Gold Coast Gardener

January 15, 2006

By Gene Joyner, Extension Agent
Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service

Fragrant plants in the landscape are always appreciated and whether they are grown as a single container plant on a porch or patio or in large groupings out in the outside landscaping it always makes a pleasant addition. When you visit local nurseries and garden centers you’ll find many types of plants with fragrant flowers. Some are fragrant only for a short while, while others are fragrant for a week or more individually.

One of the more common fragrant flowers people plant is the gardenia. It flowers in the late spring and early summer and the flowers can range from 2 to 4 inches in diameter and last about a week or more and even after the flower is finished it still retains it’s fragrance.

Roses are other popular types of flowers that are grown for their fragrance and roses exist in dozens of varieties, both standard types, vines and miniature types with one to one and a half inch blooms. Roses can be used as cut flowers and, of course, the flowers after they are finished can be saved and used for various types of potpourri.

Another popular group of fragrant flowers are various types of jasmine. We grow 10 or 11 types here in Florida with most being small bushes but some can become vines, too. Most jasmines bloom throughout the year, but the confederate jasmine is a seasonal vine that blooms only in the late spring.

Frangipani is a flowering tree native to Mexico that has two inch or larger pinwheel shaped fragrant flowers that are often used for making flower leis for tropic scene parties. These can be grown in a container or put out into the landscape and allowed to grow into a tree. They bloom about 11 months of the year stopping only in the coldest part of the winter.

Some fragrant flowers are not types that many people might enjoy in large numbers. A good example would be the garlic vine which has beautiful clusters of dark pink flowers, but they smell like garlic and if you have a large amount of these it might be overwhelming. The same is true for garlic lily which blooms off and on throughout much of the year and gives off a strong garlic like odor.
If you’re really into fragrant plants for the landscape, you might also consider orchids. Many types of orchids have delightful fragrances and the flowers give off that fragrance for several days.

If you’re not able to find the types of fragrant flowers you want for your garden, contact the Palm Beach County Extension office for some helpful advice. They can be reached at 233-1750 in the north and central county area or 276-1260 in the south county area.