Mentalguy2k8 writes
Hi,

What are the most fragrant (common, ie easy to get and not too
expensive) things I could get to put into hanging baskets or patio
pots? I'm looking for something (flower, shrub, anything) that gives
off a lot of nice smell, for when we're sitting outside, and even to be
able to smell inside the house when the doors are open. Any help most
appreciated.

Things I use a
daffodils, hyacinths for early spring (buy bulbs)
wallflowers to follow on (buy plants, or grow from seed, flowering in
second year)

then for summer into autumn:
night scented stock, any of the other scented stocks, nicotiana. All of
these easy and cheap from seed, flowering in the first year

The scented jasmine that is commonly sold as a houseplant works well in
a pot but needs to be kept warm (above 40 deg C ideally) in winter.
Ditto brugmansias, which are heavily scented (with 8-10inch long
flowers) but can't easily be kept much below 4ft and need a big pot -
probably expensive to buy, but I grew mine from seed, getting flowers
the second or third year.

Be aware that the sort of clovey scent of the stocks and most of the
plants I've mentioned are used by the plant to attract moths for
pollination. Since moths tend to be night flying, most of these tend to
produce their scent from early evening onwards - they're not so good for
giving you scent while you're eating your breakfast.

The sort of smell that hawthorn (I can't offhand think of pot-sized
plants with the same smell) has is designed to attract flies for
pollination, and, while it is attractive in small doses, most people
find it unpleasant if too strong.

Other alternatives are things that have leaves which release their scent
if brushed against or bruised - two main groups here, i) the aromatic
herbs like thyme, lavender and rosemary ii) scented leaved pelargoniums,
whose scents can include orange, lemon, pine, eucalyptus, rose and
chocolate-peppermint.


--
Kay