Hello! I live in Minnesota and just moved into a 100 year old farmhouse. There is a flower bed in a low brick retaining wall by the front steps, and I would like to plant fragrant, good-smelling flowers in the bed, It gets direct sunlight most of the day. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Being in zone 8a myself, I am not familiar with what will grow in Minnesota since those zones are 2b,3a or 3b. But an advanced search of our data base did come up with a few possibilities... Fragrant plants Do you know which zone you live in? We have several members who live in the same zones as Minnesota, I'm sure one or more of them will hop in on this conversation shortly. And it would be a good idea to wander through local garden centers to see what's fragrant, will grow in your climate and what they have available. You never know what you will find in a garden center, it's a wonderful place to be.
Excellent advice Toni!!! I have a little mock orange shrub in my yard named "Minnesota Snowflake" that smells heavenly!!! It is only a spring bloomer but while in bloom the entire yard smells good!! Same goes for my honeysuckle, Smells great while in bloom. Sure wish it lasted longer :-? How do you feel about roses?? I have Zepherine Droughin by the gate and it blooms all summer long and smells delicious!!!
Stock is a very fragrant flower, but might be hard to find. alyssum is a honey scented border flower. petunias are fragrant, but I have mine in a greenhouse and can always smell them, outside may not be as noticeable, though. Herbs are a great addition, especially when you are working in the bed just brushing against them.
If you make a tee-pee or construct a lattice, Lathyrus odoratus is always a winner.There are so many choices (colour, long or short stems, etc) so that you can tailor your choice to your preferences. All you have to do is pick or dead-head them regularly so that they continue to grow. Do not lets pods form,for if you do the plant will stop producing new flower buds. A fragrant non-climbing rose might work. There are many sorts and colours. Lily-of-the-valley, lavender, lilac (there are some smaller types), dianthus types, phlox, there are dwarf lilacs such as the Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’. Nicotiana and Mirabilis jalapa are ones for late afternoon/evening enjoyment. There are so many. I do not envy you the choice-making. Good luck though. Please keep us posted on your final choices.
Hi Mary Lee--Welcome to Garden Stew. I hope you like it here! We're a great place for garden advice & comraderie. I like what others have already suggested. My suggestions have more to do with the overall look of the bed. I suggest you step back from your front door and imagine how big you want your plants to be. Do you want them all to be low growers, for a spot of color & fragrance, or do you want them to break up a line of the house? For example, I love Rosa 'Zephirine Drouhin' (it is fragrant, is almost thornless, is beautiful, can take quite a bit of shade, etc) but it does grow very tall (6'?) If you decide to use shrubs, I would be sure to add some summer annuals so that you will have color/fragrance when the shrubs or perennials are not in bloom. Nicotania is amazing for that & if you get it in white is shows up so nicely at night when you come home, fairly pops out at you! Toni---Thank you for showing us the 'Advance Search' feature on our plant data base! For as long as I have been here, I did not realize we had that!
Hi Mary Lee,..by coincidence i was given a packet of Suttons Seeds,..'Fragrance Mix',..it doesn't list the flowers that will grow but the helpful hint was,..'sowing near the house will give full benefit from the fragrance',..so i await with anticipation and nose at the ready,..you might pick up a similar package of seeds in Minnesota. ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden )
One of my favourite scented flowers is Night Scented Stock. About 8pm the garden is filled with its lovely aroma. I also like the scent of the flowers on my lilac trees and of course my scented roses.
