Of Floods and Fragrance: How Extreme Moisture Amplifies Garden Scents

What does flooding have to do with floral fragrance? Read on to discover the link.

(Editor's Note: Originally published August 27, 2008 following the July 9 floods. Comments welcome, but authors may not respond.)

After the Deluge

Unprecedented horrors from copious moisture in Iowa were well-documented nationally and abroad. My wife and I were lucky—flood waters crept within a quarter mile, basement had a mini creek, but damage minimal. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City weren't so lucky: many residences/businesses swamped with up to 10 feet of muddy, polluted, swiftly flowing water.

After weeks of gloomy flood news, I sought something positive. It turned out all I had to do was look around. Countryside awash in green. Native wildflowers blooming with unaccustomed gusto. Flower gardens never looked better. While lush growth doesn't justify the nightmare, it's a bright spot in a dark picture.

The Unexpected Bonus: Fragrance

Not the kind requiring nose-in-petals, but the kind drifting on afternoon/evening breeze. I'd already noticed earlier this spring: flowers during this very moist growing season are much more fragrant than usual. Lilacs and flowering crabapples perfumed air as never before. One crabapple in South Amana wafted fragrance through the whole village. Lawns with Dutch clover still awash in white blossoms in late August—exceptional fragrance this year.

A Fragrant Garden Through the Seasons

Fragrance starts early at Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens. Mid-March: witch hazel unfolds small, golden, strap-shaped petals, perfuming chilly early spring air. Positioned near potting shed entrance where I tend seedlings.

Witch Hazel Hamamelis intermedia

April: ancient lilac screens back patio. Gnarled, twisted branches leaning outward—seclusion from village walkway bisecting gardens.

French Lilac Syringa vulgaris

Close behind: intoxicating jasmine fragrance. Semi-vining, not hardy in our zone. Winters in basement under grow lights. By late March covers itself with flower buds, ready for April air outdoors. Undeterred by frosty nights, hangs in basket outside kitchen door—drink in fragrance a full month+ as we come and go.

Jasmine Jasminum officinale

Blooming with jasmine: somewhat hardier roman hyacinth. Grows in ground along sheltered, frequently used walkway. Delicate fragrance but copious amounts—no stooping needed. Delicate stature: unlike single chunky cluster, each bulb puts out several stems with half-dozen blossoms each.

Roman Hyacinth H. orientalis

In short order: lilac, sweet rocket, peonies*, lilies-of-the-valley. Stir senses as I meander with trowel, seeking homes for new plants and new homes for old ones.

Sweet Rocket Hesperis matronalis

Garden Peony Paeonia lactiflora

Lily-of-the-Valley Convallaria majalis

Linden Tilia cordata

Oriental Lily Lilium spp.

End of May: linden blossom aroma. None in our gardens, but fragrance from tree up the street drifts our way on southwest breezes.

Succession of lilies provides fragrance through summer into early fall. Planted long-blooming ones beside bench where I rest from labors or savor the garden.

Season ends with pleasant vanilla fragrance of sweet autumn clematis. Climbs trellised exterior of screen house on all four sides. Enjoy every evening lingering over supper carried from main house kitchen.

Sweet Autumn Clematis Clematis ternifolia (also paniculata) on our screen house

Bring Fragrance to Any Space

Even without much yard, provide your own floral fragrance easily. Plant a lily or two near a doorway or sunny location you pass frequently. Fall ideal for planting lilies—modern varieties easy, low care, return yearly.

No yard? Ask local garden center next spring for appropriate pot, lily variety, potting soil. Plant at recommended depth, set in sunny spot (even indoors on windowsill works for many lilies), water when top soil dries. Brief efforts reward many times over in beauty and fragrance.

Other Fragrant Blooms to Try

Trees: Flowering plum (Prunus blireiana), Magnolia spp., Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Shrubs: Winter Daphne (Daphne odorata), Tree Hydrangea 'Limelight', Mock-orange (Philadelphus spp.), Summer Sweet (Clethra spp.)

Vines: Wisteria spp., Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Evergreen Clematis (Clematis armandii), Corkscrew Vine (Vigna caracalla)

Perennials: Pinks/Carnations (Dianthus spp.), Hosta (Hosta plantaginea), Agastache spp., Bearded Iris spp.

Annuals: Laurentia (Isotoma axillaris), Petunia (Wave™ series), Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), Devil's Trumpet (Datura spp.)

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* Not all peonies fragrant. Fragrant varieties: 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Festiva Maxima', 'Duchess de Nemours'.

© Larry Rettig 2008
Thanks to DG members Dave, rebecca101, mgarr, bonatin, chrisw99, poppysue, TomH3787, Debsey, Jeff_Beck for photos.
For additional fragrant plant references, see articles by fellow DG writers.