Mississippi – June 28, 2019

JULY | AUGUST 2019 47

Fragrance in the garden evokes memories of summer days gone by. When the heady scent of magnolia blossoms or garde-
nias or sweet olives permeates the air at twilight time, even the most unsentimental individual cannot help but succumb
to a touch of nostalgia. As the perfumed fragrance wafts our way, invariably, we are reminded of Grandmother’s garden
with its profusion of gardenias, or we recall the magnificent towering Magnolia grandiflora that would bloom just in time
for graduation on a beloved college campus, or we fondly remember a trip to historic Charleston, South Carolina, where
the essence of sweet olive seemed to emanate from every garden.
The garden engages all of our senses, including the sense of smell. A garden can have fragrance from spring to fall, but
it is in the summertime that it is more intense. Here are just a few plants that will add fragrance to the summer garden.

HOME & GARDEN

Garden

Beautiful blooms create beautiful aromas in summertime gardens

sweet smell of summer

writer MARGARET GRATZ

The magnolia is the official tree and state flower of Mississippi, and a garden without this tree seems almost bereft. The

large, creamy white blossoms are exquisite, and the fragrance is divine. It is hard to believe, but there are some curmudgeonly

gardeners who berate this lovely tree because of the prodigious leaf litter it produces. However, if the lower branches are

allowed to gracefully drape to the ground, the fallen leaves are discreetly hidden. There are many magnolia cultivars that are

truly beautiful and perform well in the garden. For smaller gardens with limited space, Little Gem and St. Mary’s are ideal, and

these trees will have a few repeat blooms all summer. For gardens with acreage that have room for large trees, D.D. Blanchard

and Bracken’s Brown Beauty have leaves that are a lustrous dark green above and a cinnamon brown below. Both have large,

showy magnolia blossoms. Of course, there is always the native Magnolia grandiflora. This is a huge tree, and it is magnificent. If

you have the space, by all means, plant this tree for future generations.

Once upon a time, ladies wore corsages, and if it was not an orchid, it was usually a gardenia. And once upon a time, almost

every garden had a gardenia bush. In the South, it was frequently referred to as cape jasmine. Gardenia bushes have beautiful

waxy, green leaves and lovely white flowers. The fragrance is intense and adds an air of romance and Southern whimsy to

the garden setting. This shrub should be planted close to the house or patio where one can enjoy the heady scent. If there is

not a place for it in a garden bed, it will even do well in pots. The gardenia in your grandmother’s garden was probably a pass-

along plant. For old time’s sake and for remembrance, take a cutting and plant this gardenia in your garden. The old-fashioned

gardenia will have profuse blooms in early summer, and will not have a repeat bloom. If you long to have the fragrance of

gardenias all summer, there are some cultivars that have a repeat bloom into fall. Two of the most reliable are Miami Supreme

and Veitchii. The perfume emitted by gardenias is enough to make one swoon. Perhaps we should bring back corsages.

Magnolia

Gardenia

This evergreen vine will obligingly climb trellises, cover walls, and embellish latticework, and it will not run amok. As an

extra bonus, the small white flowers that bloom in the summertime shine like little stars against the dark green foliage,

which explains its other common name, star jasmine. And, of course, the aroma that these flowers emit is delightful.

Confederate jasmine is a vigorous vine, but I have found it to be much tidier and much more manageable than wisteria

or ivy, and yet it willingly softens hard surfaces. There is not a repeat bloom, but this vine blooms for several weeks, and

the foliage is a luminous green that never seems to wilt in the intense heat of Mississippi summer.

Confederate

Jasmine