Fragrant shrubs
By: Garden Gate staff
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Fragrant shrubs
Fragrant flowers are one of spring’s biggest perks! Make sure you get to enjoy the perfume indoors, too, when you plant shrubs near windows or close to entrances. Just imagine having friends over, the front door swung open for fresh air as the scent of lilac fills the room. Click ahead to find out more about this shrub and two more fragrant favorites.
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Common lilac Syringa vulgaris
The range of lilac fragrance is just as diverse as its bloom color. From sweet or honeylike to rose- or vanilla-scented, there’s a lilac for any preference. Common lilacs may not bloom for two or three years after they’re planted — be patient, and make sure they’re getting at least six hours of sun each day. To keep them looking neat, deadhead spent blooms once they’ve dried, and remove deadwood every year.
Blooms Red, purple, blue, pink or white in early spring
Light Full sun
Soil 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
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Magnolia Magnolia hybrids
‘Randy’, on the left, is one of eight late-blooming hybrids in a series known as “The Girls.” Its red-purple to pink star-shaped flowers have a sweet, lightly floral fragrance. Blossoms avoid late frost damage by opening two to four weeks after star (Magnolia stellata) or lily (M. liliiflora) magnolia cultivars do.
Blooms Red-purple to pink in midspring
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Acid, well-drained
Size 10 to 15 ft. tall, 8 to 12 ft. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 8
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1
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Koreanspice viburnum Viburnum carlesii
Koreanspice viburnum’s bright pink flower buds slowly pale to a lighter shade of pink or white after they open, but their spicy carnationlike scent doesn’t fade. Extremely easy-care, it only needs a little pruning after it’s through blooming to maintain a tidy rounded habit.
Blooms Pink from early to midspring
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 4 to 6 ft. tall and wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 8
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1
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