Evening Scented Plants

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As the temperature cool at the end of the day, you can wander around in the fading light surrounded by the heady scents of perfumed plants drifting along on the warm night air.

Many plants that produce perfumed leaves and flowers are most scented during the daytime when the sun warms them up and increases the release of essential oils in the foliage and flowers, but some plants release their scent mainly in the evening. Evening or night scented plants have evolved to attract the insect pollinators that usually fly at dusk such as moths and even bats. Their scent is usually enhanced by receiving some afternoon sunshine so for best results plant these flowering plants where the flowers will get some direct sunlight in the late afternoon.

Evening or night scented plants have evolved to attract the insect pollinators that usually fly at dusk such as moths and even bats

It is tempting to plant a variety of evening scented plants all together near to your patio or seating area but they may all compete with each other. If you have the space, it is best to plant them separately in different areas of the garden (if you are like us we have several seats and stop off points around the garden!) so that you are enticed to take a late stroll around the garden, as the light fades and the blackbirds start singing their evening song, and take in the balmy summer air.

Many evening scented plants will have a clue in their common name such as ‘night scented stocks’ for example, but some are quite a surprise. Here are some of my favourites:

Caroline has been a lecturer in horticulture for 20 years and now runs a nursery and ‘garden craft’ courses in the Haute-Vienne at Le jardin créatif

Caroline

Wright Le jardin créatif

Shrubs and Climbers:

Philadelphus cvs (cvs = cultivars) Their common name is the ‘mock orange’ because the flowers have a very similar scent to orange blossom. The perfume is very potent so they can be planted a fair distance from your seating area. The bees love it too!

Pittosporum cvs. A genus of evergreen shrubs usually grown for their attractive variegated foliage but also produce small, chocolate brown flowers close to the stem in late summer and early autumn (it is not easy to see them – you have to look for them so the scent comes as a surprise!).

Trachelospermum jasminoides The ‘Star Jasmine’, this evergreen climber is not actually a true jasmine but it has very similar flowers and scent. It does have a perfume in the daytime, which becomes more intense in the evening. Plant against a south or west facing wall for best effect.

Wisteria are also very fragrant in the evening and early morning, so are perfect to plant over a pergola where you have your morning coffee and evening drinks. It does need some training, but if you prune it correctly twice a year it can be kept neat and well behaved.

Herbaceous perennials and annuals: Dianthus cvs. (often known as ‘pinks’) actually range from deep red through all shades of pink to white depending on the cultivar, they have the most delicious spicy perfume. My favourite is Dianthus superbus which has pale pink, frilly edged petals and in my opinion, the best scent.

Oenothera sp (evening primrose) is a biennial or perennial plant with yellow or pink flowers emitting a delicious scent in early summer. The flowers last for one evening only; they open at dusk and each one takes just a few minutes to open. It is lovely to watch and makes excellent evening entertainment!

Salvia Many of the salvia species have highly aromatic foliage, in particular the Salvia elegans cultivars, ‘pineapple sage’ and ‘tangerine sage’ . Plant them close to the path so that you brush past them to release their aroma.

Nicotiana cvs. (flowering tobacco) These are mainly annuals that can easily be grown from seed. Some varieties are very tall but dwarf ones are available. Lovely sweet evening scent and many will self-seed freely.

Hesperis matronalis (sweet rocket) another annual plant with potent sweet scented flowers, they are easy to grow from seed. Equally if you grow cultivated rocket as a salad leaf, if you leave some of these to run to seed then the scent of the flowers is almost as potent. I always leave some of my rocket and lettuce plants to go to seed, they seem to choose their own place to germinate where they grow best. I never know where they are going to pop up, but this has been more successful for me than planting them in rows!

Matthiola bicornis (night scented stock) another annual, related to the sweet rocket, easy to grow from seed and delicate, pretty scented pink flowers. These annuals can all be sown from late March through to early July. The later sowings will obviously flower in the late season.