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Your Garden: Memorial Day Weekend 2018

Fragrant flowers are great additions to your garden – just be mindful of the bugs they may attract.
Credit: Garden Photo World/David C Phillips via Getty Images
Rosa The Herbalist, shrub rose, David Austin English Rose

YARMOUTH (NEWS CENTER Maine) — It's Memorial Day weekend in the garden and while you are smelling hot dogs and hamburgers we are smelling flowers and fragrant plants.

You've got to stop and smell the roses. It's always about roses. They are a great choice for fragrance.

Tom Estabrook of Estabrook’s in Yarmouth suggests David Austin roses, which he says are hearty and long blooming. The only thing you really need to be cautious about is Japanese beetles on them. So if you are concerned about Japanese beetles, Tom suggests you cut the flowers while they are in bud stage. Put them in a vase inside and, that way, you'll enjoy the fragrance and avoid the beetle problem. Otherwise, place them by the patio, put them in a container, somewhere where you will smell them.

Fragrant flowers typically attract more bees and insects, so that is the downside of planting them, but Tom believes the payoff is worth it.

He also suggests:

- Fragrant Viburnum, or Mayflower Viburnum or the carlesii types. They are hybrids and very fragrant, long blooming and beautiful fall color. They get about 8-by-8 feet tall but you can keep it smaller by pruning. Full sun to part shade.

- Daphne Carol Mackey. The have variegated foliage and strong fragrance. One concern about this plant is that it cannot withstand snow load. You'll want to put something over the top.

- Lilacs are a favorite. The re-blooming lilacs are popular. Cut it back 30- to 40-percent after the first bloom and your get sporadic flowers through the summer.

- Dianthus. The carnation type or Oscar series smell nice. Great for use as a centerpiece. These are annuals.

- Irises, you never really think about a bearded iris smelling good but it does. All the varieties are fragrant. They are subtle.

For all of these, put them by doorways patios and decks, areas where you are going to open the window and it will waft through the house. High traffic areas where you will get the benefit of the fragrance. Also full sun to part shade. Memorial Day !

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