The Most Fragrant Flowers for your Garden

What do you notice first when you step into your backyard? If you select fragrant plants to use in your landscaping, the lovely scents of your glorious flowers could enhance the visual harmony of your landscaping every time you go outside.

Here are our top suggestions for a fragrant garden in your Florida backyard. Whether you want large, colorful flowers or small, delicate blooms, the floral scents of these beautiful garden plants are sure to delight.

Jasmine

Jasmine stands out as a plant with a wonderfully sweet scent. A climbing vine with plenty of small, star-shaped white flowers, jasmine is famed for its rich scent, prized in the perfume industry.

Jasmine should be grown in moist, well-draining soil in full sun or part shade. Varieties suited to Florida's warm climate include star jasmine and confederate jasmine.

Whichever variety you go for, the cascades of delicate flowers and contrasting green foliage are sure to add visual charm as well as a delightful fragrance to your outdoor space.

Sweet Olive

The sweet olive, with its clusters of tiny but extremely fragrant flowers, is an evergreen shrub that responds well to ornamental pruning. Orange or white flowers are available.

Sweet olive is sometimes recommended to Florida gardeners as a substitute for lilac, whose fragrant blooms do not thrive in our hot summers.

Plant sweet olive in moist, well-draining soil. While this plant enjoys full sun, partial shade is necessary in the afternoons in Southern gardens.

Angel's Trumpet

Angel's trumpet is a spectacular plant with beautiful flowers that dangle gracefully beneath clusters of small, evergreen leaves. The glorious flowers with their perfumed scent come in a wide range of colors, from scarlet to yellow to gold to white. Unlike most plants, angel's trumpet flowers open during the evening, so your entire yard will be filled with an amazing fragrance as it gets dark - perfect for outdoor entertaining on your patio!

Rose

A classic perennial plant, the rose is famed for its beautiful flowers - available in a vast range of colors - as well as its rich scent. But did you know that, over the years, roses have tended to be bred for other features such as bloom color and longevity? This means that the roses found in flower gardens often do not have a strong aroma.

Old garden roses tend to be more fragrant than modern roses. 'Louis Philippe' or Florida cracker rose has scarlet flowers and a sweet scent. Another recommendation for Florida gardens is 'Mrs B. R. Cant' with its pink blooms and delicate fragrance.

Roses should be planted in full sun, ideally in amended soil. They need regular irrigation and fertilization. Care needs vary depending on variety; be sure to choose one that is suitable for Florida's climate.

Orange Blossom

Orange blossom, the state flower of Florida, fills the air with its sweet scent when it flowers in spring. To enjoy the delightful scent of these fragrant blossoms - as well as the oranges themselves later in the season - try growing an orange tree or two in your backyard.

Citrus trees need plenty of direct sunlight. They can tolerate some shade, but will be more productive in full sun.

Sweet Pea

The intricate, fragrant flowers of the sweet pea can climb as a vine or look charming tumbling from a planter or hanging basket. Flower color can be pink, blue, white or bi-colored and blooms appear late spring through late summer. The delicate scent of these beautiful flowers is most noticeable first thing in the morning.

Sweet peas like full sun and well-drained soil. Provide a trellis or other structure to allow this fragrant vine to climb. Soil should be kept moist.

Passion Flower

Passion flower is a striking plant with showy flowers that are sure to make an impressive display beside your deck or patio. The large, fringed, purple flowers appear during summer and fall.

This perennial plant's rich fragrance will further capture your attention. It produces fruits that are edible, but not especially delicious; passion fruits come from a different species.

This sturdy vine requires a robust support such as an arbor or trellis. It likes full sun or part shade.

Camellia

Camellia's large, attractive flowers come in a range of colors and sizes. But did you know that this popular bloom can also have a delicious scent? Not all varieties of camellia have a powerful scent, but some will add a sweet aroma to your patio or garden. This post has more information on which varieties to choose for their scent.

Camellias like part sun, with shade in the afternoon. In hot climates, they can bloom early in the season, with flowers even sometimes appearing during the winter months.

Albuca

Albuca is most noticeable for its beautiful foliage: the leaves grow in a surprising corkscrew, spiraling upward from the ground. These glossy leaves can grow up to eight inches tall. In addition, albuca's yellow flowers feature a mellow, sweet fragrance.

Plant this beauty in well-drained soil, in full to part sun, and delight your guests with its soft fragrance and astonishing appearance.

Gardenia

Gardenia, with its large, creamy white blooms scattered among glossy green foliage, is a beautiful shrub that will add charm to any outdoor space. It's not always an easy plant to care for, but many gardeners find the reward to be worth the effort. Its floral, spicy scent is sure to please.

Gardenia likes part shade and needs low pH soil to thrive. Make sure to water regularly in dry weather. Gardenia.net has lots of tips on caring for this lovely evergreen shrub.

We hope you've found some inspiration for pleasing all the senses in your backyard! If you would like help selecting suitable plants and planning out your beautiful landscape, get in touch with the experts at LawnMore Gainesville!