Follow your nose to these wonderful-smelling natives
Spotted bee in balm is a highly fragrant perennial, with soft, dusty pastel pinkish -lavender flowers bracts on square stems
May 5, 2021
It’s wonderful to smell a garden before you actually see it. And there are so many beautiful, native fragrant plants to include in any landscape.
Olfaction is the oldest and considered the strongest of our senses; its many functions include detecting danger and pheromones as well as imparting sensual pleasure and enhancing our sense of taste. It is one of the important means by which our environment communicates with us.
Adding fragrance to your garden is fun and infinitely rewarding — there’s nothing better than the sweet smells of Jamaican caper or Simpson’s stopper wafting over the evening air if you’re sitting outside. Fragrant natives are easy and low-maintenance too!
Simpson’s stopper has masses of small fuzzy white flowers with a soft fragrance. Flowering is most abundant in the spring
Simpson’s stopper, Myrcianthes fragrans, is one of our best, most versatile natives, producing masses of small fuzzy white flowers that have an amazing, soft fragrance. Flowering is most abundant in the spring, continuing sporadically throughout the year. Bright red, berry-like fruit are eaten by mockingbirds, blue jays, buntings, cardinals and small mammals.
This can be used as a hedge or small specimen tree, in full sun or part shade, and the stunning exfoliating bark provides year-round interest. Additionally, as a member of the eucalyptus family, the leaves have a spicy fragrance when crushed, reminiscent of nutmeg. This is just a great all-around plant!
Jamaican caper, Capparis cynophallophora, is another wonderfully fragrant native shrub that is too often overlooked in Florida gardens. This is another of the state's finest ornamentals, and, like Simpson's stopper, it can be used as a specimen, screen, or accent plant. The slightly leathery oval leaves are light green above, with lovely rusty brown undersides.
The flower of the Jamaican caper is a showy starburst with a delight scent reminiscent of lily of the valley
Salt and drought tolerant, with a columnar growth and rounded crown, this is lovely year-round, but a true show stopper when the flowers appear. These showy starbursts open white but quickly gain a pinkish tinge and have a delightful fragrance reminiscent of lily of the valley. The flowers only appear in April and May but are well worth the wait. This is the larval host to the Florida white butterfly, and is loved by honeybees, mockingbirds, cardinals and blue jays.
Wild cinnamon bark is a terrific slow-growing small tree with a dense rounded crown and thick, aromatic leaves
Our wonderful native wild cinnamon bark, Canella winterana, is a terrific slow-growing small tree with a dense rounded crown and thick aromatic leaves. The bark smells like cinnamon when rubbed or bruised, and clusters of lovely reddish-pink flowers with vivid yellow stamens attract an assortment of butterflies and pollinators. Clusters of bright red fruit that follow are staples for a variety of birds and wildlife. This is another wonderful Florida native that should be far more widely planted.
Spotted bee balm, Monarda punctata, is a charming, fragrant perennial, with soft, dusty pastel pinkish-lavender flower bracts on square stems. This member of the mint family is highly aromatic; it’s lovely to brush against the foliage to release its soft fragrance. This will grow to 3 feet, in full sun or part shade, and is not particular as to soil. It’s best to cut it back after flowering to encourage more blooms and to keep the plant full.
The extravagant flowers of maypop, Passiflora incarnata, are as fragrant as they are beautiful. This wonderfully showy passionflower is the larval host for the Julia, Gulf fritillary, and variegated fritillary, as well as the zebra longwing, Florida’s state butterfly. It provides nectar for a host of pollinators and other butterflies. This is an aggressive vine, excellent on arbors or fences, and is highly salt- and drought-tolerant once established. Plant this along with the native corky stem passionflower, Passiflora suberosa, and you’ll have zebra longings everywhere!
Another fragrant addition is sweet almond bush, Aloysia virgata. Its white spikes throw an intense scent that will perfume every inch of your garden. While this is not a native, it attracts many important pollinators and butterflies including hairstreaks, crescents, blues, and the rare atala. This is a fast- growing shrub, 6 to 8 feet tall; it needs full sun for optimal flowering and looks wonderful against a wall or next to a walkway where its fragrance can be fully appreciated.
Lady of the night, Brunfelsia americana, is another incredibly fragrant small- to medium-sized shrub with clusters of bright white tubular flowers above glossy deep green foliage. The heady perfume is strongest at night, inviting you to step into the garden and inhale deeply. Although this is not a native, its fragrance is so intoxicating that I would include it in any landscape setting. This is happy in sun to part shade, reaching a height of 4 to 5 feet with a slightly smaller width.
White indigo berry is a tough, slow-growing evergreen that boasts wonderfully fragrant flowers year-round
It is fitting that white indigoberry, Randia aculeata, being a member of the gardenia family, would have sweet-smelling flowers year-round. This tough, slow-growing evergreen native is salt and drought tolerant, making it perfect for coastal landscapes. It is the larval host for the tantalus sphinx moth, and the beautiful white flowers provide nectar for numerous butterflies including the atala and Schaus’ swallowtail. The white berry-like fruits are loved by birds and wildlife.
While the wonderful fragrance of blossoms can invite you into one garden, the foul- smelling odor of toxic chemicals can warn you away from another.
Imidacloprid is a broad-spectrum, systemic insecticide belonging to a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids. These attack the central nervous system, killing every insect they touch. They are also extremely toxic to birds, fish, and bees. Chlorpyrifos is another widely used insecticide belonging to the class of chemicals called organophosphates, which includes Sarin, the deadly nerve agent. Glyphosate is reportedly linked to Alzheimer's, autism, leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and other cancers.
It would be wise to avoid using any of these or other chemicals on our tiny fragile barrier island. Let’s protect our wonderful paradise!
-Kim Frisbie
Original article on the Palm Beach Daily News is HERE.