The winner: Lily , 91/100. Runner-up: Yarrow at 86. Lowest upkeep of the qualifiers: Jasmine flower at 82.
Every flower here is scored by the same 5 published rules, using one open table of 85 flowers. No taste, no sponsors: tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it.
The picks
The flowers that won The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
91 91 WINNER WINNER YFG INDEX Scent intensity: strong · Bloom window: 3 months · Set-and-forget upkeep: low
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
toxic to cats
Deer: sometimes eaten (Rutgers C) Not for cat households
91 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 15 / 15 3 to 8
Indoor fallback 6 / 10 temporary indoor bloom
82 82 LOW-EFFORT PICK LOW-EFFORT PICK YFG INDEX Scent intensity: strong · Bloom window: 4 months · Set-and-forget upkeep: low
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
no flaw on record
Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
82 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 4 / 15 7 to 10
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 no published rating
Also great Close behind on points. Neither beats the winner overall, but each is the better answer in a garden the winner would not suit.
86 86 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Scent intensity: strong · Bloom window: 4 months · Set-and-forget upkeep: medium
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Deer: seldom damaged (Rutgers B) Not for cat households
86 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 8 / 15 medium
Cold-zone reach 15 / 15 3 to 9
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 outdoor only
82 82 ALSO GREAT ALSO GREAT YFG INDEX Scent intensity: strong · Bloom window: 9 months · Set-and-forget upkeep: medium
Flaws, not dealbreakers:
asks for some seasonal upkeep
Cat safe (listed non-toxic)
82 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 20 / 20 9 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 8 / 15 medium
Cold-zone reach 4 / 15 12
Indoor fallback 10 / 10 lives indoors year-round
The protocol
How the score is built 5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Scent intensity 40 points room-filling documented scent 40; consistent at arm-length 26 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Bloom window 20 points Read straight from the months it is in bloom.
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 points Read straight from how much upkeep extension guides report.
Cold-zone reach 15 points Read straight from the zones it survives.
Indoor fallback 10 points northern readers can still grow it on a sill Read from: indoor viability.
Not ranked here: no more than light fragrance on record. Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten The 10 highest of 13 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
1 91 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 15 / 15 3 to 8
Indoor fallback 6 / 10 temporary indoor bloom
2 86 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 8 / 15 medium
Cold-zone reach 15 / 15 3 to 9
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 outdoor only
3 82 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 20 / 20 4 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 4 / 15 7 to 10
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 no published rating
3 82 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 20 / 20 9 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 8 / 15 medium
Cold-zone reach 4 / 15 12
Indoor fallback 10 / 10 lives indoors year-round
5 79 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 26 / 40 moderate
Bloom window 20 / 20 5 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 15 / 15 3 to 9
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 no published rating
6 71 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 26 / 40 moderate
Bloom window 20 / 20 6 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 4 / 15 10.0 to 11.5
Indoor fallback 6 / 10 temporary indoor bloom
7 70 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 26 / 40 moderate
Bloom window 15 / 20 3 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 11 / 15 5 to 9
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 no published rating
8 69 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 26 / 40 moderate
Bloom window 10 / 20 2 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 15 / 15 low
Cold-zone reach 15 / 15 3 to 8
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 no published rating
9 68 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 40 / 40 strong
Bloom window 10 / 20 2 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 8 / 15 medium
Cold-zone reach 7 / 15 6.0 to 10.5
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 outdoor only
9 68 / 100 tap for the breakdown Scent intensity 26 / 40 moderate
Bloom window 20 / 20 7 months
Set-and-forget upkeep 8 / 15 medium
Cold-zone reach 11 / 15 5 to 9
Indoor fallback 3 / 10 no published rating
Considered, not chosen Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
no more than light fragrance on record Roses, 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.
91 91 MOST FRAGRANT MOST FRAGRANT YFG INDEX · WINNER 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 a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
