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Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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Posted by victory_tea2085 z6 Ny (My Page) on Tue, Nov 10, 09 at 0:30
| Just moved into a small village, sold 50 acres and a house and now have a half acre and a house. Want to plan my landscape well. Really want an ultra fragrant tree near the deck that overlooks the village pond. I'm 63, so I would like (at least) a medium growth tree. Please give me some suggestions! Paul |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Seems as if you need a tree that will not litter the pond too much. One that does not clog any filters or fountain pumps that are installed in the pond. Is this correct? If so you need a tree which only drops debri directly beneath itself, and which does not produce seeds that wildlife can spread into the pond. But even that might not be enough, since the tree is to be planted near a deck. For the deck the tree should not drop any litter. These issues will greatly limit your tree choices. Maybe instead you might end up more easily finding fragrant shrubs, which have the correct growth potential for the area around the deck, and then you could plant a large enough tree that could be planted far enough from the deck to avoid such litter issues, and yet still create the mood affect you are desiring for the area. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| A sweetbay magnolia (M. virginiana),especially the multistemmed ones, is graceful, has highly fragrant blooms and blooms for about 6 weeks in June into July. Lovely small tree. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| have you ruled out shrubs ???? daphne is intense .... and relatively small .... there are fragrant hosta for august dwarf lilac ... i wonder if there are dwarf mock orange [philidelphus] .... i guess what i am getting at is that when i think about fragrance... i do NOT think about trees ... i think shrubs ... and perennials ... and i do NOT think of one plant.. which.. if you are lucky.. up here in the great white north ... you get 1 to 2 weeks of fragrance .... think multiple plants ... with fragrance over the whole summer .... oh.. autumn clematis is very nice in September .... no experience with the sweetbay good luck ken |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| You might consider Osmanthus americanus - it is the native version of tea olive and is hardy to zone 5 (tea olive is only hardy to zone 7b, I think). It is a slow to medium growth tree, so you might want to get a bigger specimen. |
Here is a link that might be useful: American olive
Also
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| I forgot to mention the native crabapple, Malus coronaria for your area. They can be quite fragrant. There are probably cultivars available as well. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Dwarf Mock Orange, aka Snowbelle, Very Fragrant and only 3-4' x 3-4' or so my tag says. Time and age will tell on size since mine is only in it's second season, but it does smell lovely while in bloom |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Chinese fringe tree "chionanthus virginicus" is a good choice. Paulownias are also very fragrant, but some people will tell you not to plant them because they can be slightly invasive. Also, no one has mentioned wisterias, which can be pruned into a tree form. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Katrina; I,m not worried about the debris at all. The deck is at least 5o feet from the pond. i will research the other trees and shrubs mentioned- thanks so much!! |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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Oh yeah, no one mentioned these:
-White flowering forsythia (abelliophyllum distichum)
-Fragrant wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
-Witch Hazel (many species)
-Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus) I know there are others. I'll get back to you on this one. This is an interesting topic! |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| i gotta tell you.. a witchhazel blooming in february in my z5 garden.. was rather not worth the space it took.. since the temps were usually in single digits at the time... one of the few plants i left at the old house when i moved .... ken |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| There's more than one different species of witch hazel, and it's possible that the one that you had wasn't the most "floriferous" (is that even a word lol) shall we say. If you take a look at cultivars like "arnold promise", "jelena", or "birgit" (just to name a few) you'll also see that there's quite a few different colors to choose from. Arnold promise is the generic yellow type, jelena is orange, and birgit is sort of a pinkish-red type color. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Don't forget scented foliage, too. Plants like Balsam Fir and Box will give you scent year-round as long as the temperature is warm enough to make the scent volatile. Only trouble is, most of the best ones I can think of off-hand aren't hardy in zone 6. Resin |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Dig deep Resin. You're one of my favorite posters and I have quoted you in more than one of our tree discussions. I think I can grow Balsam fir- any other suggestions? Paul |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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Here is one application where a mimosa would fit in. They have a lovely fragrance at nite during summer.
they're not too invasive in zone six. Some of the other trees mentioned bloom when it is still cold outside and their fragrance not enjoyed because we are still inside.
I know some think they should never be planted at all but in zone 6 I've only seen them turn invasive at the 76 conservation area where one was planted in what is now a ghost town. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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- Posted by brandon7 6b (like 7b now) TN (My Page) on
Thu, Nov 12, 09 at 20:09
| "(Albizia julibrissin is) not too invasive in zone six." It may not be a big problem in New York (I don't really know), but it is definitely a serious problem in many zone 6 areas. It is listed as significantly invasive in northern states including DC, KY, MA, NJ, VA, and WV. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| Why would anyone plant weeds like paulownia and albizia/silktree that are only fragrant when in bloom when you can plant something really awesome like a Katsura that is fragrant throughout the season especially in the fall and spring. |
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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| For the 'most ultra fragrant tree' I vote for the Magnolia virginiana option - you can grow as a single trunk or multistem shrub. Their native range is wet areas, but it's adaptable. It may not be the best looking tree, and the blooms are not real showy, but their fragrance makes up for it, for me. The mockingbirds eat the seeds later. |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
RE: Most fragrant tree for zone 6
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I'm not sure about how big or how fast they grow--never growing one myself, but where I used to work, there were clusters of Linden trees and the fragrance from the flowers would be intoxicating on warm spring mornings.--I always used to think it was jasmine. Magnolia virginiana as mentioned above is also great for its heavy, luxuriant fragrance.--And while I love the blooms on M. grandiflora, I find the fragrance of virginiana to be much more intense,heavy, and pervasive. Also, I would suggest that you possibly consider a variety of aromatic plants to lengthen the season because most anything you plant is going to have a limited season of optimal fragrance. Also a word of caution in your attempt to get fragrant trees, shrubs or herbs--keep in mind that some flowers and aromas are particularly attractive to bees. I would do a little research on whatever you go with to make sure you're not attracting every bee in the neighborhood to the deck area.
Good luck! |
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