Fragrant Plants

Choosing scent you will actually notice

Fragrance is wasted at the back of a garden bed. Perfume pools in still, sheltered air, so the strongest performers belong within a few metres of a door, a window that opens, or your outdoor seating. Gardenias, murraya and star jasmine are the reliable heavy hitters in warm gardens. Then think about timing. Murraya flushes repeatedly through the warm months, French lavender flowers most of the year in mild climates, sweet osmanthus carries its apricot perfume on tiny autumn flowers, and port wine magnolia (Magnolia figo) owns spring. Plant two or three staggered seasons together and the corner never goes quiet.

The other split is flower versus foliage. Flower perfume comes and goes with the season. Scented leaves, on rosemary and lemon scented myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), release fragrance whenever you brush or clip them, which is why they suit paths and gateways.

Matching fragrant plants to your climate

In tropical and subtropical gardens the classics all thrive: gardenias, murraya, port wine magnolia and the native frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum), a slim 8m tree with cream flowers that age to yellow. In cooler southern gardens, frost decides. Star jasmine, sweet osmanthus, rosemary and Little Gem magnolia are all frost hardy, while gardenias and murraya take light frost only, so give them a warm wall in Melbourne or Adelaide and skip them in Canberra. Dry Mediterranean gardens around Perth and Adelaide suit lavender and rosemary, both drought tolerant and happy in poor soil.

Planting for perfume, with spacings

Most fragrant shrubs double as hedges, which turns a single sniff into a wall of scent. Plant Gardenia 'Florida' at 60cm centres for a low fragrant hedge, murraya at 1m for a 3m screen, port wine magnolia at 1m, sweet osmanthus at 1.5m, and French lavender at 60cm along a path edge. Star jasmine covers a fence planted 1m apart. Little Gem magnolia, at 5m tall and only 2.5m wide, makes a fragrant privacy screen at 1.5m spacing with roots that are safe near paving. More screening spacings live in our hedging and screening range.

Keeping the fragrance coming

Scent follows flowers, and flowers follow sun: most plants here want five to six hours of it. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, mulch 75mm deep, and feed in early spring. Gardenias are the one fussy group, needing acidic, well drained soil and regular feeding to stop the leaves yellowing, covered on our gardenia collection page. Prune lightly after each flush rather than hard once a year to extend the season.

Common questions

Which fragrant plant has the strongest perfume?

Gardenia and murraya carry the furthest in warm humid air, with star jasmine close behind in late spring. Sweet osmanthus surprises people by drifting a long way from very small flowers.

What fragrant plants handle frost?

Star jasmine, sweet osmanthus, rosemary and Little Gem magnolia are all frost hardy. Gardenias, murraya and port wine magnolia handle light frost only, so in cold districts grow them in pots you can shift under cover.

Can I grow fragrant plants in pots?

Yes, and pots let you move the perfume to wherever you sit. Gardenias, dwarf murraya 'Min a Min', lavender and rosemary all do well in containers of 40cm or more with free draining mix.

How do I get fragrance all year?

Layer seasons: port wine magnolia for spring, gardenias and murraya through summer, osmanthus for autumn, rosemary and lavender flowering through the mild months. Our guide to the most fragrant plants for Australian gardens maps a full calendar.