I know the reason my friend Wendy visits me in the spring. She comes to smell my pink jasmine. I find her near the potted vine, pocketing flowers, and she’s always crushed in June when it finishes blooming.

Now in late summer, my night jessamine is blooming, casting its heady aroma into every corner of the yard. Its scent is so intoxicating that it never fails to lure me outside with the stars.

A garden wouldn’t be a garden without fragrance. True, attractive flowers and foliage are the backbone of a landscape, but fragrance perfuming the air makes the garden a magical, tempting haven. Research has shown that our sense of smell is our most evocative. Aromas alter mood. The scent of lavender, for instance, is said to calm nerves.

Scent is often thought of as coming from flowers, but it also originates in leaves, bark, fruit, seeds and roots, says Katie Bloome, a landscape architect and a manager for Monrovia, an Azusa wholesale grower that introduced a fragrant collection of plants that is available throughout Southern California nurseries.

“Fragrance comes from the oils that are in the glands of plants,” Bloome says. “The oils evaporate and the molecules are released into the air, which is what causes scent. There are many different essential oils found in the plant kingdom, and each plant has a mixture of compounds that make up its unique fragrance.”

Essential oils are perceived differently by everyone, which is why a scent may be delightful to one person and repellent to another.

Understanding Flower Fragrance

• White and pastel blooms are the most fragrant. Pale pinks are particularly potent.
• Darker flowers like orange and crimson often have little to no fragrance.
• Fragrance is used to attract pollinators and discourage pests. Non-fragrant flowers rely more on color and shape.

Tips for Creating a Fragrant Garden

• Plan for year-round fragrance:
  • Star jasmine blooms in spring.
  • Plumeria flowers bloom in summer and fall.
  • Gardenias often bloom most of the year.
• Consider the time of day:
  • Night-blooming jessamine releases fragrance only after dark.
  • Lavender is great for daytime scent.
  • Nicotiana and moonflower are lovely for summer and fall evenings.
• Don’t combine too many scents: Avoid mixing too many fragrant plants at once, as some can overpower others.
• Place fragrant plants in high-traffic areas: Walkways and windows are ideal spots.
• Shelter fragrance in enclosed spaces: Use courtyards, atriums, or trellised patios to trap and enhance scent.

Expand Your Fragrant Plant Selection

• Don’t limit to flowers — consider leaves, fruits, bark, and roots.
• Thyme, mint, rosemary, lavender, and scented geraniums release aroma when brushed.
• Use groundcovers like thyme and mint in pathways for sensory appeal.

Design with Scent in Mind

• Place subtly scented plants like alyssum and heliotrope at nose level using containers.
• Taller shrubs and vines naturally allow easy appreciation of their aroma.

Resources

• To find a nursery that carries the Monrovia fragrant collection, call (888) Plant It.
• For information from Kitano’s Garden Center, call (714) 521-2772.