Gardening experts have revealed five of the best scented garden plants to make your garden smell divine all summer long – they’re perfect for creating a divine ambience to welcome guests to your garden.
It’s the time of year when we all plan on spending more time outdoors, and climbing plants can be perfect for adding extra structure and depth to your garden, as well as smelling amazing. For example, the best scented plants to grow up a pergola can not only make this garden seating idea look better, but the lovely scent can improve the atmosphere, too.
One thing people with lovely-smelling gardens always have is beautifully-scented climbing plants. Here are five stunning options, as recommended by experts.
1. Clematis
You should definitely grow clematis if you enjoy scents like vanilla, almond, or hawthorn. This beautiful climber is a very popular choice due to its fragrance, and can be grown in pots near your patio to make it smell good.
‘Although not all clematis varieties have a scent, some can smell like vanilla or almonds, especially ‘Clematis montana’ or ‘Clematis armandii’. Some varieties are vigorous and fast growing, whereas others are more suited to growing in pots,’ says Richard Barker, horticultural expert and commercial director of LBS Horticulture.
You can find both varieties online. I’ve tracked down ‘Clematis montana’at Gardening Express and ‘Clematis armandii’ at Thompson Morgan.
‘The best variety will depend on how much care you are prepared to give the plant, as Group 3 clematis require annual pruning,’ adds Richard. ‘All varieties will grow best when their roots are in the shade and top growth in the sun, and generally thrive more in garden soil than in a container. New stems will need to be tied in to the plant’s support regularly, and ensure they are spaced evenly so they cover the support fully.’
Where to buy clematis
2. Climbing rose
Who doesn’t love roses? These romantic blooms are a staple of any English garden, and if you’ve been considering planting climbing roses, you should know they smell wonderfully sweet and floral.
‘By planting a container-grown / potted climbing rose in June, you will be able to enjoy gorgeous, scented, repeat-flowering roses throughout summer and into autumn. Select varieties such as ‘Compassion’ or ‘Scent from Heaven’ and you will be able to appreciate their highly fragrant, sweet scents with fruity notes as well as their large, brightly coloured blooms contrasting perfectly against their glossy dark green foliage,’ says Lucie Bradley, gardens and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation.
‘As climbing roses aren’t self-clinging, you will need to train their long stems to a trellis or wires, tying them in place as they start to grow upwards.’
Where to buy climbing roses
3. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a night-scented plant which means it releases its lovely fragrance in the evening – making this an excellent choice for your garden if you’re planning any BBQ’s or parties.
‘Many varieties of honeysuckle have a sweet, heavy scent, especially in the evening, making them a great climbing plant for framing a seating area. Climbing honeysuckle flowers in summer and can produce blooms in shades of white, cream, yellow, pink, orange and red,’ says Richard.
‘These flowers are also very appealing to wildlife, as their scent attracts pollinators day and night. Depending on the variety, climbing honeysuckle can be deciduous, semi-evergreen or evergreen. A deciduous variety can produce a more impressive display of flowers, whereas evergreen varieties are good if you want foliage all year round.
‘The scent of climbing honeysuckle will be stronger if it is grown in a warm spot, and it is best to grow them where their roots are in the shade, but their stems can reach sunlight. Climbing honeysuckle will twine around support, but it may need additional help guiding the stems when younger.’
Where to buy honesuckle
4. Passion flower
As the name suggests, passion flower has a sweet, tropical scent. It is low-maintenance, great for providing privacy and produces a pretty scent and flowers.
‘The unique, structural blooms of Passion Flowers give garden walls and fences a very tropical feel, whilst these vigorous climbers are hardy enough to survive our winters if you select varieties such as ‘Passiflora caerulea’, the Blue Passion Flower, whose intricate blue, purple and white blooms start to appear in June and continue into the autumn and provide you with a light, sweet fragrance,’ says Lucie.
‘Whilst for more intensely sweet scents look to varieties such as ‘Constance Eliott’, which also produces stunning, all-white blooms from July until September. When planted against a sunny, sheltered wall, the heat will help to make the fragrance even stronger.’
Where to buy passion flower
5. Star jasmine
It couldn’t be a roundup of some of the best scented climbing plants without including star jasmine. With an unmistakable rich vanilla scent, this climber is also one of the best climbing plants for a front garden because of its beauty.
‘Star jasmine produces clusters of sweet-smelling, star-shaped white flowers. As it is an evergreen vine, it keeps its foliage all year, with the leaves changing colour to bronze or red during winter. As it is slow-growing, it can be a good climber for planting in smaller gardens,’ says Richard.
‘It will need to be planted somewhere sheltered, and although the stems are self-clinging, younger stems may need to be tied to their support. Once established, it should not need much attention, but stray shoots may need to be tied in during spring to keep them twining in the right direction, or they can be cut and shaped as needed.’
Where to buy star jasmine
If you want your garden to smell amazing, these climbing plants are a non-negotiable!
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