fleeting since it temporarily dulls the olfactory nerve. It is one of those fragrances that the perfume industry has never been able to capture. It is the same with Freesia.

Another one that I have not seen mentioned is Sweet Woodruff, Janice Brown Daylily, and let us not forget Lily of the Valley.

Wallflowers have a strong Aniseed scent and flowering Skimmia bushes are also nice in the late afternoon/ evening. I'm growing lots of sweet peas on the balcony this summer and went for the ones that said "highly fragranced" so we shall see...

I've also noticed the flowers on my blueberry bushes have a delicate scent but you have to get your nose right in them like you would with violets.

What I'm more interested in is the effect of having too many fragrant plants - would it be like the perfume section in Debenhams (UK Dept. Store) where all the scents combine to create one unpleasantly confused and overpowering smell???

And only one mention of viburnum! I toured a home for sale a few weeks ago, and as I opened the doors to the back patio, I noticed a wonderful fragrance. After investigating, I pinpointed it to a shrubby bush with small purple flowers clustered in an ovalish form.....as I exclaimed to a friend about it, a gentleman passing by said it was a viburnum. I've been lusting after it ever since....but don't know the variety.

Evening scented stock is the most fragrant plant I have grown. A bed of stock can fill the entire yard with heavenly scent.

Zone 5

LILIES are blooming! The order of frangrance is:
#1 Trumpets
#2 Orientals
#3 Orienpets -- actually the Orienpets might be #2 since they have 15-20 flowers on a huge thich stem; Orientals are harder for me to grow.

Also, Viburnum carlesii, but that was in the spring.

I have other plants, but the lilies are blooming now and will be for the next month or two -- not much else is frangrant for that long a period in zone 5, except annual Nicotiana and that gets so weedy looking!

For the people in California, and similar climates, the spring blooming tazettas (daffodils like paperwhites, only new and improved in bold, vivid colors) smell glorious. Or not. Some people don't like the smell.

Go back to lilies -- the backyard is so fragrant as soon as I open the door I can smell them! Heaven!

Lime

There are a lot of fragrant plants but some are not nose friendly imo like the Russian olive and linden tree. I don't think anyone mentioned pakalana which grows in Hawaii. I think it's a jasmine and fairly rare now tho leis were made of it way back when. Very heavenly smell, better than pikake any day and a nice yellow green colored flower.

As mentioned white ginger, plumerias and gardenias would be up there as great scents. Orange blossoms and something called mock organge in Hawaii but it's not philadelphus. I think it may have been another jasmine tho it was very vigorous and used as a hedge. The red fruits resembled small oranges. The smell was wonderful.

Here in zone 6, honeysuckle, sweetbay magnolia, wild roses and lavender.

In my garden are mock orange, white climbing iceberg, white buterfly ginger, jasmines, basil, mint, lantana, and they are not full matured yet

The most fragrant are:
Oriental Lily
Hyacinth
What about Lilies of the Valley? no one mentioned them.

Dear Sir:
> I read your article on the website about the Four O'clocks and I
had
>never heard or seen one until the early 80's and late 70's in Tucson,
Arizona.
> My wife and I planted some along our trailer and they grew into a
huge,
>vast array of plants. But, I am writing today to mention and
emphasise
strongly
>the strong, sweet fragrance of a Four O,clock. Why it is one of the
most
>beautiful fragrances I have ever experienced and it lasts and lasts
and
lasts.
> I mean, it is like when you leave the house to go to work, it follows
down
>the road.
> You didn't mention it, but I wanted to say this that it may be an
underestimated
>fragrance, when it comes to fragrances, but I'll tell you it really
blessed
>me.
> It is a toss up between the orange blossom and the four o'clock
when
>it comes to fragrances. These are the most two (as far as I know)
sweetest
>scents here and one of the biggest traits is how it lasts and lasts
and
seems
>to be everywhere.(so,),(I)(agree)(with)Carlene(of)(Iowa)(about)(the)four(o'clocks). I don't know if you ever been to Arizona or smelled
the
>orange blossom.
> I am also writing because it is a sentimental thing, about
remembering
>the Four O'clocks in Tucson, Arizona. Thank you for your time and for
reading
>this.
> >

> Sincerely,
>

> Todd DeFrank
> >P.S. I want to say sorry for writing this, because it is not an
inquiry
>or question. But I had to.
> >
> >---------------------------------

Brugmansia Charles Grimaldi. One bloom scents my whole yard and can be smelled almost 100 ft away.

Dear four1982 could you please tell me what kind of Four O'clocks you planted that smell so good. What was the name and color? Do they all smell that good or was it just the kind you planted. Thankx

Petunia (especially after 4pm) 4 o'clocks, gardenia, citrus, murraya, jasmine, star gazer lilys. Toni

Since you're all fragrant plant fanatics I have to recommend a book:

"Scented Flora of the World" by Roy Genders

If it's out of print, search the used book sites. This book is jammed with thousands of plants, even to the extent of describing fragrance variations within a variety. It also describes in detail the different chemical constituents of plant fragrance, the history of the world fragrance trade and the harvesting of scented oils. Did I mention fragrant leaves and bark?

The most fragrant flower (outdoors) I have is a purple iris (unknown - I got by mistake at Sam's Club - was supposed to be a blue 2-tone). I only had 20 blooms but the fragrance was BY FAR the most powerful I have ever smelled of any fragrant flower - it blew me away!!!!!
My vote for second is flowering tobacco. I had some in 2 pots on our front porch and when you came in & out in the evening the smell was exquisite.
I have fragrant daylilies, roses, hosta, summer phlox, peonies, butterfly bush, sweet autumn clematis, lilacs, narcissus - but they can't hold a candle to that iris.

Forgot to mention it's a Tall Bearded Iris.

list of most fragrant plants all of which i grow

cestrum nocturnum

ylang ylang

osmanthus fragrans

osmanthus x fortunei

brunfelsia

michelia champaca

michelia figo

Murraya paniculata

Epiphyllum oxypetalum

there from the ones i grow anyway i have lots more but they have not flowered yet

To me, Chinese classical fragrant orchid has the best fragrance profile. The level of the fragrance is obvious. However, most gardeners in U S do not familiar with this one.

The scent perception to me is superior than that of Michelia alba, O.fragrans, gardenia---etc.

only one mention of wallflowers and that gardener found the scent like anise...

must disagree, wallflowers fill the spring garden with a lovely sweet perfume like church ladies, the little old ladies of my childhood with blue hair and lavender suits. As sweet and penetrating as talcum powder.

next to wallflowers, Daphne odora, Nicotiana alata (Fragrant Cloud), alyssum - honey,honey,honey! - lilies, especially Casablanca, some Austin roses, Osmanthes delaveyi, Viburnum carlessii or burkwoodii, or a var. which I think is a hybrid between them called "Korean spice" just about to bloom in my garden, a spicy clove wafting scent, fresh!

And freesias! heaven

Sweet william! Dianthus barbatus and other D.s

One of my favorites is Iris pallida 'Variegata'. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the smell reminded me of. Was it grape juice? No, not that. Grape Bubble Yum? No, not that either. Then finally I figured it out ... grape lollip! Awesome!! Love the way frangrance stirs memories. ;)

Hello Everyone! I usually hang around the orchid forum, but came across this thread while trying to search for ideas for the garden I'm planning around my house. Hope you don't mind my resurrecting this *cough* ancient *cough* thread, but it's a great thread with some really good ideas here, wanted to add one more of my own, and I hope to get a few more recommendations for my z7/DC area.

I'm looking for powerful, very pleasantly fragrant plants that would grow in z7. Not too big, can be maintained to 3-5 feet/1-2 meters. I already have a Sweet Autumn clematis that I absolutely love. This is wonderfully fragrant, and I can smell it literally from 100ft/30m away! I'm definitely looking for stuff that can do that, or similar to it...if they exist! I'm very familiar with Osmanthus fragrans, but is can anyone tell me definitively if that is hardy to z7? I'm seeing conflicting reports, which would seem to indicate it's marginally hardy at best.

Many thanks!
Chris

I was in a greenhouse in Springfield, Mo and they had a display of what they called the 3rd most fragrant flower in the world,(this one is grown in Mexico, but would grow in northern conditions) the display went on to list the 10 most fragrant flowers, I am sorry that I did not write them down at that time. So I have been trying to come up with that particular list.

strongest smell of all, called cestrum nocturnum, it only smells at night. it irradiates the smell all over the garden.
from brazil, is called dama da noite.

Hi Terpguy,

I don't know if you learned by now if Osmanthus fragans is hardy in zone 7. I think that Altanta is in zone 7 and the botanical garden there has big plantings of O. fragans in the ground. I have seen the plant sold in a number of different nurseries in the Atlanta area including Pikes.

I really enjoyed Winter honeysuckle in Decautur last winter. It is known to be invasive but don't if it is in your area.

cheers

In my yard in z6, CT, it's my Conca D'or lilies and in late summer my huge Harlequin Glorybower shrub. It's a mix of spice, jasmine and vanilla to my nose. You can smell the Glorybower when driving into the driveway 150' away. I can smell my lilies in the front yard and they are located in the backyard.

A. Trees and bushes

1. Scented Bouvardia, Bouvardia longiflora, Bouvardia humboldtii
Perfume Tree, Fagrea berteriana-, large shrub really

2. JOY PERFUME TREE-Michelia champaca, orange-ish, (asia), makes perfume

3. White Champak, Pak-Lan, Banana Shrub, Cempaka Putih, Bai Yu Lan (white-jade flower), Bai Yu Lan, Safa,, champaca 'alba'

Grand Duke Supreme , Jasminum sambac, two inch flowers, newest variety!

Glorious Flower of Cuba , Portlandia grandiflora � Luscious perfume

Mali Chat , Jasminum sambac, rarest form, like stacked hats!

Serpant Hill Rain Tree , Brunfelsia densifolia, , Puerto Rico!

Dwarf Tree Jasmine, Peep Thong, Radermachera Kunming, Family: Bignoniaceae, Thailand, highly scented

Appleblossom , Cassia nodosa hybrid - Pink Shower

Flor de Fuego , Erblichia odorata -, rare, orange scented flowers 6-8 inch smell apricot

Singapore Kopsia, Kopsia singaporensis, white jasmine like, Malaysia

Red Allamanda blanchetii 10 seeds
$4.50

Milky Way Tree , Stemmadenia galeottiana �large white flowers grows well in Florida

Daisy Tree, Montanoa grandiflora (best, look like pom-poms) or Daisy Bush, M hibicifolia (like like white daisies with yellow centers!)

Perfume Flower Tree, Pua Keni Keni, Fagraea berteriana, Family: Loganiaceae, Origin: South Pacific

Fragrant ixora , Ixora fragrans, hard to find! Note: I.jinlaysoniana, a native of Thailand, can become a small tree and has large, fragrant, pure white flowers.

Native Gardenia Atractocarpus 10 seeds

Native Hawaiian Gardenia Nau, , Gardenia brighamii
Family: Rubiaceae, Origin: Hawaii

Heliotrope, Turnsole, Cherry Pie Heliotropium peruviana, Heliotropium arborescens, Zones 10, 11
Note: "alba" variety has white flowers that smell like pure vanilla!

African Gardenia, Mitriostigma axillare, Gardenia citriodora, scent of orange blossom, Africa

Double Rangoon Creeper , Quisqualis �, Thai Double Flower

Italian Jasmine, Jasminum humile, Jasminum giraldi, India, Note: yellow!

Tahiti Gardenia, Gardenia taitensis Tiare Tahiti
Family: Rubiaceae

Scented Daphne, Phaleria clerodendron- -fragrant-rare seed (Australia), smells like jasmine pinapple

White gardenia, forest gardenia, wild gardenia, Gardenia thunbergium, Gardenia thunbergia

Golden Gardenia, Kedah Gardenia, Gardenia tubifera Kula, Gardenia pfordii, Asia, yellowish gardenia, rare

Vietnamese Gardenia, Gardenia (Kailarsenia) vietnamensis

Golden Gardenia
Gardenia tubifera var. kula

White Gem Gardenia duruma � seeds available online

Gardenia volkensii ssp. Spathulifolia, Angola, seeds available online

Gardenia posoqueria (nitida)
Rare gardenia from Africa with star-like tubular flowers.

Wax Jasmine, Australian Wax Jasmine, Jasminum volubile, Jasminum simplicifolium
Note: The variegated form, var. Maculata, has bright leaves dappled lemon-gold, open clusters of quite fragrant white star-like flowers produced irregularly throughout the year.

Snows of Kilimanjaro , Euphorbia leucocephala �

Dwarf Tree Jasmine, Radermachera Kunming, extremely fragrant flowers -

Jasminum dichotomum, blooms all year round!

Gardenia taitensis Heaven Scent (double flower) - grafted

Coffee, Coffea arabica, Ethiopia, tropical, Zone 10-11

Pachypodium rutenbergianum, Magagascar, semi-arid, spikes on trunk

Perfume Jasmin, Jasminum tortuosum, true tropical jasmin

Lilac Tree
Lonchocarpus violaceus -

Blackberry Jam Fruit, Jasmin de rosa, Randia formosa, Mussaenda formosa, Randia mussaenda

Cashmere (Cashmir) bouquet, Glory Bower, Clerodendron
Clerodendrum bunge, Family: Verbenaceae, China, already have the Phillino variety, leaves that smell like skunk!

Chinaberry Tree, Indian Lilac, Pride of India, White Cedar, Melia azedarach, purple, white scented flowers!

Fountain Clerodendrum, Clerodendron, Tube Flower
Clerodendrum minahasse, Family: Verbenaceae

Native Australian gardenia, Larsenakia ochreata

Morning, Noon and Night, Brunfelsia floribunda, Family: Solanaceae), scented, unlike Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow!

Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, China, likes well drained soil

Cestrum aurnantiacum, Guatemala, orange, night scented

Tube Flower, Fountain Clerodendrum
Latin Name: Clerodendrum minahassae

Panama Rose , Rondeletia leucophylla � reddish flowers scented after dark!

Ashoka Tree, Saraca bijuga red-orange flowers, try to get dwarf! African rainforest

Arbor Tristis, Sad tree, Night Jasmine, Parijat, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Family: Verbenaceae, South Asia, India

Japanese allspice, Chimonanthus praecox also known as Japanese allspice, slow growing, may not do well in heat?

Silver thorn, Elaeagnus pungens , grows in Florida, mounding, ugly bush, amazing scented flowers. Get 'Maculata'-variegaed variety!

Grey Milkwood, Sea Mango, Pong Pong Tree
Cerbera odollam, Family: Apocynaceae, Asia

Conger Yellow Sweet Olive, fragrans 'Conger Yellow' Zones 9-11, Monrovia nursery.

Lily of the Valle Tree, Clethra arborea

Winters Bark, Drimys winteri, Bornea

Yellow bird of paradise, Caesalpinia mexicana - fragrant Yellow, Mexico

Hebe sp.
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Veronica
Origin: New Zealand

Turraea floribunda, Africa, very hard to find!

B. Vines

Easter Lillie Vine, Beaumontia grandiflora

Climbing Oleander, Strophanthus gratus � usually pinkish

Frilly Orchid Vine, BAUHINIA YUNNANENSIS-rare
Orange Blossom, Luzuriaga radicans, Chillean, white

Frangipani vine, Chonemorpha fragrans, Chonemorpha macrophylla, Family: Apocynaceae
Origin: India

Easter Lillie Vine, Beaumontia grandiflora, tropical, scented

Pink Trumpet Vine, St. Johns Creeper, Podranea ricasoliana, free flowering! Africa

Dregea corrugata (Wattakaka sinensis), tropical, white, like hoya, scented.

Bluegrape jasmine , Jasminum adenophyllum, India, vine

Yellow Jasmine, Jasminum humile - Italian jasmine, make perfume!

C. Seeds/Bulbs

Philippine Lily , Lilium philippinense 8 seeds

Amaryllis Hippeastrum Jaguar 20 seeds

Ptelea trifoliata (Wafer Ash, Hoptree) Simply delicious!
Lilac 'Beauty of Moscow' The way lilacs should smell.
Peony 'Philippe Rivoire' An intense rose scent.
Summersweet 'Hummingbird' A strong, yet gentle, sweet fragrance.
Lonicera periclymenum You'll open your windows every night to enjoy this.
Elderberry 'Black Lace' An anise/licorice fragrance wafts across the yard.
Rosa 'Tamora', and 'Zephirine Drouhin'
Phlox divaricata 'Blue Moon', P. paniculata 'Fairy's Petticoat', 'Cinderella', and 'Mile High Pink'
Tilia americana (American linden)
Chionanthus virginicus (Old Man's Beard) WOW!
Epigaea repens (Mayflower) A bit like jasmine.
Disporum maculatum (Fairy Bells, Nodding Mandarin) You won't be able to get enough of this.

If we're just talking STRONG scents, the Corpse Lily should be included. Its smell of rotting meat carries quite a distance--growers are advised to keep it well away from the house.

..Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' I would think has a scent as strong as any, and wafts for some distance...from a large bush.... I notice it comes in at no. 11 on the balconygardenweb site, and we are told it flowers briefly Feb/March... well, that's not really accurate.. in my garden it starts in mid January and continues through to mid April.... 12 weeks !... and probably at its absolute best in early to mid March.... whether it competes with some tropicals listed, I wouldn't know, it would be difficult to imagine that it couldn't...

..its drawback, as you can see from the photo, is that molluscs enjoy nibbling the leaves...

I love the colour of this one, and the form. The only plants of this variety I could find for sale through a Google search were in the U.K. Much of the D. bholua we have available in the US is of a variety with a different leaf shape (more rounded ends) and a leggier habit. I have seen one plant similar to this in Seattle, but with white flowers. In Seattle, the bloom time is similar to what you describe, peaking late February to early March.

I cannot figure out for the life of me how to change the "8bNW Turkey" on my user name. It doesn't appear in my profile anywhere that I can see. :/

sazji, go to your profile and click 'edit profile', then go down to where it says 'First Name' publicly displayed. Type into that box whatever you want to appear on screen, then click on 'update' which is further down that page.

trying again...

Nope, It's added the Seattle part, but the Turkey part of it didn't show up in that field in the first place and I can't get rid of it.

my votes go to Japanese Honeysuckle, Murraya paniculata, Roses (variety specific), gardenia, Freesia, Orchids (Zygopetalum, Cattleya, Softcane Dendrobium etc), flowers of Loquat tree (smells like almond concentrate), the flowers of Miracle fruit - very wafting fragrance indeed, and smells like delicious dessert!

Oh and the sambac jasmines are very satisfying too

Gardenias are only difficult to grow in climates with dry air, especially dry climates that are very hot and sunny. I think it would grow better in Southern California if it were put inside a humid greenhouse during the Summer.

The fruit of Quince is fragrant too, the most wonderful smell, very floral and almost a hint of violets. There's a particular odor within the aroma that is one of the elements in the smell of pears, I can pick up on, but the overall fragrance is definitely not like pears.

I am talking about fruiting quince (Cydonia oblonga), not ornamental flowering quince. Some people used to leave a basket of quince in the kitchen to make things smell nicer, or even hang quince in the closet.

I think grapefruit is very fragrant too, as well as Bergamot Orange (not really good for eating though). If you live further north you can grow Yuzu.

Parker, ditto on the grapefruit. Oro Blanco is quite fragrant. And the fruits are good too!