It has been difficult to finalise a list of the top 10 fragrant plants. So I have elected to chose my ten favourite flowers with a selected variety. I have cheated by including two roses but could easily has 10 or 100 roses in a list. Your choice will vary and the result will depend on the location, culture and selections you make.

1. Philadelphus lemoinei ‘innocence’ Mock Orange single creamy white flowers
2. Hyacynth ‘Bismark’ porcelain blue
3. Wisteria sinensis the white form if you can find it
4. Honeysuckle Lonicera americanum with masses of rich spicy flowers
5. Regal Lily lilium regale
6. Datura inoxia another white form needing some protection
7. Dianthus barbatus Sweet Wlliam Dobies ‘All Double’
8. Old garden Gallica rose ‘Charles de Mills’ raspberry coloured.
9. Climbing Rose ‘Guinee’
10. Freesia ‘Gold Coast’, ‘Treasure’ or ‘White Giant’

Floral Fragrance - 30  Flowers and Scents

There are several perfume groups which have been classified by comparison and contrasts. Similar groupings are used in the perfume industry and arise from the mix of alkaloids and chemicals in the flowers. There are many variations and combinations and these groups are a guide as to what to look out for:

Heavy group

Strong long lasting often white flowers  - Lilium candidum, Lilac syringia, Lily of valley convallaria majalis, Pheasants eye narcissus, tuber rose.

Aromatic group

Pleasant fragrance spicy like clove and cinnamon from families like Dianthus, and Peonies.  Other scents within this group include aniseed (Primroses), vanilla (witch hazel) and almond fragrance  Try Choisa ternate,Viburnum carlesii  & Hyacinth especially Bluebells

Violet group

Violets are reputed to tire the senses. The white violet is the strongest Viola, also try Iris reticulate, Acacia and Mignonette

Rose group

Light truly sweet fruity fragrance that is refreshing even when concentrated. Also present in rose leaved geranium Pelargonium capitatum

Lemon group

Refreshing and tangy more often found in leaves than flowers.  Rose bracteata and Water lily nymphaea odorata.

Fruit scented group

All fruit except lemon including Philadelphus mock orange cytisus battandieri (pineapple) and Freesia

Animal scented group

Musk or animal scent which get more pungent after pollination. Hypericum, Fritillaria imperialis and Moss roses

Honey scented group

Related to animal scented group with delicate musky sweet fragrance like Honeysuckle, Buddleja, Jasmine officinale and Sedum spectabile.

Stinkers are not the sort of plants you want to grow in a normal garden. So here are a few to avoid unless your adenoids stop you getting even the faintest whiff.

• Stinking Hellebore gives off the smell of rotting meat to earn the Latin name Helleborus foetidis and warn us that the plant is poisonous. It’s flowers native are beautiful but the whole plant niffs.
• Stinking Henbane or Hyoscyamus niger has a sickly evil smell that Culpepper says’ the whole plant hath a very ill soderiferous smell’.
• Stinking Meadow rue has a sticky covering on its leaves that also smell like dead fish
• Stinkhorn fungus has putrid, spore-laden, phallus-like fruiting bodies that appear almost overnight and to many people it is ‘Top of the Pongs’.
• Carnivorous plants attract flesh and fecal-loving insects to visit their stinking blossoms but they won’t attract me.

All this without farmyard smells, over wet sour compost, garlic breath in the wrong place the list of pet hates is endless. Thankfully there are even more good smelling plants than bad so just watch how you sniff

Hay fever and Asthma attacks can be brought on by Fungal Spores and allergy to Scented Plants as well as the pollen attacks covered in

http://gardenerstips.co.uk/blog/pests-problems/grow-a-low-allergy-garden-cut-down-on-pollen/

Tips to cut Spores and Fungus

• Ferns reproduce by sending out millions of spores from under the leaves. If you suffer then do not grow any ferns.
• Fungus and mould are common names for a large variety of mycelium like Alternaria that grow on dead and rotting plants. They reproduce by light invisible spores that are distributed in the air usually in late Summer and Autumn.
• Reduce the concentration of spores by good husbandary: keep clean and rotting plant matter to a minimum, don’t use bark as a mulch, dustbin infected leaves and more drastically remove hedges that collect spores
• Compost heaps are home to fungus and ideally should be avoided if you are allergic but a closed system rather than an open pile will be better
• Spent mushroom compost can be an allergy disaster - don’t use it
• Organic compost and mulch may be a problem but coconut shell is probably one of the lower spore hosts.

Scented Plants are generally pollinated by insects feeding on the nectar. This can include wasps and bees so if you are allergic to stings avoid such plants. Some people are sensitive to a range of smells and perfumes or just the scent of one plants such as a lily or honeysuckle and in this case choosing plants for a garden can be an issue.

• Aromatic leaved plants like many herbs only give off a scent when brushed or crushed so it may be worth growing herbs but take care with Lavender.
• If you are allergic to Daisies you will also potentially be allergic to Asters, Chrysanthemeum and other members of the same ‘compositae’ family.
• Don’t sniff individual plants
• Many double flowered varieties attract pollination by colour and have less scent.
• Fruit attract wasps so if allergic to stings don’t grow them or have another member of the family grow them well away from windows into the house.
• Some allergies are related to individual plants like Strawberries and Tomato so watch for individual reactions and root out offenders.

http://www.5min.com/Video/Asthma-Friendly-Gardens-26176060

Breathing Allergies

Hay fever sufferers don’t need to told about the typical symptoms of sniffing, sneezing, puffy eyes, sore throat and a runny nose. Starting in spring through summer these symptoms are likely to be caused by pollen and allergens. All year round symptoms are more likely to be caused by dust mites or pets such as cats.

Asthma is characterised by chest and breathing problems and can be caused by allergic triggers such as pollution, infection, or allergens. Airborne particles including pollen and fungal spores can bring on an attack especially if there is a known susceptibility to asthma.

Hay Fever and Asthma sufferers should cut down on Pollen

• Given the above it is logical to avoid plants that are high in pollen particularly those that are wind pollinated. This includes grasses, weeds like docks and plantains, trees and shrubs that flower before the leaves are fully formed such as Hazel,Alder, Oak, Poplar, Sycamore and Birch.
• Use other low pollen trees such as pink or red Hawthorne, Crab Apple, Prunus Cherries or Mountain Ash. These trees attract Bees so if allergic to stings then be even more selective with Ameleranchier or double flowered Japanese Cherries.
• Female flowers do not produce pollen so chooses them in preference to male plants
• If you can avoid having a lawn that may be best if not cut it regularly before it flowers or better still get a none sufferer to cut it. This is because even un-flowered grass will have trapped other pollen, dust and spores that is disturbed when cut.
• For play areas use play ground rubber, artificial turf or inert covering but be aware of dusty surfaces
• For flat areas use ponds or water to reflect other green colours from the garden

Select varieties with low Allergic pollens

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Just a drop of aromatherapy oil can have a stimulating or calming influence just as the scent in a good garden can. It is no surprise then that many scents come from plants. Unfortunately for most gardeners the plants , trees and shrubs are native to hot and or damp climates and need special conditions to thrive.

Bergamot is one of the most popular oils coming from the Orange citrus family. Bergamot provides the flavouring in Earl Grey tea. Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia The bergamot orange is unrelated to the herb of the same name, Monarda didyma.

Ancient oils provided medical remedies, Black Pepper for catarrh, Cedarwood for dandruff, Eucalyptus as an antiseptic. A couple of drops of Rosemary on clothing is said to get rid of sluggishness. Both Myrrh and Frankincense grow as small trees or shrubs; they are of the botanical family Burseraceae. Their natural growing range is limited, but this has been extended by cultivation in Arabia.

Oils for perfume include Patchouli extracted from the leaves of a variety of mint and Otto of Roses made from a Bulgarian rose damascena but needing 60,000 roses to produce one ounce of oil. Ylang Ylang oils name means the Flower of Flowers. Ylang-ylang blends well with most floral, fruit and wood smells.

Tea Tree oil has no link to the Tea plants of the Camellia oleifera. It is extracted from Melaleuca bark and used as an antiseptic.

Herbs that we grow can produce oils but great quantities and distillation equipment is probably required for Basil, Lavender, Peppermint, and Rosemary.

Thyme has over 350 varieties and can make an interesting collection. Thymus is claimed to have volatile oils that have anti-ageing properties and good anti-oxidants to aid health. It retains its flavour after drying and can be stored successfully.

Time for some Growing Tips on Thyme

• Place container or grow in a sunny position to get stronger flavoured leaves.
• Use free draining soil or plant through a good layer of gravel
• Thyme looks good in a pot but avoid using a rich compost or you will get tasteless leaves and no flowers
• Trim the plant after Thyme has flowered to stop it becoming woody.
• Propagate from cuttings before flowering in spring or divide in spring.
• T. vulgaris, T. frgrantissimus and T. Serpyllium can be grown from fine seed which should be sown with sand on top of soil watered from the bottom.
• Bees are attracted to the pink flowering Pink Ripple.
• Cooking with Thyme and home grown Tomatoes is a special joy but add Thyme early so it has chance to release its flavours.

Herb Garden Design Using Thyme

• Create a carpet on a path on banking to display the herbs.
• For best ornamental effect mix upright varieties and creeping varieties and vary the leaf colour ‘Archers Gold’, ‘Coccineus major’ and ‘Doone Valley’ have a mix of magenta and purple flowers with varigation on leaf colour.
• A wheel shape or Octagon effect can be created as a garden feature
• ‘T. Vulgaris Silver Posie’ is reliable in winter weather