The table calls it a tie: Lily and Stephanotis share the crown at 86 and 86 of 100, a gap smaller than the data can honestly split.
No flower gets on this page without a documented fragrance record: sources silent means not ranked, because a scent list built on guesses is perfume marketing. Intensity on record carries the most weight, then the months and the cut stems that bring it indoors.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Scent intensity on record: none, strong (worst of range) · Months the scent is in the garden: 3 months · Scent you can cut and bring in: sold in most shops
Flaws, not dealbreakers:toxic to cats
Deer: sometimes eaten (Rutgers C)Not for cat households
86/ 100tap for the breakdown
Scent intensity on record40 / 40none, strong (worst of range)
Months the scent is in the garden10 / 203 months
Scent you can cut and bring in15 / 15sold in most shops
Care while it grows15 / 15low
Indoor fallback for winter6 / 10temporary indoor bloom
Scent intensity on record: strong · Months the scent is in the garden: 4 months · Scent you can cut and bring in: sold by specialist growers
Flaws, not dealbreakers:asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B)Not for cat households
77/ 100tap for the breakdown
Scent intensity on record40 / 40strong
Months the scent is in the garden15 / 204 months
Scent you can cut and bring in11 / 15sold by specialist growers
Care while it grows8 / 15medium
Indoor fallback for winter3 / 10outdoor only
The protocol
How the score is built
5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Scent intensity on record40 pointsroom-filling, documented strong 40; clearly noticeable, moderate 26 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Months the scent is in the garden20 pointseight or more months 20; six to seven 18; four to five 15; three 10; two 5; one 2; no bloom data 5 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Scent you can cut and bring in15 pointssold in most shops cut 15; sold by specialist growers 11; garden cut 8; not grown for cutting 3 Read from: whether it is grown as a cut flower.
Care while it grows15 pointslow upkeep 15; middling 8; demanding 2; sources disagree, we average the range; no rating 6 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Indoor fallback for winter10 pointslives indoors year-round 10; temporary indoor bloom 6; outdoor only 3 Read from: indoor viability.
Not ranked here: no more than light fragrance on record: cannot rank among the most fragrant.
The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten
The 10 highest of 13 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Scent you can cut and bring in15 / 15sold in most shops
Care while it grows8 / 15medium
Indoor fallback for winter6 / 10temporary indoor bloom
Considered, not chosen
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
no more than light fragrance on record: cannot rank among the most fragrantRoses, Tulips, Peonies and 69 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Lily
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
