Fragrant flowers turn your yard into an aromatherapy retreat | Sally Scalera
If you enjoy aromatherapy, why not grow fragrant plants on your porch or in your landscape? They come in various flower colors, amounts of fragrance (ranging from light to strong), and blooming seasons. You could even bring some cut flowers into the house to enjoy.
The following fragrant plants are native, which is important, because they will also attract and support our native insects. Native insects perform important functions such as controlling insect and plant pests and pollinating flowers. Here are a few fragrant native plants and some information about them.
Sweet Acacia (Vachellia farnesiana) is a small tree that is very fragrant and produces small yellow pom-pom flowers. It grows 15 to 25 feet tall with a 15- to 25-foot spread. The flowers are produced year-round, and this tree prefers a location in full sun. Sweet acacia is a slow-growing tree with small thorns on the trunk while it’s young.
Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) grows 12 to 20 feet tall with a 10- to 15-foot spread. The white flowers are fragrant and are produced in the spring. This small tree also attracts birds, because fruit is produced after the flowers.
Fiddlewood (Citharexylum spinosum) produces fragrant white flowers from the spring through the fall. This plant can get 8 to 10 feet tall with a 5- to 12-foot spread. Find a location that receives full sun to partial shade. If you live on the beach, that’s fine because it has a high salt spray and drought tolerance and prefers alkaline soils. The flowers will attract pollinators, followed by berries that are eaten by many types of wildlife, including birds.
Simpson’s stopper (Myricanthes fragrans) can be grown as an understory tree or pruned as a shrub growing 5 to 20 feet tall with a 3- to 15-foot spread. It attracts birds and bees, plus it produces gorgeous flowers. It can also be grown as a hedge for privacy or to provide shelter for birds to raise their young.
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Many non-native plants are also fragrant. Here are just a few to consider planting in your yard.
Sweet almond (Aloysia virgata) can grow to 15 feet tall and wide, as a tree or shrub, and grows in full sun to partial shade. The white flowers produce a wonderfully sweet scent and are very drought-tolerant. Prune the plant after each bloom cycle to create a dense growth habit. When you smell the fragrance, you will search for what plant is producing that wonderful smell. The flowers will attract butterflies and support insects too.
Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) has a strong fragrance to go with its pure white flowers. This shrub can grow 6 to 10 feet tall with an equal spread. Gardenias like a lot of sunlight, though they do fine in partial shade. The flowers are produced in the spring. Pruning should be done soon after flowering has ended. Gardenias will do best in soils that have been amended with organic matter.
Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac) is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 10 feet tall if allowed. Prune the shrub regularly since it blooms on new wood. Plant in locations that receive full sun to partial shade. The flowers produce a heavy fragrance and are used in making perfumes and in Jasmine tea. The following cultivars are available: Belle of India, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Maid of Orleans.
Sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans) has a delicate fragrance, which means that many of these shrubs planted together will not be too overpowering. Sweet olive is a very upright, airy plant grown in partial shade, but it will produce dense growth in full sun and can reach 6 10 feet tall with only an 8-foot spread. This plant produces its white, inconspicuous-looking flowers in the spring and fall.
White butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium) spreads by rhizomes and can grow 3 to 9 feet tall. The fragrant white flowers are borne at the top of each leaf stalk. After the stalk has flowered, cut it at ground level after it turns yellow. Chop the stalk up into small pieces and lie them on the ground, around the base of the plant, to allow the organic matter to return to the soil. This tropical-looking plant will look its best in partially shady locations and can easily be grown in containers.
Rangoon Creeper (Combretum indicum) is a large-growing shrubby vine that produces star-shaped flowers with multiple colors ranging from white to deep red. The flowers, when they first open, are white, then they turn to pink, and finally red. The fragrance is sweet and fruity and will certainly get your attention if you get a whiff. The foliage is also an attractive glossy, deep green. This vine can get quite tall and should be supported.
Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is an evergreen vine with a strong fragrance and attractive white flowers. This vine blooms in the summer, does well in full sun to partial shade, and will climb high into trees, so keep that in mind when choosing its location.
When planting new plants, be sure to establish the soil food web throughout the root system! For more information on this topic contact the UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County Master Gardeners at Brevard-1mg@ifas.ufl.edu. By establishing life back into the soil, which is how nature grows plants in undisturbed wild areas, your plants will be in control of their destiny, healthy soil will be created, and water quality will be protected.
If you have been thinking of adding a new plant to the landscape, or maybe a potted plant for your porch, why not consider one that is fragrant? Aromatherapy is good for the soul and uplifting for your spirit. Now all you have to do is decide which one sounds best and get planting.
Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email her at sasc@ufl.edu.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Try these fragrant flowering trees and shrubs for your Florida yard
