The scented garden

While we tend to think of landscaping as a purely visual aesthetic, interpreting layers

of colour and texture, our sense of smell can also be stimulated with careful selection

of fragranced plants. Rebecca Hughes from Blue Mountain Nurseries shares her top

tips for scent-scaping outdoor spaces

With plantings at tall, mid and low heights, a scented garden can become a place to

linger, relax and evoke memories. Even small gardens can be a sensory delight. Fragrance

can also attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. Position fragrant plants near outdoor living spaces and seating, as climbers, along pathways, and by windows and doors. Here is a selection of some of the most fragrant plants to use in your next project.

Eucryphia x nymanensis

Nymansay Large, fragrant white flowers in summer. Highly ornamental. Prefers moist woodland position. Ht. 4m. Evergreen.

Elaeagnus x ebbingei

Hardy, fast-growing upright shrub with large, silvery green leaves. Highly scented flowers in autumn/early winter. Great for hedging in sun or shade. Wind, cold and salt tolerant. Ht. 1.5m. Evergreen.

Sarcococca hookeriana var humilis

Dense shrub, best grown in a shaded site. Highly scented flowers during winter and

glossy, black fruits the following autumn. Ht. 50cm.

Hydrangea macrophylla Ayesha

Bold leaves with flattened, dense heads of pale-pink scented flowers in summer. Ht. 1.5m. Deciduous.

Clematis x cartmanii Sweet Hart

Beautiful sweet-scented white flowers in spring on a small climbing or weeping native Clematis. Deepgreen parsley-like leaves. Evergreen. Ht. 1m.

Viburnum x burkwoodii

Fragrant, white / flushed-pink flowers in early spring. Oval leaves of glossy green, turning orange from autumn to winter. Ht. 1.5m. Evergreen.

Lavandula angustifolia Blue Mountain

Blue English Lavender. Blue flowers during summer. Well-drained soil, full sun. Used for hedging, potpourri, lavender bags, cut flowers, dried decorations and lavender oil. Ht. 50cm.

Syringa x josiflexa Bellicent

Fragrant, rose-pink flowers in spring on an upright hardy bush. Ht. 2-3m. Deciduous.

Rosa Aotearoa NZ

Large, shell-pink flowers with a powerful fragrance on strong stems. Healthy, glossy foliage. Repeats well throughout the season.

Azalea occidentale Delicatissima

Highly scented pink flowers in spring. Plant in sheltered position away from wind. Ht. 1.5m. Deciduous.

Azalea Pink Chiffon

From Blue Mountain Nurseries breeding programmes. Scented, double pink flowers in November on a compact bush. Plant needs shelter from wind Ht. 1.5m. Deciduous.

Rhododendron Princess Alice

Sweetly scented white flowers in October. Shelter from heavy frost. Ht. 1.5m. Evergreen.

Convallaria majalis

Spikes of highly scented white flowers in late spring, great woodland ground cover. Likes a cool, shaded garden. Ht. 20cm.

Cordyline australis

New Zealand’s hardy palm with creamy white, scented summer flowers. Ht. 3m. Evergreen.

Pittosporum eugenioides variegatum

Lemonwood. The foliage has a strong lemon scent when crushed and the pale-yellow flowers release a subtle fragrance.

Olearia macrodonta

New Zealand Holly or Daisy Bush. Hardy, evergreen shrub or small tree with small, fragrant white flowers in summer.

Chimonanthus praecox

Wintersweet. Sweetly scented cream flowers with a wine centre in winter. Shelter from wind for best growth. Ht. 2m. Deciduous.

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Rebecca Hughes has a Botany BSc with Honours and has been National Training Manager for the Horticulture Industry Training Organisation (ITO) and General Manager for the Community Support Services ITO.

She is currently co-director of Blue Mountain Nurseries, a family-run wholesale and retail plant nursery established in Tapanui in 1932.