Uncommon Scents

Just about every family in the plant kingdom has some members that are Flowering Tobacco scented. To do an extensive article on all the scented plants that the home gardener would be interested in growing would fill volumes, and could easily be the work of a lifetime. Unfortunately, this is going to have to just scratch the surface. I will give you some ideas to think about, then you will need to take it from there. There are some excellent gardening links to vendors that carry fragrant plants, so when you are done over here, you might want to mosey on over to the links I have included and look around a few of these fine websites, particularly Flower Scents Gardens.

We live in an age where cloning, gene splitting, etc., have produced some spectacular results. There is no denying it, colors are getting more vivid. Varieties are sporting new colors not seen before. Plants are blooming longer, and are more disease resistant. This is all well and good, but often in the quest to create a new and improved cultivar of an old favorite, plant breeders breed the fragrances out of the plants that they are trying to improve.

Roses are a classic example of this that everyone is familiar with. It used to be that roses only bloomed once a year, in the spring. Like Lilacs, there was one glorious flush of blooms. The air was filled with the fragrance of blooming roses for a week or two, and then the party was over until the next year. Someone found a rose in China or Persia that bloomed more or less continuously, and the race was on. Many of our modern rose varieties bloom admirably, and in colors that someone of 150 years ago would be amazed to see. But, in the hybridization process, the subject of fragrance was often overlooked. Many of today's hybrids do not carry a strong "rose" scent. Indeed, with some you can hardly detect any scent at all. Fortunately, there are attempts being made, and with much progress, to reintroduce scent back to roses.

Another example is Nicotiana, or flowering tobacco. This plant can grow darned tall and gangly, with huge, well, tobacco leaves. Plant breeders have tamed it, so to speak, but in the process, many of the more dwarf and "well-behaved" hybrids have lost that magical scent.

There seems to be a backlash of sorts going on. I watch gardening programs whenever I can and I have noticed a trend in the past few years. Many of these shows speak about old fashioned varieties, of scented varieties. I say that it is about time! Many of our memories are tied up to the sense of smell. I am sure all of you know what a pumpkin pie smells like when it is baking. Almost universally, your mind travels back to a Thanksgiving memory or to a general impression of Fall. One of my first memories tied to the sense of smell was when I was a little girl living in Rossford, Ohio. My parents would often take us for a ride on a warm summer's evening to settle us down before going to bed. We would get an ice cream cone, and drive through an area near the river known as "The Colony". This was an area of very nice homes, woods, and winding roads. We would always go by a certain spot, and I can remember the smell of the honeysuckle. I have never forgotten that smell, and if I drive by someplace and catch a whiff of it on the air, I am instantly transported back to childhood.

Now I am finished editorializing. You get the picture. I can't possibly tell you everything to grow, but I will tell you of a few of the many plants that I find I must have every year, as far as the scent department is concerned.

The first "must have" plant is Brugmansia, or perennial Angel's Trumpet. I stress perennial, because there is another plant commonly called "Angel's Trumpet" that is known as Datura, basically an annual. The difference is that my Angel's Trumpets are trees that I over winter (dormantly) in my cool but not cold garage, or if I can find one who will board them for me, a greenhouse. Datura is not one for over wintering very well. Angel's Trumpet has downward facing bells. Datura doesn't. Datura can be scented, but it doesn't hold a candle to the fragrance of my Angel's Trumpets in full bloom. I currently have two plants that are over 6 feet tall, and a newer variegated variety called, 'Peaches and Cream' that is just starting to get some size to it.

Brugmansia releases its scent after the sun goes down. It is heavenly to behold and smell. I have to liken it to Lemon Meringue pie. That is the closest I can come to describing it.

You have to be patient with this plant the first season or so that you grow it. It will grow by leaps and bounds, but usually doesn't come into its own for another year or two. The beauty of this plant is that it is easy to root, and if it gets too big to manage, you can take cuttings from it and water root them. you can also chop the mother plant back if it gets too big for the house or garage in the Winter. When I over winter them, I let the leaves drop and the plants go fully dormant, and only water them when they are dry. In other words, I water infrequently. In late Winter, I bring the plants indoors and place them by a sunny window, and in the matter of a few days, they are off and running!

If you grow this plant, I have one major caveat to pass on to you: It is poisonous in all its parts, so use caution around children and pets.

My second "must have" plant is Heliotrope. I try to get the older varieties, as they seem to have the most scent. The ones I buy have the most fabulous blue flowers, and they have a scent that smells a lot like vanilla, to me. Between the Angel's Trumpets and the Heliotrope, the back patio in mid-summer almost smells "good enough to eat"! This is one of those plants that I pot up and put out right by the back door on my patio. I could not imagine a Summer going by without it.

The last plant is, you guessed it, honeysuckle. Here you have to be careful. Some varieties are unscented, and in some parts of the country, you have to be careful not to grow Hall's Honeysuckle as it has become a nuisance plant. Some states do not want people to grow it anymore. The variety that I have is Lonicera heckrotti, and it is pretty, but I am a bit disappointed in its fragrance. I will not dispose of it by any means, but I am planting Lonicera periclymemum, 'Graham Thomas', a variety that is reported to have a wonderful scent and a long bloom season.

Now you know my top three all-time favorite fragrant plants. I will be adding other scented plants to my yard. I already have a collection of fragrant roses, lavender, lilacs, wooly thyme, etc. But the wonderful thing about gardening, there's always something new out there, and there is always a new fragrant plant to get to know. So, put a little "uncommon scents" in your yard this year. You will be adding another dimension to your gardening experience!