CHAPTER XXXVII 



FRAGRANT PLANTS 



The group of trees, shrubs, and perennials whose flowers or leaves 

 are fragrant is an important group in the development of an inter- 

 esting variation in landscape plantings, especially on the larger places. 

 There are certain varieties of shrubs, such as the common mock orange, 

 the flowers of which are extremely fragrant, while the flowers of some of 

 the other varieties have no odour whatever. This is a peculiar 

 condition which has not been fully explained, but one which makes a 

 marked difference in the effect of plantings from the standpoint of the 

 fragrance of their flowers. A garden possesses greater charm if fra- 

 grance is one of its attributes. In older times many plants were 

 grown for their sweet odours, both of flowers and leaves. This 

 feature has not been given its due importance in the landscape plant- 

 ings of to-day, and a little study will convince one that a wealth of 

 fragrance can be easily obtained in any planting of trees, shrubs, and 

 perennials, by the proper selection of a few types of plants. The 

 fragrant honeysuckle has a very attractive odour, while the tartarian 

 honeysuckle has flowers with no fragrant odour whatever. The 

 horse-chestnut has flowers with little or no odour, while the false 

 acacia and the black locust fill the air with fragrance. Violets, trailing 

 arbutus, and lilies-of-the-valley add a certain fragrance to the garden, 

 which odour is entirely lacking in many other varieties of perennials. 



LIST OF FRAGRANT PLANTS 



A. Fragrant Flowers. The plants in this group are valuable 

 because of the fragrance of their flowers. It is an interesting fact 

 that many species of the same genus are not equally valuable because 

 of the flower fragrance. This is true especially with the mock orange. 



a. Shrubs: 



Azalea arborescens Azalea canescens 



Smooth Azalea Fragrant Mountain Azalea 



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