Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fragrant/colorful plants for spring
Headed into the weekend after a frigid week, (sniff) Ahhh, I’m smelling spring! Well, maybe just in my imagination but I had some inspiration.
The National Annual Plant for 2021 is Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Star petunia. This darling is no spring fling either, the pink & white star shaped blooms continue from spring to early fall.
Supertunias grow about 12 inches tall with a 2 ft. spread. Fabulous in hanging baskets and no need to deadhead!
A deep pink perennial brings plenty of fragrance. ‘Paint the Town Fancy’ is a dianthus aka Pinks, that is prolific.
The rosy fuschia flowers have a red center. This mounded 8 inch by 18 inch plant is hardy to zone 4. It’s also drought and heat tolerant. Mini Vista and paint the town are also very attractive to bees and butterflies.
How about a non-vining clematis! Hardy to zone 3 ‘Stand By Me’ grows 3 ft. by 3 ft.
A herbaceous perennial, it dies back to the ground each year. Blue bell-shaped flowers hang all over this guy. ‘Stand by Me’ would benefit from staking, cages or neighboring plants to drape on. Keep the base/roots shaded while the rest enjoys full sun. Each spring, they can be trimmed down to 3-4” tall. New shoots should emerge from the crown beneath the soil.
Clethra ‘Vanilla Spice’ provides extra large, fragrant summer blooms.
It’s a native small shrub that grows 6 ft tall by 5 ft. wide. It’s deer resistant and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. The attractive, glossy dark green leaves set off the pure white summer flowers. Plant it near the deck or patio to enjoy the sweet scent in mid-summer.