fragrant flowering plant for hanging basket?

I'd like to pot a scented flowering plant in a hanging basket. I've seen lots of annuals but nothing fragrant. Any suggestions for something that will work? There will be full morning light.

Are you just looking for one kind of plant for the basket? That would mean it would need to be full enough to 'carry the show' so to speak. But I was thinking what about something from the carnation/pink/dianthus family. They smell so good! Plus, if you found on in the mid-size range I think they would hang all right. There is always sweet alyssum...it smells wonderful but would need to be mixed with something. And don't forget petunias! They look great in baskets and smell fabulous...I don't know about the new multis or wave petunias...anyone know if they still have a good fragrance?

Hope that gives you some inspiration. Plus, I think you can search in the advanced search under PlantFiles...put in your zone and annual and I think there is a variable for fragrance...

Good Luck!!
Planti

I use scented geraniums, because I haven't time for annuals. They would make a good summer plant if you stay unattached and toss it when if freezes. There is one called coconut that has small white flowers all summer and doesn't require a lot of care if you give it a good dose or osmocote and regular water. It is pretty common in the plant trade.

Thanks. I hadn't decided whether to plant a combination of plants or a single type.

I don't think the wave, easy wave, or Tidal waves have a fragrance-maybe if you stick your nose right in it lol, but I don;t think thats what you were thinking of. But you can't beat the Tidal wave for a hanging basket-it will fill that baby out in no time.
The sweet alyssum will only bloom for a short time-as soon as it gets hot-forget it. Same with the carnations.
I grow annuals for a living, and I can't think of anything that is that fragrant, maybe moonflower-but it need full sun to bloom and it only blooms at night.

Andi,
perhaps you'd like to post this on the Fragrant Gardening forum to get many more suggestions.

I grow several heirloom petunias that are wonderfully scented. OF Vining is my fave for hanging baskets.You can get a lot of these at Select Seeds. Also FlowerScent Gardens has a ton of fragrant annuals. They are temp closed but will re-open soon.

try sweet pea and morning glories. I also grew a moonflower in one last year. I am hoping they'll come back. Also, for nontrailing types try minature roses or dwarf varieties of lilies.

Slects Seeds is great! That where I got my flowers for last year's hanging annual pot!

I'm in Phoenix via San Francisco. We grew Daphne in SF. Very wonderful fragrant flower/shrub. I wonder if it would work in a hanging basket? Might look into it. I love it alot but cannot grow it here due to heat and lack of humidity.

I can recommend two plants: night-scented stock (matthiola bicornis) and mignonette (reseda odorata).

Neither of these is a showy plant. Tuck one or two into your basket where they won't really be seen, with other plants to give the strong visual impact. The stock is a trailing, insignificant-looking thing with small, pale pink/mauve flowers which open at night, and provide a ravishing vanilla/clove fragrance. Mixed with other trailers, it wouldn't even be noticed visually, but will still do its job. The mignonette can be a little more obvious, but isn't really a pretty bloom (there are some good photos in PlantFiles). Again, with other dominant visual plants, it can be your secret 'fragrance weapon' in the container. It smells like crushed raspberries.

If you like some vertical interest in your hanging baskets, try dwarf heliotrope (Lemoine strain, blue-eyes or marine). It grows about 10-12" high and has broccoli-shaped heads of intense purply-blue blossoms, great with gold marigolds and a blue-grey trailer, or with a rose or silver Wave petunia.

I love sweet peas in my haning baskets. They smell absolutely yummy! Since I use the wire baskets with coco liners, I put sweet peas in the top, and alyssum around the sides and bottoms of my baskets.

kanita

Trailing carnations are good in hanging baskets and they smell yummy!

I've never seen trailing carnations.

kanita

Kanita,
There are a couple of diff. ones[that I know about]. I *think* T&M sells seeds for one type. I will post pics of the one I have when it blooms. I can show it now but it's ugly- lol! I will post later with the name of it as I can't think of it now. I think its called 'Clove Drop'.

Here it is...... full of buds. Its gorgeous when it blooms. It stays evergreen for me as do its cousins- dianthus.

I have been keeping an eye out for seedlings in the plants mentioned, but haven't found any. I will look for seeds to start.

Andi,
go to the seed trading forum and we'll hook you up- lol!

berrygirl - what is T&M? I don't think we have those here.

kanita

Thompson & Morgan- sorry! http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/product/3180/1
This is the trailing one they have.

Here's my Clove Drop: http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&SearchText=CARNATION&mainPage=textsearchresults&RequestType=NewRequest

This message was edited Apr 6, 2006 8:11 PM

This message was edited Apr 6, 2006 8:18 PM

Thanks Berrygirl!

kanita

Berrygirl- I found the Thompson & Morgan seeds at a store out here, unfortunately, there weren't any trailing carnations.

Poo!

kanita

Kanita,
I'm so sorry! I'll bet that Parks has their seed though. IMO, it's prettier.
If I knew how to harvest seeds from these you could have some of mine.