Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. Photo by Glenn P. Many people love the fragrance of sweet-smelling flowers, but our enjoyment of these pleasant odors is just a bonus. That's right. Next time you stop and smell the roses, you should know that fragrance isn't intended for you at all. Scientifically speaking, the smell a flower emits is intended to attract insects and birds that will fertilize the flowers, according to the Smithsonian.
Plants rely on pollinating animals, including insects, birds and bats, to transfer pollen from flower to flower to fertilize them. Pollen is the plant equivalent of sperm, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When a bee or another insect visits a flower, it picks up pollen. As these pollinators continue visiting more flowers to drink nectar or gather pollen, they deposit some of the pollen on the flowers, which then fertilizes them.
You can plan to have fragrant plants around play areas, living spaces and pathways. Remember different plants may flower at different times of the year so you can have a different scent every season. Cut flowers also make great natural air fresheners for the home. Might not seem as gloomy if you get a breeze blow in the sweet smell of the daphne bush.
There is some newer varieties becoming very popular in the garden centres. Other great winter plants are michelia, magnolia, boronia and wintersweet.
A few plants I enjoy for their pleasant aromas are gardenia. The flowers are usually white or cream and the smell is simply gorgeous. Sweetpea, viburnum, lilac, freesia and roses are also great choices. Most prefer full sun but will tolerate some shade in hotter climates. David : a pure white tall variety that's especially fragrant. Flame Pink : a compact hot pink type with an extra-long bloom time. Sometimes called summer lilac, this sturdy little shrub in shades of white, pink, or purple withstands drought, blooms all season long, and attracts pollinators.
It's now available in dwarf varieties, so it won't overtake your garden, and newer types are not invasive. Set in borders or as mass plantings. Likes full sun. Asian Moon : Larger size with deep purple flowers that have orange throats. This spring-flowering tree is a showy addition to the landscape with small crabapples and attractive fall color.
Newer types are more disease-resistant. Prairie Fire : Dense, rounded shape with pinkish-red buds and good disease resistance. Royal Raindrops : Magenta flowers and striking deep purple foliage all season long. This shrubby perennial plant with glossy dark green foliage may require staking to keep its heavy blooms from drooping, but their lush, exuberant flowers are worth a tiny bit of extra work.
Don't plant too deep or they won't bloom. The ants that visit the flowers aren't pests; they're simply sipping the nectar, says Tankersley. Prefers full sun. Festiva Maxima : Classic for generations thanks pure white blooms with crimson flecks. Sarah Bernhardt : Heirloom with gorgeous medium-pink double blooms. Dianthus is a low-growing perennial with a spicy or vanilla-like scent.
It's often called "pinks" due to the fringed flower petals that appear to have been cut with pinking shears. Works well as edging or in containers. Itsaul White : Pretty white double flowers with lots of fringe.
This spicy-sweet smelling annual in shades of pink, purple, and white thrives in cool temperatures, so plant it as soon as the weather breaks in spring.
Makes beautiful bouquets. Prefers sun to part shade. Fragrant flowers are as diverse in size and shape as they are in scent. Some grow on trees in the tropics, or on shrubs or vines, or grow close to the earth as compact blossoming plants. Some bloom in petal clusters, others with bold individual blossoms. Certainly, there are also plants and flowers that, well, stink.
Their foul odors are often reflected in their names — skunk cabbage, carrion flower, dracunculus vulgaris — otherwise known as stink lily. But the scent of certain flowers has the entrancing ability to transport you to a distant but distinct memory.
Even the faintest floral whiff on a breeze can whisk you far, far away. Listed below are some of the most delightfully scented flowers I know; they are easily cultivated, and most are suitable to growing zones 4 to They seemed to be stretching in the moonlight. Then she drank a deep draught of the scent. It almost made her dizzy. Morel come upon those luscious lilies, she would have reacted similarly.
This hybrid variety blooms exuberant dark pink flowers, whose scent is opulent and heady. Slightly spicy but deeply sensual, the aroma can overwhelm indoors, but placed judiciously, Stargazers enhance any space. Although it is tempting to lean in and inhale the perfume, you may walk away giddy, with an orange pollen-streaked nose. Outdoors, they grow from bulbs in partial shade, zones Like a pine forest in the summer rain, the house was redolent with deeply spicy, green balsam, but it was softened with the fresh sweetness of paperwhites, like a gentle welcoming smile.
Paperwhites are native to the Mediterranean region, and the bulbs will grow outside in the warmest zones But those in colder climes can enjoy the petite, snow-white flowers and their delicate but dreamy aroma by forcing bulbs indoors, in bowls of pebbles.
The Primrose opens wide in spring; Her scent is sweet and good: It smells of every happy thing In sunny lane and wood. This compact but colorful plant is beloved throughout Europe and the British Isles.
It is the flower of fairies, of the Norse goddess Freya, and the foliage stuff of many legends and lore. And it smells like spring; cool but sunny, sweet but slightly tangy like an orange lollipop. When taking your evening constitutional on a breezy and brisk day in late March, the waft of fruity fragrance from the first primroses smell of hope and the sweet promise of spring.
They are easy to grow and maintain, in varied conditions, from wet to dry and sun to shade. Most varieties prefer cooler climates, in zones , but there are more than species, one for everyone and everywhere.
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