What scented small trees to plant?

[PennyH]

I have a small bed near my front door I just removed most of the red bark mulch and I am wanting to plant one or two small trees or shrubs and some ground cover.

Melbourne bayside suburb, the bed is N /NE facing and gets sun from morning to mid afternoon

I am hoping for something that smells really lovely I thought perhaps frangipani planted close to the brick wall but something that has leaves all year would be nicer. Would gardenia work?

Main thing is that is has a lovely scent and if it has a costal vibe even better. If there are recs for ground cover that works with it even better

this is the bed before I moved the mulch and plant

 this is it now

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @PennyH,

For your garden bed, you could plant a Gardenia Augusta ‘Florida’ and an Osmanthus fragrans as the two main shrubs. The gardenia has glossy green leaves and gorgeous white flowers with a strong, sweet scent in summer. The osmanthus is also evergreen, with neat, dense foliage and tiny flowers that release a beautiful perfume, especially in the cooler months. Both stay small and tidy, so they won’t overwhelm the space.

To fill out the ground, try Star Jasmine ‘Flat Mat’ and Rosemary ‘Irene’. The star jasmine makes a soft, evergreen carpet and bursts into fragrant white flowers in spring and summer, adding brightness and a lovely scent right at the entrance. The rosemary hugs the ground with trailing, silvery-green leaves that smell wonderful when brushed against, and it produces small purple-blue flowers that give a relaxed, coastal feel. Together, they’ll keep your garden bed looking lush and inviting all year round.

Allow me to tag our knowledgeable gardeners @Noelle and @robchin to see if they have any recommendations.

Jacob

[Noelle]

Hi @PennyH 

I like the sound of Jacob's recommendations - evergreen, fragrant shrubs will do well in that location. Frangipani can be a little temperamental in Melbourne gardens, preferring an enclosed, sheltered courtyard rather than just a north-facing wall. To add to the coastal feel, you could include coastal rosemary (westringia) which will complement the traditional rosemary in both foliage and flower colour.

It's not a huge area so don't overcrowd it - all the plants suggested will fill out the space within a year or two.