Star Jasmine
Miss Kim Lilac
Mock Orange
Fragrant Phlox
Fragrant Hosta
Daphne
Fragrant Milkweed

I am trying to find some fragrant plants for my garden, however I am pretty picky about the actual fragrance. But just so I can correctly ask what types of fragreance I'm looking for I could use some help in categorizing some of the fragrances for comparison.

I am a huge sucker for the sweet scent of Mock Orange and Star Jasmine or Sambac. Lilac also but I don't find it as sweet at Jasmine or Mock Orange but moreso a sweet/spicy?

I tend to favor the sweet smells that waft in the air and can be smelled from distance. I don't know that I like the smell of roses and would lump Roses and Fragrant Phlox into the same category, unless theres a sweet Rose out ther that I ahven't encountered yet.

Can anyone reccommend sweet fragrances like Jasmine or Mock Orange? These scents are abbolutely irresistable to me! I am in zone 5a and would like as many reccomendations as possible for both outdoors and indoors.

Thanks!

Phlox is one of my favorites..We have one pink flower and a one white, both sweet-smelling.
I'd like to find a variegated Phlox.

Butterfly Bushes are very fragrant, too..They come in quite a few flower colors..White, red, deep red, purple, dark purple. Even variegated...green and white leaves.
There's another BB that has 5 color flowers per plant. Talk about gorgeous!

In early spring Snow Crocus and Hyacinth emit a strong fragrance, especially when planted in bulk. I believe some tulips are fragrant, too.

How about herbs? Rosemary and Spearment have a pleasant scent, but I think Rosemary is grown here as an annual.

I don't know where you live, but if you're in Il, there's a place called Botanical Gardens. Plants are set out by season. They even have Fragrant nature areas..if you ever get out that way, bring pen and paper to write names.
Two years ago they had a variegated Mock Orange. Besides its beauty, the scent was addictive. I wanted to stand there and sniff. lol

Why not Google 'fragrant garden plants for zone 5? Toni

Like Toni said, if there's a botanical garden or public garden nearby, try to visit!

That being said, lemme put on my dancing shoes . . . .

Star jasmine, trachelospermum jasminoides, has a sweet, heavy scent with an odd undertone, which Cistus Nursery describes as "burnt wire insulation." Mmmm, good!

I much prefer the more cinnamon scent of t. asiaticum/mandianum. Both would have to come indoors for the winter in your area; t. asiaticum is less rampant a grower, so I think a better choice.

Phlox has never really done it for me; all I get is a light, sweet floral scent.

Hosta plantanginea and its hybrids are the fragrant ones; definitely jasmine-like -- I'd grow 'em if I had room for 'em. Check out Plant Delights for an article about fragrant hostas.

Daphne -- ahh, Daphne, what a heartbreaker!! D. odora is just spectacular; a rich, haunting, perfume, but not easy to grow without a cool greenhouse and only z7 hardy. Other species are, to me, often too candy-sweet, but still nice -- D. x burkwoodii cultivars, and maybe transatlantica as well, should be hardy for you.

Haven't sniffed Miss Kim or fragrant milkwood, so I can't comment.

If you like fragrant hardy shrubs, check out:

fothergilla gardenii
abelia mosanensis (really nice, lily-like, and very tough!)
hamamellis mollis and hybrids (check descriptions, some hybrids are more scented than others)
lonicera fragrantissima (my fave winter scented shrub, and bulletproof)
magnolia stellata

No true jasminum species is fragrant beyond z6-7, and the best are all z9-10, so be prepared for lots of pots in the house in winter! I've got sambac, nitidum and tortuosum, and they're all great!

Hope this helps you get started!

Jim

Toni:
Thanks for the info! I'm in Madison, WI. I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "true" Jasmine. I have a Confederate Star Jasmine I purchased at HD, and I'm working on cuttings from what I believe is a Sambac from my mother that is about 5 years old. Both very sweet scents to me which is exactly what I was looking for- Jasmine, Sambac and Mock Orange types of scent. I do find however that the Sambac does not carry in the air as much as the Star Jasmine. Phlox is fragrant to me however I would side with Jim in that all I get is a light flowery scent. I beleive my Jasmine is not hardy (*cry) to my zone and I do plan on bringing it indoors for our winters.

Jim:
Great info thanks for the reccomendations I'll do some more digging its just hard relying on descriptions from sites. I would much rather hear from people in regard to their partuicular experience with a fragrance. I've been trying to find fragrant hostas in my area but have not had any success I guess I'll need to turn to the googles for those.
Miss Kim and Milkweed are more on the spicy side for my taste, I was however curious on how others would describe it.

Regarding your reccomendations, do all of these plants have a particularly strong scent that will waft? I can stand several feet from my 3-4' Star Jasmine and the scent just fills the air. The tree I grabbed my baby Mock Orange from had a scent was absolutley enchanting and its fragrance would carry almost 20-30 yards away. The Mock Orange is what did me in! Thanks so much for you reccomendations!

No.1 is Magnolia X wieseneri, which is said to be the most fragrant Magnolia, and that is a bold claim. Philadelphus Belle Etoile also has powerful fragrance. All Rosa rugosa cultivars are fragrant and my grandmother used to make petal jams simply by stacking sugar and fresh clean petals in layers in an airtight jar. Unlike many other roses, Rosa rugosa is disease free, but it is very thorny and blooms only once. Another super-fragrant shrub I'd love to try is Viburnum farreri.

I agree with Jim completely in that it is best to smell-test those fragrant plants you intend to grow. The variation in the perception of smell is amazing.