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Sighted people often overlook
their other senses when creating gardens. They follow the rules of color,
texture, and repetition so the garden that results is pleasing to the eye.
However, gardeners who are visually-impaired understand the importance of
designing a garden to please the other senses as well. For example, creating
bird-feeding stations to attract song birds to the garden or placing wind chimes
where they will musically dance in the breeze stimulate our sense of hearing.
Another sense-stimulating garden
design aspect is the use of scented plants. In today’s "bigger and
better" hybrid plan world, fragrance is often lost when plant breeders
develop flowers that are pleasing to the eye; but these flowers aren’t worth
the effort to stoop down and smell. Look at the varieties of heliotrope
available commercially today. Many have no fragrance at all when compared with
the heliotrope of years past. I created a scented garden several years ago when
my father lost his sight. In the process, I did some research on scent that I
would like to share with you now as well as provide you with a list of scented
plants that grow well in Wisconsin.
Scent can originate from several
plant parts but is often associated with the flowers. However, to truly
appreciate aromatic plants, don’t limit your selection to flowers alone. I’m
sure you’ve smelled the musky fragrance of boxwood on a warm, sunny day.
Similarly, herbs such as rosemary and thyme produce a wonderful fragrance when
the leaves are crushed. Some plants release their odor when touched, while
others release theirs into the breeze.
Scent in plants is thought to
have evolved from waste products produced by the plants through normal metabolic
processes. Over time, these scents attracted pollinators such as bees,
butterflies, and moths to the plant. Although less important than flower color,
scent plays an important role in plant reproduction by attracting these, and
other pollinating insects. A less pleasant example is the putrid smell of skunk
cabbage that uses its odor to attract carrion flies and other flesh flies that
pollinate the plant. Plants also use scents to repel or kill insects or to
communicate with other plants. This latter example involves the use of
pheromones, chemical substances that are often imperceptible to the human nose.
From a chemical standpoint, the
fragrance of plants results from essential oils that are produced when an acid
and an alcohol are combined. It is the alcohol component that gives the flower
or foliage its characteristic smell. These molecules, technically called esters,
tend to be heavier than the
surrounding air and consequently are found close to
the ground. Did you ever wonder why a cat’s sense of smell was so highly
developed while the sense of smell in birds is virtually non-existent? The
answer may have to do with their exposure to scents because of their relative
positions to the ground.
Fragrance is difficult to define due to the limited number of descriptive terms that can be used. Some of the common essential oils found in flowers include rose, violet, and jasmine while eucalyptus, lemon, and pine contribute to the scents of foliage. Some flowers such as orchids produce 100 essential oils while others may only produce ten.
Many of the scented plants bloom exclusively at night. These plants typically have white, or light-colored flowers and are pollinated by moths. In the list below, I have made a notation (N) by the nocturnal plants. Some of these nocturnal flowers actually open during the day but don’t release their fragrance until after the sun sets.
I hope after reading this article and reviewing the plant list, you are more aware and attuned to the scents around you and will consider using fragrant plants in your garden design to add another level of complexity to your garden.
Basil ( Ocimum basilicum)
Beebalm, bergamot (Monarda didyma)
Borage ( Borago officinalis)
Butterflybush ( Buddleia davidi)
Camphor (Chrysanthemum balsamita)
Catmint
(Nepeta sp.) Centaurae
moschata
Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
Coriander or cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
Corydalis fiexuosa
Dianthus (Dianthus sp.)
Dragonhead (Dracocephalum sp.)
Evening primrose (Oenothera sp.) N*
False Solomon's seal (Smilacina racemosa)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Feverfew ( Tanacetum perrhenium)
Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) N*
Forget-me-not ( Mysotis sylvatica)
Four O'Clock (Mirabilisjalapa) N*
Garden phlox (Phlox sp.)
Gas plant ( Dictamnus albus)
Heliotrope (Helotropium arborescans)
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lemon balm (Me#ssa officinalis)
Lovage (Levis#cum officinale)
Marigold, African (Tagetes erecta)
Marigold, Dwarf French (Tagetas patule)
Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)
Mint (Menthe sp.) **invasive
Moonflower ( Datura meteloides) N*
Nasturtium (Tropaeloum majus)
Parsley (Petroselinum sativum)
Peony, Garden (Paeonia lactifiora)
Peony, Tree ( Paeonia suffrut/cosa)
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis)
Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)
Sweet alyssum (Alyssum marit/mum)
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Sweet woodruff ( Galium odoratum)
Tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare) **invasive
Thyme, Creeping (Thymus serpyllum)
Thyme, Common (Thymus vulgare) **invasive
Verbena (Verbena sp.)
Water lily (Nymphaaa sp.)
Wood violet (Viola odorata)
Wormwood (Artemesia sp.)
Crocus(Crocus sp.)
Crown imperial (Fritillarfa imperialis)
Daffodils (Narcisus sp.)
Grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis)
Lilies (Lilium sp.)
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Madonna lily ( Lilium candidum)
Snowdrops ( Galanthus elwesii & G. nivalis)
Sweet flag (Acorus calamus)
Black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia)
Boxwood (Buxus sp.)
Burkwood daphne (Daphne x burkwoodii)
Clove currant (Ribes odoratum)
Flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa)
Hardy shrub roses (Rosa rugosa)
Hawthorn ( Crateegus sp.)
Honeysuckle (Lonicere sp.)
Horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Koreanspice viburnum (Viburnum carlesi)
Linden/Basswood (Tilia sp.)
Lilac (Syringa sp.)
Mockorange ( Philadelphis coroneris)
Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)
Pagoda dogwood (Comus altemafolia)
Plum ( Prunus americana)
Purpleleaf sand cherry ( Prunus x cistena)
Summer sweet (Clethera alnifolia)
Sweat autumn clematis (Clematis pet/o/aris)
