My Patio Smells Amazing All Summer Thanks to This One Plant – It Perfumes It Beautifully, Even At Night
If you’re only going to add one plant to your patio this year, make it this one.
On warm summer evenings, my patio smells incredible. The sweet and heady scent drifts through the garden just as the air starts to cool and if the kitchen window is open, it fills the house too.
It’s the sort of fragrance that makes you pause mid-task just to breathe it in, and the funny thing is, I never planned it. In fact, the one plant that perfumes our patio every summer started as a completely impulsive purchase.
Then one day a neighbour was selling plants to raise money for a hospice, and I spotted a pot of common jasmine (Jasminum officinale). I bought it without much thought and, true to form, handed it straight over to my husband – a professional gardener – and asked him to work his magic with it.
Article continues belowGod love the man, he did exactly that.
Why I Recommend Jasmine to Everyone
Honestly, it took less than a season for that potted jasmine to scramble happily across the fence, turning that forgettable side passage into a curtain of green. And when it blooms, it really blooms: clouds of small, starry white flowers that release one of the most intoxicating fragrances in the plant world.
The plant doesn’t stop earning its keep when the flowers fade, either. Right now, it's sporting some very glossy black berries (highly poisonous to humans but loved by birds) which add a surprising amount of seasonal interest when the rest of the garden is looking tired.
For a budget plant I bought on a whim, it has become one of the hardest-working plants in my garden. But, with more than 200 species of jasmine, though, there are plenty of alternatives depending on your climate and garden style...
Which Jasmine is Best for You?
Look, I'm biased; I love common jasmine (best suited to USDA Planting Zones 7-10) and I'm far from alone, as it's one of the most widely grown climbers for fragrance.
It’s vigorous, easy to grow, and perfect for covering fences, pergolas or walls. But, if you fancy something a little different...
Despite the name, star jasmine isn’t a true jasmine, but it produces masses of beautifully scented white flowers in summer, and its glossy evergreen leaves mean it looks good all year round. In fact, I’d argue it’s just as romantic as the real thing.
If you live north of zone 6 where jasmine may struggle, fragrant honeysuckle can be a brilliant substitute. Goldflame honeysuckle produces beautifully coloured pink-and-gold flowers and a sweet scent that attracts pollinators all summer long.
Closely related to star jasmine, confederate jasmine is another evergreen climber prized for its powerful fragrance and elegant white flowers. It’s a popular choice in warmer climates and makes a wonderful patio plant.
The best part about my jasmine? I do almost nothing to it. I often forget it’s even there, quietly covering the fence while I get on with everything else. Then summer rolls around and it reminds me why I planted it.
Every year, when the evenings get warm enough, I let my two little girls take their baths outside on the patio. They each have a tub filled with warm water and bubbles, and while they splash around watching birds dart across the garden before the evening chorus begins, the scent of jasmine drifts through the air from its spot down the side of the house.
It perfumes the whole space. It's brilliant for fireflies, bats, and other useful pest-chomping pollinators. And it's beautifully, wonderfully, outrageously romantic, too.
Not bad for the one plant I bought completely on a whim, right?
