Fragrant Trees and Shrubs

One of the pleasures of creating a garden lies in the process of choosing plants. Designs rely on composing vignettes that consider scale, form, texture, and, of course, color. Woody plants, including trees and shrubs, form the backbone of the landscape. We think about large specimens that create shade or command attention. Plants may be chosen for practical reasons, whether to stabilize a hillside or keep deer at bay. But one dimension not to be missed when planning a garden is scent. Having a succession of fragrant plants blooming creates moments to linger and enjoy an outdoor space.

If you want to explore adding scent to your garden, here are some favorites to consider, in order of bloom time, through the growing season.

Kick off the garden year with the fragrance of witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia). 'Arnold Promise' is very fragrant, with clear yellow flowers in March and April and lovely fall foliage. It is easy to find, but there are other cultivars with orange to copper blossoms worth seeking out. Plants top out at 15-20 feet and may be upright or wide-spreading.

Viburnum is a huge genus of plants, but the scent of Korean spice (Viburnum carlesii) and Judd (Viburnum x juddii) is superlative. Both grow to about 6-8 feet tall, with pink flowers in April and May. Plant one in your garden and don't be surprised when neighbors several doors away ask what smells so amazing in your yard. 

Lilacs (Syringa spp.) are legendary for fragrance. There is a lilac for every size garden, but if scent is what you are after, look for common lilac (S. vulgaris) varieties 'Beauty of Moscow', 'Ludwig Spaeth', 'Madame Lemoine', or 'President Lincoln'. For smaller gardens, 'Palibin' Meyer lilac (S. meyeri), and the ‘Miss Kim’ Manchurian lilac (S. pubescens subsp. patula) stay compact at under 6 feet, while common lilac is twice as tall. Breeders have created new lilacs for scent, smaller size, disease resistance, and repeat bloom. These include the ScentaraÒ and BloomerangÒ series from Proven Winners.

Later in spring, you could include two native trees with interesting form and fragrance. Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) can be grown as a large shrub or small tree, topping out at 18-20 feet. It would be perfect to include near a patio or as a specimen in a foundation planting. Its subtle scent is best appreciated up close, as are the interesting flowers. Fringe trees close out the growing season with yellow fall foliage. 

Another native tree with fragrant blossoms is sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana). Sweetbay blooms in June and July, with smaller, but classically shaped magnolia flowers. The later bloom time also means that flowers will escape the vagaries of cold spring nights that often ruin the bloom of fragrant early-blooming magnolia species.  Usually purchased as a multi-stem specimen, sweetbay magnolia is adaptable but prefers damp soil and tolerates clay. Trees can get quite tall, up to 30 feet, and about half as wide.

June ushers in roses, a flower long cherished for its scent. Rose types include heirlooms, climbers, floribundas, hybrid teas, shrub roses, and English garden roses. Catalogs will include many that are fragrant. Roses have come and gone in my garden, but one that still makes a great contribution to the mixed border is the rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa). Single or double flowers can range from white to yellow to shades of pink on loose 4-6-foot-tall shrubs. The flower's scent is classic old rose. Plants are resistant to foliage diseases, making them good for gardeners who don't want to use chemicals to maintain perfection.

An unusual shrub that blooms in June is the hardy abelia. This one may be hard to find, although Proven Winners has 2 cultivars worth seeking out. Sweet Emotion and Sweet Emotion Blaze are both hardy abelias (Abelia mosanensis cultivars). They can be obtained as mail-order plants, or if your local nursery carries Proven Winners, they may be able to source the plants. Both are smaller-scale shrubs in the 5-foot-tall range and have exceptionally fragrant flowers.

If you have room for a shade tree that contributes fragrance to the garden, littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata) fits the bill. Blooming in June, and topping out at 50-70 feet, it needs plenty of room, but will command attention for generations. Harder to source, but an option if you want a native tree is  American linden (Tilia americana).

A late-season shrub with clove-like scent on pink or white flowers is native sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia). Clethra blooms in July and August on 3- to 6-foot-tall shrubs. Fall color is a nice, clear yellow. Plants are easy care and can spread via stolons to make a nice presence in the border. Clethra is a good choice for shadier gardens and wet soils.

You can end the season where we began, with another witch hazel. Native witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) closes out the growing season with the same yellow ribbon-like blossoms that spring witch hazels have. A good naturalizing, understory shrub, it grows to 15-20 feet tall. The fragrance isn't strong, but it's the perfect finale if you are adding fragrant plants to your landscape.

Add these woody plants to your potential plant list and go beyond visual appeal, adding the joy of scent to your garden.