12 plants for evening scent

Angel's trumpet

The scented, trumpet-like flowers of brugmansia can reach 30cm long and range in colour from white to soft orange and red. Brugmansia suaveolens is tender, so is best grown in a pot and given winter protection. All parts of the plant are poisonous, so handle with care.

Hesperis matronalis

The fragrance of Hesperis matronalis, or sweet rocket, is as sweet as a violet's, and most pronounced in the evening. It's a biennial, available in pink and white forms, and self-seeds readily around the garden.

Tobacco plant

Nicotiana sylvestris is a tall tobacco plant bearing elegant, long, white flowers with an intense fragrance, especially in the evening. Grow it at the back of a border or in a large pot. It's a biennial or short-lived perennial that self-seeds readily.

Night phlox

Night phlox (Zaluzianskya ovata) is a neatly domed, compact evergreen. It is smothered with pretty, white scented flowers in summer. It's not reliably hardy, so is best grown in a pot and brought under cover during winter. Deadhead regularly.

Petunia

You may be surprised to hear that petunias are scented – especially at night. The Tumbelina series gives off a vanilla perfume. Grow in hanging baskets or pots.

Wisteria

Many wisterias are scented, but Wisteria floribunda cultivars are said to have the strongest scent at night. Grow over a pergola or against a house wall, where the scent can waft in from an open window.

Star jasmine

Night-scented plants - Trachelospermum jasminoides

From mid- to late summer, star jasmine or Trachelospermum jasminoides produces pretty white fragrant flowers. This evergreen climber is borderline hardy and is best grown against a wall in mild areas.

Regal lily

Lilium regale bears strongly scented, trumpet-shaped white flowers that are flushed with pink. Plants are easy to grow from bulbs, and do well in a sunny border or container display. They also make excellent cut flowers. Toxic to cats.