Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' is an extremely fragrant plant, ideal for adding an aromatic touch to your garden.

Also known as Daphne odorante, this shrubby plant is prized for its small pink and white flowers, which emit an intense, intoxicating fragrance.

Its aroma is often described as extremely pleasant and intoxicating, reminiscent of a mixture of jasmine and clove, with a hint of lemon.

How to grow Daphne odora

1. Choose the right spot

Plant Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' in a semi-shaded spot, sheltered from strong winds. A position close to an entrance, path or patio will allow you to enjoy its fragrance to the full.

2. Preparing the soil

Make sure the soil is well drained and slightly acidic. Avoid heavy, clayey soils. Improve drainage by adding sand or gravel to the soil if necessary.

3. Plant at the right depth

Dig a hole twice as wide as the plant's root ball, but no deeper. Place the Daphne in the centre of the hole, making sure that the top of the root ball is level with the ground. Fill the hole with the soil mixture and tamp lightly.

4. Water correctly

Water the plant well after planting to help establish the root system. Then keep the soil slightly moist but never soggy. Water regularly, especially during dry spells.

5. Mulch and protect

Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the plant to conserve soil moisture and reduce weeds. Mulch also helps to protect the roots from temperature variations.

The best scent in the garden

Smell is the most subtle and the most personal sense: what memories are linked to it!

Depending on our upbringing and experiences, we all have a 'bank of scents' that serve as a personal reference point.

A delicate scent of violets can evoke a wave of nostalgia, a memory of a beloved grandmother; almonds, the little pot of white glue from school... On the other hand, certain smells are unbearable, often linked to bad memories.

There are plenty of opportunities to experiment with your sense of smell in the garden. When you go for a walk, try it out: forget your eyes for a moment and wander around with your nose in the wind, on the lookout for the slightest smell: wet earth, a fleeting scent in the air... You'll soon enjoy being surprised by the intoxicating or subtle fragrances of the plants and, over time, your sense of smell will become more refined.

Brush against them as you pass, rub the leaves, and don't hesitate to note the smells that enchant you and ask for the names of the plants that seduce you.

Multiple factors

In the garden, our sense of smell depends on a number of factors, the weather being the most important. Warmth and sunshine, combined with ideal humidity, generally cause flowers to blossom and express their fragrance.

On the other hand, cold, overcast weather compromises many sensory pleasures. Fortunately, this does not apply to many winter or mid-season flowering plants, such as daphne, witch hazel or certain viburnums, which release their fragrance at all costs.

Plants with fragrant foliage give off their essential oils mainly in overpowering heat, as is the case in the maquis or garrigue.

As for the aromatic plants of the Mediterranean climate, they can perfume an entire garden like their counterparts in the Australian bush or the Californian chaparral.

The right moment

If you want to enjoy the garden's fragrant flowers, the best time is in the morning, when the sun warms up. That's when the roses, jasmines, honeysuckles and other flowers just in bloom give off their best scent, sometimes to the point of making your head spin.

Midday is a good time to try out the aromatic foliage - lemon balm, sage or oregano - which you can caress, or even crumple up as you go.

Their essential oils can then be enjoyed to the full. In the evening, flowers programmed to attract nocturnal pollinators take over. These include daturas or 'angel trumpets', night gallant, tuberose and belle-de-nuit, to name but a few...

The right place

Depending on the strength of each plant's exhalations, place the plants with the most discreet fragrances in a confined area (patio, undergrowth, loggia, etc.) or grow them in pots so you can smell them up close. Conversely, place the most intoxicating plants at the mercy of air currents, which will spread their heavy fragrance.

How do you create a fragrant garden?

To get the most out of your plants' fragrance, it's essential to place them where you want them. Highly scented plants spread their fragrance far and wide: place them in such a way as to draw you to different corners of the garden, such as a flowering hedge, or at the foot of windows to create a fragrant atmosphere indoors.

Place moderately fragrant plants along access paths and paths around the house.

To appreciate the most delicate fragrances, place them near places where you can stop and relax, such as a secluded bench, an arbour, a plant alcove or at nose level, on a low wall with flowers or in pots or planters perched high above the ground.

A plant for every hour

To make the most of your fragrant plants, take two criteria into account: your habits (do you like to walk around the garden early in the morning, or do you prefer an evening stroll to relax before going to bed, for example) and the optimum time for each plant to bloom and/or emanate its fragrance.

This will help you to plant the daytime and night-time flowers in the right places: in the seating area, around the barbecue, the pool, the arbour, the dining area, etc.

A plant for every season

Putting fragrant plants together at the same time and in the same place can lead to an unpleasant mix of smells. Instead, think in terms of seasonal appeal.

Create islands where fragrant plants mix with others that bloom in succession over time. Do the same with late-season or winter-flowering plants. Placed around the house, you can enjoy their fragrance without dreading the cold weather.

Make the most of every nook and cranny

Some areas of the garden are better suited than others to planting scented plants: undergrowth, which retains spring scents such as those of wild or cultivated hyacinths; confined patios, where delicate fragrances are concentrated in the absence of wind; or a south-facing loggia.

Relevant combinations

With experience, it's tempting to concoct fragrances by combining complementary scented plants. For example, plant sweet-smelling Viburnum carlesii or x carlcephalum next to a rose rubiginosa or eglanteria, whose young spring foliage smells of green apples.

Touch them!

Place plants with aromatic foliage within easy reach or, better still, let them spill out of the flowerbeds to brush against them as they pass through narrow paths.

Some, like camomile or Corsican mint, can even stand occasional trampling. All the more reason to include them in a paving slab or flowered staircase.

You can also plant a fragrant plant bed with creeping thyme, flowerless camomile or, in cool shade, Corsican mint to envelop you in their exquisite scents...

How do you smell a plant?

Wrap your hands around the flower in a closed cup.

Instil warmth and water vapour with your warm breath on the corolla. It is the oxidation of the essential oils contained in the tissues, often the petals, that allows the fragrances to be revealed.

Smell in successive waves to take advantage of the primary nuances, top notes that don't last long, heart notes and then the more persistent base notes.

To neutralise your sense of smell and move on to another fragrant flower or foliage, smell the skin on your arm or wrist.

What's the most fragrant plant to put in your garden?

Unquestionably Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'! This compact shrub produces small pink to white flowers with an intense, sweet fragrance that is particularly pleasing in late winter and early spring.

Its green leaves edged in golden yellow add a touch of colour even outside the flowering season. It prefers a semi-shaded spot, with well-drained, slightly acidic soil, and requires moderate watering.

Easy to care for, a little pruning after flowering is all that's needed to encourage new growth. Perfect near paths, entrances or patios, Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' not only beautifies your garden but also attracts pollinators, contributing to biodiversity.

A question of scent? Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' has an intense, sweet and spicy scent, often compared to an intoxicating blend of jasmine and clove, with a hint of lemon.

Its unique fragrance makes it a highly prized plant for its olfactory power, particularly appreciated in late winter and early spring, when few other plants are in flower.