12 Fragrant White Flowers That'll Make Your Patio Smell Good All Summer Long

As a professional gardener, when my clients want to plant flowers near a patio, they often go for easy-care annuals that can be grown in containers. But if your space allows it, you should also consider adding some perennials to your design. For summer enjoyment, white flowers offer lovely illumination at night. Also, if you're like me, you enjoy fragrant flowers near your outdoor seating areas. I've gathered a list of fragrant white flowers, both annual and perennial, to plant near your patio for fragrant summer days and nights.

Pale flowers, including white and pastel colors like pale pink, blue, or yellow, are wonderful in the summer garden where we often linger as dusk arrives. The popularity of moon gardens is a sign that this magical dusk experience of gentle illumination from flowers is one sought after by many gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Planted near your patio, white flowers pick up the low light from hanging lights or torches, adding a subtle glow.

Fragrant flowers by the patio can provide pleasing scents day or night, depending on their variety. Some plants bloom at night, like moonflowers or night-blooming jasmine, releasing their intoxicating perfume after the sun goes down. Note that some fragrant flowers derive their sweet scents from nectar, meaning they will attract pollinators. You may want to consider locating pollinator-friendly plants a bit further from your seating area if guests or family members are anxious about bees.

The moonflower (Ipomoea alba) is a popular annual to grow as a vining climber that will cover an arbor or trellis and reach up to 12 feet in height. The large flowers resemble morning glories, and their pure white hue and habit for opening at night earned them their name. They also have a delicious fragrance to enjoy after the sun goes down, when their pale luminous color also provides some illumination in the garden. 

If you spend a lot of time on your patio, and there is space to accommodate a rose bush, then planting fragrant roses is a great way to add a touch of beauty and elegance. There's a variety of rose forms, including shrub roses, miniature roses, climbing roses, and more. The most fragrant roses tend to be hybrid tea roses (like 'Sugar Moon', hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 19), David Austin roses (like 'Winchester Cathedral', hardy in zones 5 to 11), and heirloom roses, but there are many fragrant white roses to grow. The 'Iceberg' floribunda rose, hardy from 5 to 9, is a sturdy and reliable bloomer with a light, sweet fragrance.

A romantic flower popular in the Victorian era, heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) is a lovely addition to the summer annual garden. It comes in many colors, from pastels to brights. The white variety with tiny yellow centers sold by Select Seeds may be an heirloom variety known as 'White Lady' mentioned in a catalog from 1892. It produces sprays of tiny white flowers with a delectable almond-like fragrance all summer. Note that this plant is toxic if eaten by humans or pets.

Tall garden phlox provides weeks of color in the late summer garden, and the heirloom varieties have wonderful old-fashioned floral fragrance. 'David' is one of the most popular varieties of pure white phlox: It grows 2 to 3 feet tall and has large full panicles of fragrant flowers. This hardy heirloom, which is suitable for planting in zones 4 to 8, is also very resistant to powdery mildew, which can be a problem with tall phlox. Give it partial to full sun, well-drained soil, and space for air circulation.

Petunias are excellent, colorful annual flowers for containers that keep blooming all summer long. All they need is some sun, regular watering, and occasional deadheading. There are many varieties of white petunia, but the most fragrant one is 'Rainmaster', which has large frilly white flowers featuring striking lime green centers.

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), also known as butterfly weed, is a fragrant pollinator magnet. The most common native variety has bright pink flowers, but there are also cultivars in white. The 'Ice Ballet' cultivar has creamy white flowers with a sweet vanilla-like fragrance. This is an important plant for all pollinators, but especially the monarch butterfly, which eats the leaves. It does best in full sun and well-drained soil, can handle partial sun or moist spots, and is suitable for rain gardens. Plant it in zones 4 to 9.

Sweetpeas (Lathyrus odoratus) are an old-fashioned annual flower with a sweet floral fragrance and a gorgeous array of colors. They grow on a short vine and look great planted in containers with a small trellis. You can plant them from seed in early spring, and they will sometimes reseed in the garden. There are several white varieties available, including snow white 'Royal White' and 'Old Times', which are a creamy ivory color with a faint outline of violet on the petals.

There are several varieties of ornamental tobacco flowers (Nicotiana), which come in a range of colors. The most fragrant white variety, Nicotiana alata, is also called jasmine tobacco for its sweet, heady perfume that is reminiscent of jasmine flowers. The 'Perfume White' variety is also very fragrant. This tropical plant, which grows easily from seed, is planted after last frost date. It can get up to 4 feet tall, so give it some space; it makes a good "thriller" in a large patio planter. Nicotiana's tubular flowers attract hummingbirds as well as other pollinators to their fragrant nectar.

Though they come in a few different colors, including pink, purple, and yellow, the white variety of sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) seems to be the most common and popular. The honey-like fragrance and sweet nectar of this annual plant attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. These qualities, plus the ability of the plant to form a tough weed-resistant mat, make it popular for vegetable gardens, where it may reseed and become a perennial presence. These plants are also perfect "spillers" in patio containers. Gently shear off spent flowers to encourage another round of bloom.

Stocks (Matthiola incana) are also known as gillyflowers. These spring and summer blooming plants are favorites for cottage gardens and containers, with their colorful velvety blooms and subtle clove-like fragrance, similar to carnations. They perform well in partial sun, planted in well-draining soil. Snip the spent flower stalks to encourage more blooms. There's a range of rich colors and a few white varieties to try growing from seed, including 'White Goddess', 'Quartet White', and 'Early Arrow White'.

There are a few varieties of dianthus, also known as pinks, sweet William, or carnations, depending on the variety. They have a clove-like floral fragrance and bloom from May through October with a bit of deadheading. Give them full sun and good drainage. Two great white varieties with handsome double flowers that provide delicious fragrance all season are 'Memories' and 'Frosty'. These perennials are hardy in zones 5 to 9.

Coneflower (Echinacea) comes in several white varieties, most with a faint green tinge to the petals. Though coneflowers aren't particularly known for fragrance, there is one wonderfully fragrant white coneflower. 'Fragrant Angel,' hardy from zones 4 to 9, has large center seed cones that will attract pollinators in summer and birds in fall. These easy-care perennials are long-blooming and ask for little, just full sun and well-draining soil. They're drought-tolerant and disease-resistant.