Heaven scent: a fragrance garden is an easy-to-grow treat for both the nose and the eyes.

Remember the utter joy you felt as a child when stumbling upon a honeysuckle bush? Does a single sniff of a fresh rose bring back visions of your first love? While all five senses evoke memories and emotions, some of the most precious and deepest memories are triggered by scents, many of which lie in the fragrance of flowers.

Since botanical fragrances hold such a presence in our lives, wouldn't it be fabulous to experience these breathtaking smells each time you walked out of your own home? Well, it's easy to do! Turn any spot in your yard into a scented paradise, and the joy of fragrance will become a constant in your life.

When beginning the process of creating a fragrance garden, carefully visualize the area. Take into consideration the direction of the wind, because you'll want the breeze to bring the fragrances rushing to your nose every time you step outside or open a window. Also, some types of flowers must be rubbed against in order to release their fragrance. These particular flowers are good choices for lining a walkway or path because whenever someone passes by, their scent will be released. If you really want to create a relaxing oasis, put in a small pond and surround the water with fragrant flowers.

Once you've decided on the area you're going to transform, consider the types of plants you wish to grow. Since Mississippi lies within zones seven and eight of the gardening map, be sure to purchase plants that will adapt to these particular zones. Next, consider whether you want annuals or perennials or a combination. Annuals live only one year, starting as a seed, then blooming, then returning to a seed. Perennials, on the other hand, return year after year and keep growing until they reach their full maturity.

Besides their lifespan, fragrant plants vary in shape, color, and type of fragrance. You can choose between vines, shrubs, bulbs, and trees, and spicy, sweet, or extremely sweet scents. Keep in mind that some scents will clash and others will complement each other. For example, a honeysuckle vine planted next to a summersweet shrub will keep your nose happy all summer long. Others do not mix quite as well. Of course, everyone has his or her own opinion of fragrance. What may be intoxicating to some people may be putrid to others. Another note: Don't choose a plant based solely on its name. For example, a chocolate mint scented geranium refers to the color of its leaves, not the scent it produces. Ah, too bad! So before you buy, check with a nursery professional about the actual fragrance of the plant. And always remember to coordinate colors. Although the purpose of this particular garden concerns fragrance, that doesn't mean you should disregard all visual beauty.

Now you're almost ready to begin planting! To get started, focus on one type of plant first. For example, begin with vines if you have a fence or arbors. The first vine that comes to mind has a scent that practically defines Southern summers. Yep, honeysuckle. But even though the scent makes you smile, the speed at which the vine grows might not. "The vine gets very out of hand and at times is extremely hard to control," says Marilyn Dillard, a Mississippi Master Gardener since 1994. So whether or not you're willing to devote a lot of upkeep to the vine depends on how strongly you crave that sweet scent. If you decide to take the challenge, one of the most fragrant honeysuckle vines is Giant Burmese honeysuckle. This beautiful vine produces bright yellow flowers that attract hummingbirds with their heady scent. Because the vine is evergreen, it always looks appealing, and you'll be breathing in sugar and honey from early spring until fall year after year.

Another vine that flourishes in the South is Carolina jessamine, which is the state flower of South Carolina. The vibrant yellow flowers complement other colors, so this vine will look wonderful next to purple and pink. As with honeysuckle, the scent is very sweet, and you'll be sucking in that sweetness from February to April when the plant is in full bloom. Try twining it around the sides of your porch, and your house will be the most popular place to kick back in the spring.

To increase the amount of fragrance and give fullness to your garden, invest in some aromatic shrubs and bushes. While it's only obvious that every fragrance garden must include a rose bush, it can get confusing when deciding between the dozens of options. One great choice is the Double Delight, a hybrid tea rose bush, which has creamy white flowers with a hint of pink. According to some gardeners, the scent comes close to the taste of sherbet. This rose bush will bloom for most of the spring and summer due to its unusually long bloom time.

Intrigue rose, also known in some nurseries as Lavaglut rose, is a hardy floribunda rose that blooms a purplish color from mid-spring into the fall. It produces a lemon-like scent, so you might want to plant it away from sweeter scents.

If roses are too cliched for your taste, try other fragrant shrubs, such as azalea, summersweet, lilac, or gardenia shrubs. One azalea bush with an extremely strong scent is appropriately called Sweet azalea. From July to September, this shrub produces crisp, white flowers with long, protruding red stamens. Try planting near honeysuckle and summersweet, which produces spikes of spicy, sweetsmelling white or pink blossoms during the same blooming season.

Gardenias prove to be all-time favorites for fans of fragrance. The single sniff of a gardenia shoots Dillard right back to her past. "In high school, our corsages were made from gardenias, and to this day I can't smell a gardenia without thinking about my youth," she says. To continue reliving those memories, Dillard planted Cape jasmine, a small gardenia bush, in her backyard. "The smell is so incredibly wonderful," she attests.

When it comes to fragrant bulbs, the choices go on and on. Woodstock giant hyacinth produces deep maroon flowers that give off a scent as intense as its color. The bulbs can be planted in containers or right in the soil of your garden. They'll be at their fullest bloom during the spring. Lilies are popular both for their beauty and fragrance. Go for the Oriental hybrid group, especially Regal lily, for a showy flower and fragrance during the hot summer months of July and August.

If you're blessed with patience, plant a tree somewhere within or slightly outside the perimeter of your garden. For us Southerners, what better choice is there than a magnolia tree? The intoxicating scent produced by these famous white flowers takes any man or woman back to their tree-climbing days. This evergreen tree will be around for years but usually blooms from March to July.

Dillard claims that the sweet olive tree carries the most powerful fragrance. "I planted it right next to my deck so whenever the wind blows, I get a whiff of its wonderful fragrance," she says.

Including an herb section in your fragrance garden will add to the overall array of scents and assist you in the kitchen. Plant culinary herbs such as sage, rosemary, thyme, and lavender for your enjoyment outside and at the dinner table.

It's best to do lots of homework before you start digging. If possible, visit a fragrance garden at a nearby botanical garden for ideas and inspiration. Fragrance gardens can be tricky due to the various options you're faced with, but don't worry--if you decide you're not satisfied with your garden, you can always rearrange it. Just as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty, your nose will be happy!

making scents of it all

Great plants for fragrance gardens

TREES:

* Magnolia

* Sweet olive

SHRUBS:

* Double Delight or Intrigue rose

* Sweet azalea

* Summersweet

* Lilac

* Gardenia

BULBS:

* Regal lily

* Woodstock giant hyacinth

VINES:

* Honeysuckle

* Carolina jessamine

HERBS:

* Lavender

* Rosemary

* Sage

* Thyme