Twilight flowers that smell strongly at dusk have qualities that are revealed or enhanced as the sun goes down. This adds an extra dimension to a garden and allows you to make the most of your outdoor space in the evenings, which takes on a particular importance if you’re out at work all day.
Night-scented plants release heady perfumes, while the cool tones of blues, lilacs, creams and whites come to the fore as they develop a luminescence in low light levels.
Use our top ten favourites around a seating area and grow some in pots near doors and windows so that their fragrance drifts indoors too.
Night-scented flowers that smell at sunset
1. Matthiola longipetala subsp. bicornis
Night-scented stock is a hardy annual that’s quick and easy to grow from seed. Although its short, wiry stems look a tad scruffy in daylight when the flowers are tightly closed, the pale pink, lilac and ivory blooms unfurl as the light fades. This is when they gleam like tiny stars and emit an intoxicating perfume.
2. Dianthus ‘Memories’
The spicy clove aroma of garden pinks lingers well into the evening. ‘Memories’ was bred by Whetman Pinks in Devon and is similar to classic ‘Mrs Sinkins’, but much improved. It is compact with narrow, grey-green leaves and sparkly white blooms. These have a long flowering season, from May to October, if you keep deadheading.
3. Verbena bonariensis
The tiny clusters of purple flowers on tall, slender, branching stems of up to 2m take on almost neon qualities at dusk to create a haze of glowing colour. Verbena bonariensis isn’t completely hardy, but it will survive most winters and self-seed around and about. It thrives in full sun and free-draining soil.
4. Zaluzianskya ovata
Plant table-top pots with night phlox, a compact tender perennial that’s native to South Africa, whose scented blooms pack a punch. The deep-pink buds open in early evening to reveal unusual, white, heart-shaped petals and an intense evening perfume. Overwinter somewhere frost-free or treat it as an annual.
5. Gladiolus murielae
For late-summer scent and evening luminosity, plant bulbs of Abyssinian gladiolus, more commonly known as acidanthera, in pots. This tender bulb should be planted in late spring and will soon produce strappy green leaves and slim flower spikes with white petals and burgundy centres from August until October.
6. Gaura lindheimeri ‘The Bride’
The slim, wiry stems of gaura fade into the evening gloom so that the delicate white flowers look like tiny, fluttering butterflies. This is a tender perennial that can easily be grown from seed if sown in early spring. Plant it in free-draining soil and mulch in autumn with chipped bark to help to protect it from cold weather.
7. Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’
One of the most evocative scents of summer has to be that of lilies. The oriental lily ‘Casa Blanca’ produces huge, trumpet-shaped flowers on stems up to 1m high, which give off a heady perfume. The white blooms will also sparkle in the gloaming. It needs acid soil, or can be grown in containers filled with ericaceous compost.
8. Lonicera ‘Rhubarb and Custard’
Honeysuckle is a quintessential English garden scent but it can be quite a rampant climber. For small spaces try this new cultivar, which grows to around 2 metres by 1.5m across. It’s ideal for growing over a covered seating area and compact enough to be grown in a large container with an obelisk for it to scramble up.
9. Fatsia japonica
As light fades so does our ability to see, and small details in particular are lost. So try using plants with bold foliage and striking silhouettes like fatsia – its glossy leaves are useful too since they will reflect outdoor lighting. It’s hardy in most places, but new growth can be damaged by late frosts so give it a sheltered spot.
10. Nicotiana sylvestris
White flowers can often appear washed out in strong sunshine, but twilight is their time to shine. This tobacco plant is a statuesque beauty with tall stems (up to 1.5m) and long, white, trumpet- shaped flowers held in drooping clusters that give off a sweet perfume at dusk. It will happily cope with some shade.
