Planta for a fragrant garden

[CatUnderTheStairs]

I'm moving finally to a house with a garden after years of a back yard filled with pots.

It's not huge but its sheltered and south west facing. What are your favourite fragrant plants so I can have a really perfumed garden year round?

Winter: Viburnum bodnantense - deeply fragrant flowers on the bare stems, starts flowering about October and carries on till April.

Spring to summer: wallflowers, Viburnum carlesii

Early-mid summer - Matthiola incana, Euphorbia mellifera (a large plant, but almost overpowering honey scent - the name means honey-bearing), sweet peas, pinks. Roses - David Austin in particular breeds for good scent. Sweet briar - the leaves have an apple scent, especially after rain.

Mid-late summer - honeysuckle - google for good fragrance, there are earlier flowering ones and later flowering ones, but not all in either group have a good fragrance. Philadelphus (called mock-orange because the strong perfume is reminiscent of orange blossom), repeat-flowering roses. Sweet alyssum will self seed itself in gravel paths and keep going all summer.

Autumn I find a bit trickier for scent, the Viburnum bodnantense has usually started up again, but that's about it.

Don't forget scented leaves - lavender, catmint, and particularly rosemary. Mints, scented geraniums (come in lemon, chocolate mint, rose, eucalyptus smells) - all the leaf scented things release their scent when brushed against or when a leaf is crushes, so need to be planted along the edges of paths or near where you sit.

Sarcococca confusa - Christmas box. It's a shrub and doesn't look like much but in winter it has tiny white flowers along the stems with an amazing honeyed scent.

We've got one on the way to our front door and on a cold winter's day the fragrance can stop you in your tracks, it's wonderful.

Watching for inspiration!

@MereDintofPandiculation thank you that's incredibly helpful. I' love scented geraniums and have lots in pots. And I'm really looking forward to having the space for roses.

Like the Christmas Box idea too...

I can't believe sweet alyssum hasn't been mentioned!

I sowed my seed in march I think, might have been April, around that time anyway, it flowered gloriously, went seed briefly in the heatwave then re seeded itself and is still flowering now in November!

It smells absolutely gorgeous and is covering my garden in lovely festive swathes of white.
It's a fantastic plant.

I also have dwarf buddleia, think the variety is 'hot raspberry' and that smells lovely too

On honeysuckle, I have two honeysuckles, one started flowering this year, it must be about 5 years old I think.
No sign on flowers on the other one.

I have heard a lot of people complain about honeysuckles no to flowering, I don't think they are a good option for the impatient.

A scented Montana clematis would be a better choice in my opinion.

I do have a honeysuckle at the moment, but I don't think I researched it closely enough. The flowers are very small and the fragrance isn't brilliant. I think I'll choose more carefully next time. On the other hand it very quickly covered a horrid fence and the bees like it.

Another great one for midwinter to early spring would be Daphne Bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'. Really intense scent that can carry for several metres.

If you have an archway, or doorway you'd like to frame- it just like roses, I would highly recommend The Generous Gardener by David Austin. It has repeat flowering pink roses and smells divine!

Salvia, jasmine, lilac!

There are various varieties of jasmine but star jasmine is evergreen (only flowers in summer) but provides good cover and habitat in winter. Gorgeous scent.

There are so many types of salvias (sage). The purple ones seem very popular in garden centres - I keep meaning to buy some as they look striking in the flowerbed, particularly a row of them together.

I have Salvia 'hot lips' too which is red and white and has flowered all year (still going now!)

I planted my star jasmine in shade but it's only really taken off (4yrs down the line) as it reached the sun on the trellis at the top of the fence. Most flowering stuff tends to flower more profusely in the sun I find although there will be exceptions.

I'd recommend planting shrubs and climbers in the ground if you can - pots can dry out so easily. I tend to put my annuals and herbs in patio pots; also perennial fuchsias. See if you can dig in some flowerbeds in sunny spots or build raised beds as they will retain moisture and nutrients and you won't be watering every five minutes. I say this as someone who loves pots and baskets

If you go the pot route invest in bigger pots than you think you'll need (tall ones are good for visual impact and root volume). You can always line them with a plastic pot and place a brick at the bottom if you want the flexibility to switch things around and don't want to use up tons of compost filling them. I fill mine with 50/50 garden soil and compost.

Happy gardening!

Oh meant to say my lilacs are dwarf ones so they don't turn into trees in the flowerbed! Lilac trees are gorgeous too though, I just don't have space for one!

Wallflowers were mentioned upthread. Erysimum Bowles Mauve is one that flowers for months on end. I give it a good chop back when it starts looking straggly and it rewards with new flowers. Mine is still flowering now in the SE and did so right through winter last year
You can normally pick them up in supermarkets and garden centres from April onwards (Morrisons is a fave for cheap plants)

Magnolia is beautiful too although the petals often blow away in the space of a week

I can't believe sweet alyssum hasn't been mentioned! Ahem ... "Sweet alyssum will self seed itself in gravel paths and keep going all summer."

There are so many types of salvias Avoid Salvia turkestanica - it's known for its foul scent. Handsome plant, though. Just don't plant it anywhere you might brush against it.

We put in a daphne Jaqueline postill earlier this year, can't wait for it to flower!

Witch hazel is another winter scent, but I have nowhere to put one.

Just googled the Daphne, that looks fabulous!

Acidanthera are lovely and provide autumn scent:

www.sarahraven.com/acidanthera-murielae.htm

In the summer I love tobacco flowers.

Eryisium Winter Orchid is lovely and well-scented:

https://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/plants/borderfillerss2/erysimumwinterrorchid.htm

If you bring a tiny sprig of daphne in it will scent the house for days, so I'm told.