Night-scented plants

Midsummer heatwaves give the chance for the gardener to relax and enjoy the garden late into the evening, so prioritise fragrance when selecting planting for an outdoor area especially if it is a space often used for evening entertaining. There are a whole host of plants that spring to life with an abundance of perfume when dusk creeps in. Plants which smell beautiful at night include evening primrose, petunia, wisteria floribunda and dianthus along with other favourites like night-scented phlox, moonflower, nicotiana, star jasmine, night-scented stock and gardenia.

Wisteria
The perfect climber for you favourite seating area in the garden. Most wisterias are scented but the likes of wisteria floribunda are at their strongest when night falls. Eye-catching by day and gloriously scented by night.

Star jasmine
This vigorous evergreen climber will fill your garden with perfume all day and into the night, from mid to late summer. It is a vigorous grower so will need a hard prune each year to keep it manageable. 

Night-scented phlox
Heavenly scented, these tiny flowers which remain closed during the day open in the evening to reveal brilliant white petals. It is a clump forming small plant, ideal for containers, front of borders and rockeries. 

Evening primrose
This tall perennial is ideal for the back of borders, coastal and wildflower gardens due to its spreading habit. The bowl-shaped fragrant, yellow flowers will continue flowering throughout summer and autumn. 

After a busy day of work there is nothing nicer than spending time in the garden to relax and unwind to the sounds and smells of beautiful, perfumed flowers and plants, after all, our senses are more alert as it gets darker. Pale and white flowers are obviously more pronounced at night than those more colourful flowers, adding pockets of light under the blanket of dark. Verdant broad-leafed plants such as Fatsia Japonica are also great for reflecting light whether it’s the glistening moonlight or ambient light. It’s also great for night pollinators, such as moths… So, make the days last longer and breathe in the glorious scents of the garden this summer.