Summerscent

Summerscent (Radermachera 'Summerscent') is a fast evergreen screen that happens to be one of the most fragrant plants you can grow in a warm garden. It reaches about 5m tall and 3m wide, holds glossy foliage all year, and carries clusters of white trumpet flowers through the warmer months that scent an entire back yard after dusk.

Why you'll love it

• Perfume you can smell from the house. The white flowers release their scent in the evening, strongest through summer, and it carries well beyond the plant.
• Fast, dense screening. It grows quickly and branches freely, so a row closes into a solid green wall in two to three seasons.
• Height without bulk. At 5m by 3m it screens a two storey outlook while staying narrow enough for a side boundary or a small back garden.
• Low maintenance once away. Evergreen, wind tolerant and heat tolerant, needing two trims a year at most to stay tidy.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row. At that spacing the canopies knit together without the plants shading each other out at the base.

Hedging. It clips well and can be held anywhere from 2m to 4m. For a formal hedge, tighten spacing to 1.2m and start trimming from the first season.

Small gardens and feature planting. A single plant near a patio or bedroom window puts the fragrance where you will actually notice it.

Growing Summerscent in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it copes with part shade in a looser form. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts and hard frosting southern gardens need a hardier screen.

Soil. Free draining soil with compost worked through the bed. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound. Mulch 75mm deep and keep it clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper as the roots go down. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring and late summer keeps the flowering heavy.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density low down. Trim after the main flowering flush, then lightly again in late summer. It reshoots readily, so a neglected plant can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in seven sizes, from tube through 140mm, 200mm, 250mm, 300mm and 400mm to 45L. Tube and 140mm plants are young and single stemmed, the value option for a long boundary: a season slower to close, but quick to establish. The 250mm and 300mm pots are the usual middle ground, while the 400mm and 45L plants arrive branched and carrying real height.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet two to three weeks after planting, then strong growth through the first warm season. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Fast growing screening plants for privacy
• Screening plants that reach 4m to 8m
• Browse fragrant plants
• How to create a hedge and keep it sharp

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One and a half metres apart in a single row. Tighter than that and the lower branches shade each other out, leaving thin patches near the ground where you want cover most.

When is it actually fragrant?

Through the warmer months, and most strongly in the evening. A plant in full sun flowers more heavily, so position matters if fragrance is the reason you are buying it.

Can I keep it lower than 5m?

Yes. Two trims a year will hold it at 2m to 3m comfortably, and because it reshoots from older wood it stays furnished at the base rather than lifting into bare stems.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only, and young plants are most vulnerable. In marginal areas, plant against a warm north facing wall and protect it through the first two winters.