Most fragrant plant for baskets/patio pots?

 

Hi,

What are the most fragrant (common, ie easy to get and not too expensive)
things I could get to put into hanging baskets or patio pots? I'm looking
for something (flower, shrub, anything) that gives off a lot of nice smell,
for when we're sitting outside, and even to be able to smell inside the
house when the doors are open. Any help most appreciated.

 


Things I use are:
daffodils, hyacinths for early spring (buy bulbs)
wallflowers to follow on (buy plants, or grow from seed, flowering in
second year)

then for summer into autumn:
night scented stock, any of the other scented stocks, nicotiana. All of
these easy and cheap from seed, flowering in the first year

The scented jasmine that is commonly sold as a houseplant works well in
a pot but needs to be kept warm (above 40 deg C ideally) in winter.
Ditto brugmansias, which are heavily scented (with 8-10inch long
flowers) but can't easily be kept much below 4ft and need a big pot -
probably expensive to buy, but I grew mine from seed, getting flowers
the second or third year.

Be aware that the sort of clovey scent of the stocks and most of the
plants I've mentioned are used by the plant to attract moths for
pollination. Since moths tend to be night flying, most of these tend to
produce their scent from early evening onwards - they're not so good for
giving you scent while you're eating your breakfast.

The sort of smell that hawthorn (I can't offhand think of pot-sized
plants with the same smell) has is designed to attract flies for
pollination, and, while it is attractive in small doses, most people
find it unpleasant if too strong.

Other alternatives are things that have leaves which release their scent
if brushed against or bruised - two main groups here, i) the aromatic
herbs like thyme, lavender and rosemary ii) scented leaved pelargoniums,
whose scents can include orange, lemon, pine, eucalyptus, rose and
chocolate-peppermint.


--
Kay

 

On 2009-04-26 16:28:34 +0100, "Mentalguy2k8"


Lathyrus matucana, Trailing Petunia Melissa, Begonia solananthera,
Alyssum, Silene maritima Swan Lake is terribly under-used, IMO.  And
I've never tried trailing honeysuckle downwards, rather than upwards
but I wonder if anyone else has?  However, it could be grown up  
supports in a pot placed near a door or window, as could jasmine.  
Cestrum nocturnum is very scented on warm evenings but would need to go
into a conservatory or frost-free greenhouse for the winter.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

 


Mentalguy2k8;841122 Wrote:

easy and cheap
Surfina petunias.
In the summer I have two baskets and the house is filled with scent and
outside
on a warm barmy night.
I have white jasmine and night scented stocks where we sit, I know its
nice to
have all year round smells but who wants to sit outside in cold
horibble Jan Feb
March.
Spruce




--
spruce

 

On Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:06:34 +0100, spruce


Try nemesia confetti.  I have just replaced two which died off
overwinter, but which have done well for several years, surviving the
winters till now.
It has little scented pink flowers all summer.  The perfume doesn't
spread far, but is subtle.  Plant it in a container near where you
sit, in a sunny place.  When it gets leggy cut it back and it will
sprout again.

Pam in Bristol