Garden Scents for Every Season

 

We often think of gardens as sensory experiences for our eyes. But gardens can also be sensory experiences for our sense of smell. Here are a few flowers that you can incorporate in your garden to enjoy their beautiful fragrances throughout the year. 

Winter 

Daphne Odera pictured above, is a real treat. It flowers in January and February when the weather is dreary and cold. It has fragrant, white to pink flower clusters and grows on an evergreen woody shrub. It likes part sun and part shade. 

Spring

Star Jasmine is an intensely fragrant, evergreen vine with white flowers, opening in late spring. It is excellent on trellises or fences. It prefers four hours of morning sun.

Summer

Gardenia comes in a variety of sizes and is perfect for the front of a border or along a sidewalk or pathway. All are evergreen and have white flowers that come in a variety of shapes with a recognizable aroma. An added bonus is that deer don't like the smell. I have found that gardenia are terrific for planting around hydrangeas (that deer like). It helps keep those oversized rodents away. 

Fall

Sweet Autumn Clematis is a vigorous vine with masses of small, white fragrant flowers. It's perfect on a trellis or fence.

Of course, depending on where you live, you can find many more fragrant flowers to enjoy throughout the year. Do you have any favorites?

And now for the ISWG question of the month: If you have a playlist that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what songs are on it?  Well, I honestly don't write to music. I prefer silence so I can hear the voices in my head. (Does this mean I'm crazy?) But, if I were to have songs, I'd listen to Sia music. Like Titanium and Unstoppable.  What about you? Do you have a writing play list?