8 Sweet-Smelling Vines to Grow this Year

Sweet smelling vines, white and pruple lilac vines growing over a wood fence.

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My Garden Life

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May 18, 2020

There are many wonderful vines you can grow that wow with their showy blooms. But there are also some sweet smelling vines that offer the bonus of releasing a lovely perfume.

Vines are the workhorses of any landscape or garden. They can be used to cover unsightly building features, define entryways and passages, cast needed shade, and lend texture and interest to fences, deck edges, arbors, and other garden elements. But just because vines are practical doesn’t mean they can’t enhance the beauty of your landscape as well.

Fragrant Flowering Vines

Here is a list of eight fragrant vines–four that thrive in warm weather climates, four that work in cooler areas. It’s a good idea to know your USDA hardiness zone when choosing vines to determine if a vine should be grown as an annual or a perennial in your region. Many vines can be grown in containers with a trellis to bring color and scent to a patio, deck, or balcony.

1. Bower Vine, Pandora Vine

(Pandorea jasminoides)

The bower vine produces glorious trumpet-shaped pink and pink-white flowers from early spring to late fall. Let this quick growing plant work its way along fences or doorways and fill your semi-tropical landscape with sweet perfume. Zones 8-12

2. Lilac Vine

(Hardenbergia violacea)

Lilac vines are easy to grow, drought tolerant and able to withstand temperatures down to 20°F (-7°C). Their splash of color and perfumed flowers are a perfect addition to a Southwestern garden. You’ll enjoy an added bonus in winter and early spring, when so many other flowering plants are dormant, the lilac vine is covered in flowers. The appearance is reminiscent of wisteria with the fragrance of its namesake, lilac. Zones 9-12

3. Star of Bethlehem, White Potato Vine

(Solanum jasminoides)

This is an easy care, evergreen flowering vine that sports sparkling white or blue flowers with a honey-sweet scent. Star of Bethlehem is in the nightshade family, toxic to humans and animals, so be sure to handle with care and plant in areas away from pets and small children. Zones 9-12

4. Arabian Jasmine

(Jasminum sambac)

The white flowers on this quick-growing vine may be small, but there’s nothing subtle about the clouds of jasmine perfume that surround the plant. Though Arabian jasmine grows best in the warmest regions, cold weather gardeners can try growing it as a summer container plant, then bring it indoors to enjoy as a houseplant for the winter. Zones 10-11

5. Chocolate Vine

(Akebia quinata)

Chocolate vine is a vigorous grower that can quickly provide a screen or shade. It produces compound leaves and flower clusters that are held on long stems, in a way that always gives this vine an airy, tropical feel. Flowers appear in the spring; a profusion of dark purple, bell-like blossoms redolent with the unusual and delicate scent of melting chocolate. Zones 5-9

6. Fragrant Honeysuckle Vine

(Lonicera species)

No list of fragrant vines would be complete without honeysuckle. Its unique delicate perfume evokes thoughts of summer picnics and country lanes. The sweet-smelling blooms are as attractive to hummingbirds and pollinators as they are to gardeners. Zones 4-10

7. Corkscrew Vine

(Vigna caracalla)

This quick-growing, hardy vine thrives in areas with the hot and humid conditions of its native Venezuela. Corkscrew vine has light purple flowers graced with curlicue features and a fragrance similar to that of lilies. Zones 7-12

8. Climbing Hydrangea

(Hydrangea anomala petiolaris)

Climbing hydrangea vine growing around a garage door

Once established, this deciduous vine is a vigorous grower. Climbing hydrangea’s white flowers have all the elegance you’d expect from a hydrangea as well as a heady floral perfume. Zones 4-9

Companions for Your Sweet Smelling Vines

Can’t get enough of sweet-smelling plants? Add fragrance on a grand scale with 10 Shrubs That Smell as Good as They Look and 12 of the Most Fragrant Trees for Home Landscapes.

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fragrant plants | vines

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