10 Best Fragrant Trees for Your Landscaping

Apple Trees (Malus domestica)

The Malus genus includes roughly 50 species of apple trees, ranging from dwarf varieties that are barely six feet tall to species that can serve as small shade trees at 30 feet or more. Apple trees yield not only sweet-smelling fragrant flowers but also edible fruit, provided there is suitable pollinator present.

The varieties grown for edible apples are mostly cultivars from Malus domestica. One of the more popular multitasking varieties to grow is 'Honeycrisp,' which matures to about 20 feet tall with a similar spread. The flowers generally appear in April, giving way to full-bodied fruit that matures in early to mid-fall.

The Cameron Select brand of 'Honeycrisp' is a dwarf tree, standing just eight to 10 feet tall.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9 (depending on variety)
• Color Varieties: White or pinkish white
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Medium-moisture, slightly acidic, well-drained soil

Crabapple Trees (Malus spp.)

Closely related to the Malus domestica varieties of eating apples, the crabapple species within the Malus genus are grown principally for the profuse flowers appearing in early spring. Crabapples come in a variety of sizes, from seven feet to 20 feet or more, and feature a broader range of flower color variations. There are also fruitless cultivars available (such as the white-flowered 'Spring Snow') if you don't like the mess created by the dropping fruit.

Crabapples produce a spectacular flush of blooms for about 10 days in mid- to late spring. The fruit is sometimes used in pies and jams, but these trees are generally grown for their flowers, which have a decidedly sweet smell.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
• Color Varieties: White, pink, purple, red
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Medium-moisture, slightly acidic, well-drained soil

Golden Chain Tree (Laburnu x watereri)

The golden racemes of Laburnum x watereri trees are bound to delight you most with their visual beauty, but they also pack a potent scent. Golden chain's display is like a shooting star, bursting onto the scene with incredible brilliance for a short period (spring, when the tree blooms) but then leaving just as suddenly with no bonus features to replace the floral display. So take sequence of bloom into account when planning your yard's design.

These trees grow 12 to 30 feet tall with about the same spread. A similar plant for warmer zones is Gardenia jasminoides. These shrubs can become eight feet tall (and up to eight feet wide), essentially functioning as small trees if trained properly. Grow them in zones 7 to 11, in partial shade.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 7
• Color Varieties: Yellow
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Rich, medium-moisture, well-drained soil

Purple Leaf Sandcherry (Prunus x cistena)

This tall shrub is best known for the purple color of its leaves. The sweetly fragrant white flowers blooming in mid-spring are a bonus, and the fruit that follows is attractive to birds. Purple leaf sandcherry grows up to 10 feet high, with a spread of eight feet. The flowers are mainly pink when they first open; as the color fades, the blossoms become white. This is an excellent small specimen tree or accent tree.

• USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 8
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-drained soil

Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin)

Albizia julibrissin is known as a high-maintenance plant in some regions, mostly because its invasive growth habit requires constant attention. The pink flowers appear later than most flowering trees, in June and July. The flowers are not only fragrant but also exotic-looking, and the fern-like foliage is also interesting. Silk trees have mature dimensions of 20 to 40 feet tall, with a slightly wider spread.

• USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
• Color Varieties: Pink
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained soil

Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.)

Unlike many flowering trees and shrubs, the crape myrtles from the Lagerstroemia genus fill the landscape with color in late summer and early fall rather than in spring. Lagerstroemia indica may be the best-known crape myrtle in the U.S., along with the hybrid cultivar, 'Natchez'. But only one species myrtle has truly fragrant flowers—the Japanese type (Lagerstroemia fauriei).

This 8-to-40-foot plant (15 to 25 feet wide) is suited to zones 7 to 9. Beyond the fragrance of its flowers, its benefits include resistance to powdery mildew and attractive peeling bark in a cinnamon color.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
• Color Varieties: Rose to red
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained soil

American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens)

Wisteria is a climbing woody vine, but it can easily be trained as a standard to look and function like a tree. There are three main species of wisteria—American (W. frutescens), Chinese (W. sinensis), and Japanese (W. floribunda). While the Asian forms are the most fragrant, they can be seriously invasive in North America, so the American wisteria, which can grow up to 40 feet tall, is the recommended type.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
• Color Varieties: Purple
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Humusy, well-drained, slightly acidic soil

Cherry Plums (Prunus cerasifera)

The cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a tall shrub (up to 25 feet) with notably fragrant flowers that appear in April. Shorter cultivars are also available if you prefer a more shrubby plant. With the species form, it's best to remove the lower branches to give it a tree form.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained loam

Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)

Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) ranges in size from 15 to 100 feet in height and from 10 to 20 feet in width, depending on the zone in which grows. Its flowers appear in late spring, emitting a lemony scent. At the northern end of its hardiness range, this tree will need protection from the cold to survive the winter. In colder climates, it tends to grow as a multi-stemmed shrub, remaining only about 10 to 20 feet tall, but in the warmer south, it often grows as a single-trunked evergreen tree as much as 60 feet tall.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic, medium moisture to wet soil

Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Canadian hemlock is the exception on this list when it comes to choosing fragrant trees that are short enough to easily enjoy their sweet-smelling flowers. Not only is this a very tall tree (as much as 130 feet), but also it doesn't flower at all. Tsuga canadensis is a conifer. Its fragrance comes from the evergreen needles covering the branches.

As an evergreen, this plant is also great for the winter landscape. In fact, you can harvest the sweet-smelling boughs and use them in natural Christmas decorations. Canadian hemlocks can make for great hedges if maintained as shrubs.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
• Color Varieties: Non-flowering
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained soil