How to Enjoy Scent in the Garden

1. Combine garden scents to make living perfume. Plant creamy yellow English rose "Windrush" with annual Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) for an ever-changing burst of scent. Learn more about English roses.

2. Spread scented carpets to walk or sit on. Creeping carpets of low-growing herbs (Corsican mint, woolly thyme, chamomile) make inviting places to sit. Sprawl on an herbal blanket or give a garden seat an herbal cushion. Look before you lounge: beware of bees!

3. Place fragrant plants near walkways and entryways. Many fragrant foliage plants release scent when touched. Place clary sage, rosemary, and Mexican bush marigolds near enough to brush against as you pass.

4. Grow fragrant plants near windows and doors. Wallflowers and night-scented stocks are traditionally planted under windows. Tuck potted plants behind foundation shrubs and change seasonally.

5. Fill window boxes with fragrance. Scented culinary herbs are useful at hand. Add mignonette and sweet alyssum for a sweet treat.

6. Arrange evening bloomers near a deck or patio. Nicotiana, evening primrose, night-scented stock, jasmine, lilies, and petunias make outdoor seating festive with fragrance. Pot individually, then mix and match.

7. Grow party plants. Angel's-trumpet (Datura and Brugmansia) come in many sizes and colors, sharing a familial perfume that is dizzying. If grown in pots and wintered indoors, evening-scented bellflowers perfume year-round. Learn more about angel's trumpet.

Add Fragrant Flowers to Your Garden

Add Fragrant Flowers to Your Garden