Lilacs have one of the most recognized scents around and they’re so easy to grow. For the best blooms, skip the fertilizer — too many nutrients, especially nitrogen, will give you lovely foliage but few flowers.

Type Shrub

Blooms White, purple, pink or blue single or double flowers from late spring to early summer

Light Full sun

Soil Humus-rich, well-drained

Size 8 to 15 ft. tall, 6 to 10 ft. wide

Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 8

Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1

Most garden phlox have very fragrant blooms that make excellent cut flowers. But powdery mildew can be a common problem so plant disease-resistant cultivars, like ‘David’ shown here, and give them an open area with good circulation.

Type Perennial

Blooms Pink, white or lavender from early summer to fall

Light Full sun to part shade

Soil Well-drained

Size 1 to 4 ft. tall and wide

Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 9

Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1

In spring, Koreanspice viburnum’s rose-pink blooms give off a spicy carnation scent. And its gray-green, pest-resistant foliage will look great even after the flowers have gone!

Type Shrub

Blooms Rose-pink flower clusters in spring

Light Full sun to part shade

Soil Well-drained, slightly acid

Size 4 to 6 ft. tall and wide

Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 8

Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1

A hybrid between trumpet lilies and Oriental lilies, the orienpet lily has enormous flowers — up to 12 inches in diameter! Some cultivars won’t stand upright without extra support, but compact ‘Star Gazer’ to the left doesn’t need staking.

Type Bulb

Blooms Trumpet-shaped flowers in every color except blue and purple from early to late summer

Light Full sun to part shade

Soil Well-drained

Size 2 to 8 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide

Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 8

Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1

When heliotrope’s flowers start to turn brown, lightly brush them with your hand to remove faded blooms. After a whole cluster fades, pinch it back to a set of leaves to encourage more beautiful blossoms with vanilla fragrance.

Type Tender perennial

Blooms Clusters of purple or white flowers in summer

Light Full sun

Soil Moist, well-drained

Size 12 to 18 in. tall and wide

Cold-hardy USDA zones 10 to 11

Heat-tolerant AHS zones 12 to 1

Be patient — it takes a few years for newly planted mockorange to produce lots of orange blossom scented flowers. Once it gets started, keep this shrub blooming heavily by thinning out a few stems that are two years old or more.

Type Shrub

Blooms White in early to midsummer

Light Full sun to part shade

Soil Moist, all types

Size 3 to 10 ft. tall, 3 to 8 ft. wide

Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 8

Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1