Enhance your outdoor space by including a few of these plants known for their wonderfully scented blooms. And remember, the surest way to find the best-smelling flowers you can grow in your garden is to follow your nose.
Azalea
Some types of azaleas offer fragrance as well as colorful flowers. Suitable soil is essential for azaleas; they prefer acidic conditions and are happiest with lots of organic matter like compost. 'Daviesii', 'Else Frye', and 'Tri Lights' (shown here) are examples of fragrant varieties.
Growing Conditions: Part shade in acidic, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 5 feet tall
Zones: 5-10
Dianthus
A quintessential cottage garden flower, dianthus has fringed petals that look as if someone took pinking shears to their edges (hence its common name of pinks). This old-fashioned favorite is grown for its pink, white, red, or bicolor flowers, which have a spicy, clove-like scent. The blooms appear in spring and summer, depending on variety.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
Gardenia
Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is one of the most fragrant flowers, producing one of the most beloved scents in the garden world. Fall or spring is the best time to plant this shrub in warmer climates. It also makes a fragrant houseplant, though it can be fussy about indoor humidity. Container plants can be placed outdoors during summer and returned to moderate indoor temperatures in the fall.
Growing Conditions: Light to moderate shade in well-drained, acidic soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 8-11
Lily of the Valley
Don't let this little beauty fool you; though it's small, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) packs a big fragrance in its nodding white or pink bell-shaped flowers. This tough, low-care groundcover can be planted and practically forgotten in shady spots. In some areas, it can spread too exuberantly, so you may want to put it where you can keep it under control.
Growing Conditions: Full to part shade in moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 1 foot tall
Zones: 3-8
Keep this plant out of children's reach because all parts of the plant, including its red berries, contain cardiac glycosides, which slow down the heart and cause irregular heart rhythm.
Nicotiana
The star-shaped blooms of nicotiana (Nicotiana alata) can fill your garden with a strong, sweet fragrance all summer into fall. A relative of tobacco, nicotiana is also known as flowering tobacco or jasmine tobacco. Plant it near your patio or a bedroom window in a moon garden because the scent is most pronounced at night. The blooms come in white, cream, yellow, lime green, pink, and red. And although it's perennial in frost-free regions, nicotiana is usually grown as an annual.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 5 feet tall
Zones: 10-11
Oriental Lily
Powerfully fragrant and stunningly gorgeous, Oriental lilies such as the famous 'Star Gazer' can perfume an entire garden. Oriental lilies bloom in mid-to-late summer in white, pink, and yellow. So whether you add this showy flower to your perennial border or container garden, it will provide long-lasting color and make a gorgeous cut flower.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Garden Phlox
One of summer's most fragrant and showy flowers, phlox (Phlox paniculata) bears big clusters of candy-colored blooms on tall stems from mid-to-late summer. These blooms have a sweet scent, most apparent on warm, sunny days. This perennial border staple also attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Rose
Well-deserving of its honor as America's national flower, the beautiful rose comes in a wide range of colors, and many varieties are wonderfully fragrant. If possible, do a sniff test on roses before you buy them. Some are powerfully fragrant, and others have no scent at all. Their fragrance varies as much as their color; some smell citrusy, others smell floral, musky, or fruity.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Sweet Pea
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are a bushy or climbing annual that blooms from spring to early summer. They're prized for being one of the most fragrant flowers. It will climb up to eight feet as a vine in a single season. Without support, it will grow in a bushy mound up to 30 inches tall. Their flowers appear in nearly every shade, plus stunning bi-colors.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Hyacinth
For early spring perfume in the garden, nothing beats hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis). Plant them in fall in well-drained soil to enjoy their powerful scent the following spring. Flower colors range from purple to pink, red, white, and yellow. Grow hyacinths along paths or in mixed borders, rock gardens, and containers. You can even force its bulbs to enjoy indoors during the winter.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
Bearded Iris
Bearded irises are available in almost every color of the rainbow. They're among the most fragrant flowers in any spring garden, with scents ranging from anise to floral to fruity.
'Dusky Challenger' has a chocolate scent and dark purple color and raises the standards of dark iris to a new level. The large, heavily ruffled flowers and sweet fragrance of 'Belgian Princess' have an engaging appeal. The scented purple flowers with yellow beards of 'Variegata' are reminiscent of grape soda.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Lilac
Thanks to their intense scent and color, lilacs (Syringa spp.) are hard to miss when they're in bloom. Lilacs are durable and can thrive in almost any growing condition except shade. They've also held symbolic meaning in many cultures for centuries.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 12 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Flowering Crabapple
Fragrant springtime blooms and jewel-like fruit make crabapple trees (Malus spp.) beautiful additions to just about any landscape. These small to mid-size trees are available in several colorful varieties, including those that have upright, column-shaped branching, or weeping specimens. In spring, they are covered with fragrant white, pink, or red flowers, and in fall with small yellow, orange, or red apples that attract birds. Some of the most fragrant crabapple varieties include 'Charlottae', 'Brandywine', and 'Prince Georges'.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 20 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Heliotrope
If you ask a handful of friends what heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) in bloom smells like, you're bound to get a different answer from each person. Some say cherry pie, others say vanilla, and others say grape jelly. But, no matter what you think it smells like, you're sure to love the sweet, rich fragrance that emanates from the pretty clusters of purple, blue, or white flowers. It's easily grown as an annual in locations where it isn't hardy.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
Zones: 10-11
Lavender
Be transported to Provence by growing lavender (Lavandula spp.) in your garden. The flowers and foliage of this herb produce aromas that permeate the countryside of southern France in mid-summer. In your own garden, try growing it in a perennial border, rock garden, herb garden, or scented garden. If you plant it next to a walkway, you'll catch a whiff every time you pass by.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to medium, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Sweet Alyssum
Producing carpets of lightly fragrant flowers in white, rose, lavender, or purple, sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is an easy-to-grow, low-maintenance cool-season annual. Plant them in masses to enjoy its light honey fragrance in edgings, flower beds, rock gardens, hanging baskets, and window boxes.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 9 inches tall
Peony
The old-fashioned, fuss-free peony (Paeonia spp.)can thrive for years without special care. The petal-packed blooms make perfect cut flowers, and you can even dry peony flowers to enjoy them year-round. However, not all varieties are fragrant. The double, white-and-pink peonies tend to be the most fragrant.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Moonflower
As its name suggests, moonflower (Datura spp.) opens at night. Like flowering tobacco, this plant is perfect for a moon garden because its big, pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers are most fragrant after the sun goes down. It is easily grown as an annual where it isn't hardy.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 9-10
Though this plant is beautiful, it is very poisonous if eaten, so keep it in a spot out of reach of children and pets.
Southern Magnolia
Among the most majestic trees, Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is widely planted for its beautifully fragrant, creamy-to-white spring flowers. Its large, shiny, evergreen leaves with a fuzzy underside and red fruit in the fall add to its seasonal appeal.
This large tree is one of the most stunning additions to any ornamental garden landscape. Be sure you know when to prune your magnolias so they'll look beautiful year-round without sacrificing any blooms. Dwarf magnolias are also available.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 80 feet tall
Zones: 7-9
Mock Orange
One of the most fragrant flowers you can plant in your garden, mock orange (Philadelphus selections) is grown primarily for its scented white flowers. Its four-petaled blooms resemble the shape of orange blossom, though it doesn't belong to the citrus family.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 12 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Viburnum
If you want sweet-smelling flowers in your garden and colorful berries in the fall, try viburnum shrub varieties such as Korean spice viburnum and fragrant snowball viburnum. The flowers can be pale pink or white, and berries come in shades of blue, red, and even black. The berries will attract birds to your garden.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 16 feet tall
Zones: 2-8
Tree Lilac
Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) is fragrant like shrub lilacs, though the scents are very different. Plus tree lilacs get taller. You can find varieties with flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white. These lilacs are also pretty drought-tolerant once established.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 30 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Daffodil
Nothing smells like spring more than a garden full of daffodils (Narcissus spp.). The yellow, orange, and white cup-shaped blooms add texture and color to the landscape. To start your fragrant garden early, force the bulbs indoors. Some more fragrant daffodil varieties include 'Actaea', 'Baby Moon', and 'Canaliculatus'.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 30 inches tall
Zones: 4-8
