Smell is one of the oldest evolutionary senses. African elephants can smell the water 20 km away. Insects detect smells, called pheromones, to communicate. The existence of human pheromones is debatable, although there are studies that show that tears can evoke a biological response in other humans.

You can train yourself to be a better sense of smell. Andrew Huberman of the excellent Huberman Lab podcast says you can improve your sense of smell by breathing deeply through your nose ten times before you smell anything. Everyone’s sense of smell varies and is due to genetic variation. Some people can’t stand the smell of cilantro. I can’t understand how anyone likes blue cheese.

You can expand the sensory palate of your garden with the addition of scent. Most people will agree that the following scents are wonderful additions, although it may depend on your scent genes.

The tea olive blooms throughout fall and winter with a fruity scent that at times permeates the neighborhood. The flowers are small, white and inconspicuous. You will probably smell them before you see them. This medium to large evergreen shrub makes a great display. The tea olive has very few insect and disease problems. It prefers full sun but tolerates some shade. However, the more shaded it is, the less fragrant it is.

Gardenia flowers are known for their sweet, fragrant scent in mid-spring. The white flower is a bit showy, until the petals turn yellow and then turn brown. The flowers cling to the shrub for days, resulting in a mixture of new and rather putrid flowers. Gardenia is medium in size and evergreen, good for screens. Dwarf gardenias are two or three feet tall. Plant in full sun to partial shade.

Gardenias don’t have many problems except whiteflies and sometimes scales. In the past, if you had a gardenia, you had whiteflies. In recent years, however, I haven’t noticed this insect so much on the gardenia. If whiteflies are present, they blacken the foliage with sooty mold. Shake a limb and the little insects will fly. Use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil and cover well under the leaves where immobile nymphs feed.

Confederate jasmine is an excellent twining evergreen vine. The scent of jasmine is more like tea olive than gardenia. It is loaded with small, white, star-shaped flowers in May that last for two weeks. Asian jasmine, which is the cousin of Confederate jasmine, grows more like a ground cover and is not as fragrant.

Confederate jasmine prefers full sun and grows quickly. It is perfect on hanging pergolas that cover a patio or deck. It is a fast growing plant that provides excellent shade. Wilted flowers fall off easily and need to be brushed off, but that’s a price to pay.

Daphne is an evergreen shrub that blooms in late winter. My first experience with this mighty little shrub was in a botanical garden. The area was infused with a delicious, sweet scent before we walked up a hill to find it planted en masse. Daphne is small, measuring only three feet tall, with clusters of tiny flowers.

In my experience, it can be difficult to grow, often succumbing to root disease. If you can find it in nurseries, it’s worth the challenge. Plant in the shade with good drainage.

Sweetshrub is a shrub I’ve heard people rave about, but I don’t notice the fruity scent without putting my nose into the flower. Sources claim that the intensity varies from plant to plant, so apparently I only encountered hiccups. If you find a good one, it’s supposedly a pretty nice one. Plant this deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub in the sun or shade. When happy, it can grow to six feet tall and blooms in late spring. Side note: the seeds are poisonous.

The banana tree is another that I don’t often notice without stopping to smell the flowers. A noticeable fruity aroma, the name of the plant is spot on, is quite pleasant in the spring. A handsome evergreen shrub, it will grow 10 feet or more and endure drought. Plant in full sun for best results.

Tony bertauski is a horticultural instructor at Trident Technical College. To give your opinion, email him at [email protected]