Gardenias, carnations

Lilacs!!!! I use to try and schedule my vacation time to go back and visit my folks during lilac blooming season. Nope never worked. I would be a week too early... a week too late. One year, I spoke to my mother the day before I was to fly out, and the lilacs were in full bloom. I was so excited. Wouldn't you know that it rained and stormed all night and not a blossom was left.

I remember when we took my daughter to tour some of the colleges she got into, there was a lilac bush that had bloomed, but it had one little sprig of lilac that still had a couple of flowers that was still attached.... I went off the path, pulled the limb down and took a big whiff.... I think it embarrassed her, but I had not smelled a real lilac in over 20 years.... IT was still divine.... I have tried buying lilac scent but it really doesn't smell like a REAL lilac.

When I first bought my house here in Florida, I happened to be in a big box store that had a lilac for sell. I bought it and planted it and of course it died....

My family use to grow peonies too. I loved that fragrance... but ours never lasted very long... I was dumb enough to buy one of those from a box store. It of course died!

Here in Florida, I of course love my roses.... I will only plant fragrant ones. Some of my other flowers that are fragrant are.... citrus tree... mine gets too much shade and doesn't bloom often.... I have a Dracaena fragrans that has great scent... the flowers are kind of ugly... the leaves are nice enough, but it isn't a favorite... too me it is a boring plant, but my husband likes it.... so with him liking it and it having nice fragrance (but bloom time is short) it gets to stay....

Another plant that I find boring to look at, but the bloom time is long.... and the scent is great and it wafts in the air is the Murraya paniculata. Ok my goodness that things smells GREAT. When I use to have my collie we would walk through the neighborhood. I could smell it from blocks and blocks away. I collected the seeds once and started the plants.... mine haven't bloomed yet, but I can hardly wait for mine to bloom!

I also collected seed from a Jamaica Caper tree. It has pretty lavender flowers and a great scent... Don't know how long it will take to mature and flower...

I also grow a few fragrant orchids...

Unfortunately, other than roses I don't have any flowers that I can bring indoors to liven up a room....

My lilacs are blooming right now! It's usually too hot for them to make buds in Sacramento, so this is a good year.
I also haven't seen anyone mention Daphne, which I LOOOOVE. although I've had a green thumb since practically birth that is the one plant I cannot get to grow. I've killed five over the years in various growing conditions, and they are so expensive I cannot let myself buy another one to try.

Carla in Sac

I'm amazed no one has mentioned lavender in this thread. Mock orange is also very nice. Also sweetshrub/carolina allspice/strawberry shrub (I have never seen this plant in bloom but would like to someday).

Almost forgot about lavender. I can't grow it here, but I love that it seems to be everywhere in Southern CA. My sister has several plants in her front yard, and I like to pick the blooms and put them in my pockets. It's definitely a fave.

I do buy the dried flowers in bulk, and essential oil, but that doesn't count as a plant, does it?

I was going to say lavender, but then I remembered honeysuckle - the invasive japanese vine (my natives have only a faint scent) is clearly #1. Runnersup: carnations - the ones that smell rather like clove , Lily of the valley too.

I never realized that daffodils had so much scent, until I cut a bunch to bring in before the big freeze. They've scented the entire downstairs!

I love roses but not their scent especially. I can't abide gardenia, or anything similar.

Sweetshrub (calycanthus floridus) is tricky -- some plants smell great, others are practically scentless, even though they look identical. If you can time it right, 'try before you buy'!

My garden is literally full of fragrant flowers. I don't think I buy plants unless they smell nice. So I've bought: Korean Spice Viburnum, Wisteria, Lilacs, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, peonies, lavender, catmint, russian sage, calamint, tilia, elder, and sweet autumn clematis. I've tried gardenias but it's too cold up here :( you could also try sweetgrass, but beware it can become invasive.

I don’t like strong smells and hate perfume and candles. Here are the scents I like:

Honeysuckle (I had a childhood of running through woods with honeysuckle growing everywhere and of course eating the nectar! if I lived somewhere that it wasn’t considered invasive I’d grow it). Peony, Passion Flower, Plum Blossom, of course Roses. And I’m not sure if this counts but the scent of a grapevine in the morning in Korea is better than anything else in this world.

I used to grow sambac jasmine and it did very well and started flowering like mad, but it was much too strong to keep in my apartment (had to be in the same room as my office because the sunlight there was the best). I ended up giving it to my family as they would make more use of it for tea.

I am glad you mentioned grapevine. Most people cannot identify it but it is a very lovely scent. However if you smell it during seasons that it is not blooming start looking for a snake. There are several harmless ones that emit a musk when they sense danger or are breeding.

Oh yes - I'd forgotten about grape blossoms - they are delightful, IMO.

It’s a houseplant, not a garden plant, but my favorite flower scent is Hoya. At least the one my dad has had for as long as I can remember. I have a cutting I’m growing but haven’t coaxed it into bloom yet. This one smells like chocolate but sweeter and warmer.

Grace:
I'm the same with Tuberose. LOVE the fragrance but I literally cannot last 5 minutes in a room with Tuberose in a bouquet.

Carla in Sac

I also haven't seen anybody mention Chocolate Cosmos and Berlandiera lyrata aka Chocolate Flower(photo)

Carla in Sac

Great tip to look for a snake among grape vines! I know I would definitely not want to be dealing with that LOL!!

Carla, I so wish I could enjoy the scent, but it is just much too strong! I am glad we could at least experience it and determine what we liked and didn’t like about it :)

What does chocolate cosmos smell like? I’ve never heard of it!

I love Osmanthus also know as Sweet Olive. It blooms in SoCal continuously from October through the end of April. The apricot fragrance wafts far from the plant. You almost don’t see the flowers so it looks like a handsome evergreen shrub.

Grace:
Both smell like CHOCOLATE!
Although I think the Chocolate Daisy is stronger.

https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/berlyrata.htm

My comment was not about snakes in grapevines. Some snakes emit a scent/musk when frightened. Some of the common ones in this particular area it smells like grapes blooming. They could be anywhere.

Lilacs, magnolias, pinks and wisteria

I was cleaning up some flower beds today and realized I'd forgotten to mention a new (to me) fragrant addition to the garden that I planted 2 years ago. I bought it when it was in bloom and know I liked the fragrance, but for the life of me, I cannot recall what it might be similar to. It's not yet blooming, but now I am anxious to have it flower to find out the scent. Styrax Fragrant Fountain (Japanese Snowbell):

Hyacinths, the single kind seem to be the most fragrant.

Peonies & Lilacs.

To me, these are the epitome of Spring!

Although not fragrant except in mass my first species peony bloomed yesterday. Normal time for me for the first. Soon the ones with scent will begin blooming and be gone all too soon.

Sweet Olive, Osmanthus fragrans! the builder included one in the foundation planting for the home my parents bought in 1971, when I was a kid. I can't remember what it smelled like, but I remember it was generous with its scent and I loved it! We were a zone too cold, it died within a season or two. I've not gardened anywhere warm enough to try it again.

Sweet osmanthus smells like hot apricot jam to me. It’s so delicious smelling. I tried to grow it indoors, but failed. If anyone has a trick to growing it as a houseplant, please share!

Chocolate cosmos smells like carob rather than chocolate.

Lilacs. too bad they don't last longer

Lillies of the valley

Lilac - but I can't grow it where I am. And hyacinth.

I just bought another Meyer lemon tree from Spring Hill along with my peach trees order, it's on sale now for $25.49 If anyone want one. https://www.springhillnursery.com/product/meyer-lemon-tree-2-quart

The 1st one was from StarkBros, it's still on sale for $16.99 (1 quart). I just received it along with my pear trees yesterday.

https://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/citrus-trees/meyer-lemon

Last year I tried to find a big one down South, and I didn't find any, not even a small one.

I love the smell of Black Locust flowers. Not mentioned here yet, maybe because it is a big tree, not a herbaceous plant or a shrub.

I LOVE Black Locust! We have two giant ones next to a nearby historic cemetery, I always make sure to visit them every spring for a sniff.
I just found out there is a purple variety!!
Carla in Sac
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c142

My favorites have already been mentioned. I love Meyer Lemon blooms, purple hyacinth, magnolia, autumn clematis and 4 o'clocks the most of all fragrant blooms.

Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Lilac, and roses.

I saw Meyer Lemon and other potted fruit trees ( orange, lime and fig) at Tractor’s Supply for $22.99 today. I came home with a Meyer lemon and an orange tree. If you need any don’t wait long.

Lilacs are my all time favorite! I currently have a Korean Spice blooming outside my kitchen window, and the scent wafts up into the house...so lovely.

Rangoon Creeper, my all-time favorite among many of my fragrant plants.

Nuts
What does it smell like?

I'm fairly ignorant about flowers, but i like the smell of roses and lilacs. Insofar as scented oils, i prefer french lavender rather than regular lavender, as its lighter. I also liked the scent of jasmine bath salts.

To HU - actually you can go wrong with lilies if you're allergic:

https://findanyanswer.com/can-you-be-allergic-to-lilies

I was reminded of this thread the other day - the black locusts in the neighborhood are in full bloom and they have one of the best scents!

I love the rangoon creepers. I had the double and single and lost both to the freeze, they were in huge containers. Am trying again this year in ground. They smell sweet, like candy.

Apple blossoms. They take me back to my childhood where we had apple trees near the kitchen windows. Also Lily of the Valley for it's crisp cool scent.

Definitely roses.

Sautesmom, Rangoon creeper is sweetness itself. One of those sweet smells that triggers your taste buds and you want to eat that sweet-smelling thing. It smells like honeyed sugar. In fact, the long stems are full of honey. You can pinch off the end and suck on it.

And it’s gorgeous to boot, such profusion of long-stemmed clusters. They are white when they first bloom, then turn a light pink the next day, which turns a dark pink a day later and it‘s really a crimson before it withers off. Add to all this the fact that the same cluster will have all those different colors due to the staggered bloom time of each flower in the cluster. It‘s the most magnificent riot of smell and beauty.

Night-scented stocks, Matthiola longipetala. I'm waiting for the seeds to germinate :)

The subtle, sweet grape-like smell of certain bearded irises.

Aglaia odorata and Murraya paniculata ( orange jasmine) also smell nice. plumeria as well.

I know it is not a flower but I LOOOOOOOOove the heavenly smell of the bluish purple lilacs. When they had them up the street I would walk up to where they were and get so many. Then walk back home with them and put them in a big vase filled with water. Dad also took the shovel and dug up two and transplanted them onto our property. Grew like a thing possessed!!!!! Unfortunately when I sold the house to a developer could not take them with me. I also am not sure how one can actually propragate one. Since then 2/3rds of them that were at the corner are gone due to them widening the road. Wouldn't know where to plant one here anyway.

This rose in my Always tea rose. Wow!!! And not far behind it I think it is the At last rose. /was doing something with the other roses and I could smell their awesome scent without even having to bend down and sniff them!!!! Going on 4 or 5 years old!!! Had to put it in a vase as it was too big for the rose bowl :D

Karen F, lilac is certainly a flower! My neighbor's japanese lilac tree is in full bloom now and is perfuming my entire yard. It isn't the same scent as old fashioned lilacs; it seems to me to be "lighter" also, but very pleasant.