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Fragrant
Plants Add Enjoyment To Your Yard Soon after I moved to Tulare County, I noticed that my yard occasionally smelled like a cow pasture. I thought perhaps the previous homeowner had used copious amounts of manure while caring for the yard, but the smell persisted. Eventually my neighbor solved the mystery for me: when the wind is just right (or just wrong), the smell wafts over from a nearby dairy. I soon set out to find plants and flowers that would give my garden a more refreshing scent. Gardenias are my favorite solution because their white flowers perfume the air all summer long. I love to bring a few blooms inside and float them in wine glasses and set them around the house. There are several varieties that do well here, including Mystery and Veitchi (or Everblooming). They have glossy, dark green leaves all year and grow to be a few feet tall and wide (Mystery grows larger than Veitchi). Gardenias can be temperamental though. They require partial shade, acidic soil rich with organic matter, and just the right amount of water. They commonly suffer from chlorosis, indicated by the yellowing of the outer edges of the leaves while the veins remain green, which results when the plant does not get enough iron. Usually there is sufficient iron in the soil, but the plant is unable to take it up because the soil is not acidic enough (pH 6 to 6.5). Try adding iron sulfide around the plant, following instructions on the package, to make the soil more acidic and to the plant's liking. Roses grow amazingly well here and produce fragrant flowers of many different colors. Generally the red and lavender roses have the strongest fragrance, followed by pinks, then yellows and oranges and whites. Roses require at least six hours of sun per day. They are susceptible to pests and disease, but conditions in the valley make tending these plants easy. This year my rose regimen amounted to nothing more than careful winter pruning, applying a time-release fertilizer, smushing a few aphids now and then (until the praying mantis showed up and took care of them for me), and occasionally deadheading spent flowers. If you decide to plant roses, spend a little bit more to get a very good specimen, as some varieties offer more fragrance than others. Lavender loves the loamy alkaline soil of the valley, and it produces beautifully fragrant stems of flowers--they are wonderful to snip and dry and use inside to refresh closets and drawers. I love to rub my hands on the lavender leaves in my garden then take in the relaxing scent of the oils. Lavender plants make wonderful small hedges and elegant dividers in flower, vegetable, or herb gardens. Several trees give off beautiful scents. The saucer magnolia is a small, compact, easy-to-care-for deciduous tree with abundant fragrant pink-and-white tulip-shaped blooms in early spring. The Southern magnolia blooms later and longer, producing big creamy-white lemon-scented flowers during the summer months. The Japanese mock orange is a small tree that has a delicious citrus scent in the spring. And of course all of the citrus trees have intoxicating blooms in the spring. The ideal time to plant trees is fall, so they can establish roots and become settled before the harsh heat and sun of summer, so consider adding one of these fragrant trees to your yard this weekend. A few other fragrant plants and flowers to consider are
alyssum, angel's trumpet, butterfly bush, cedar, freesia, geranium,
grape hyacinth, Grecian laurel (bay laurel), lilac, rosemary, star
jasmine (Confederate jasmine), Victorian box tree, and wisteria.
To best enjoy their fragrance, plant these trees, shrubs, vines,
and flowers along the walkway to your front door, around a favorite
sitting area outside, and underneath windows. Many fragrant plants
are also attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, so look for
these additional beauties around your fragrant specimens. September 25, 2003 |