Why would a person want a fragrant garden? ASK THE HORT AGENT
Question Why would a person want a fragrant garden?
Answer Plants use fragrance to attract bees and other pollinators. For a bee, sweet smells equate to sweet nectar.
In the old days, people used fragrant plants to cover up or mask bad smells. The lack of deodorant and sewage treatment systems made city folks literally stink. Perfumes made from plant parts were relatively cheap and accessible. Sweet smelling flowers didn’t make the stink go away, but they did give temporary relief. Unfortunately, only the upper classes could afford fragrant bouquets throughout the year.
There is still luxury in the perfumes of a garden. Not linked to money, this is the luxury of enjoying pleasant memories. This pleasure is affordable to everybody. Scientists have found our sense of smell may afford us this luxury because it is closely linked with memory.
Most people already associate some plants with fond memories. For example, the smell of a Christmas tree will make you think of Christmas no matter what month you smell it. Pumpkin pie may evoke memories of grandma’s house or Thanksgiving. The scent of a carnation may take you back to Sundays when you sat in church as a child.
New memories can be created and evoked every year if you have a fragrant garden. One internet poll says nearly 45 percent of home gardens do not have plants which smell good. Another 30 percent of homeowners only have 1 or 2 aromatic plants in their landscape. The folks which have discovered the joys of scented plants will have 7 or more of these plants in their yard. Unfortunately, this group makes up only 9% of homeowners.
Here are a few design tips to develop a fragrant landscape. Place fragrant plants near points of activity (where you park the car, around an outdoor seat, by the back door, etc…). Use plants that have aromatic leaves as well as flowers (lavender, basil, artemisia, anise, etc…). Have something smelling every month of the year. Use the prevailing winds to deliver the fragrance (north east winds during winter and south west winds during the summer).
Most people simply develop a landscape that “looks good.” Fragrant plants can have an emotional impact that visual impressions often lack. The cost of an aromatic plant is no more than a non-aromatic plant. Why not enjoy the luxury of deodorant, sewage treatment and scented gardens?
For more information about fragrant gardening, check out http://agebb.missouri.edu/hort/meg/archives/v10n2/meg2.htm For a list of fragrant plants, visit http://www.thefragrantgarden.com/b_fragrant.html If you don’t have internet access, then call 910-893-7533 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org
While smells may evoke memories, the opposite is also true. A person’s lack of a sense of smell may predict brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are hopeful that a simple scratch-and-sniff test will help predict risk for such disorders http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19562798/from/ET/ Imagine that, plants may be able to let you know whether you are losing your mind.
Gary L. Pierce
Horticulture Agent
Harnett County | 
