If scented or fragrant Cymbidium orchids are your thing then we have good news for you! There are quite a number of fragrant Cymbidiums available, however you will have to go looking for them.
Fragrant Cymbidium orchids are a truly wonderful thing! A large portion of the species and primary hybrid Cymbidiums are scented and if flowered en-masse can create a wonderful perfume in an area. But if species aren’t your thing and you prefer modern hybrids instead, there are still some great options. You may need to go looking for them as they are less common and harder to find. Given fragrance is not a breeding requirement for most breeders, a lot won’t stock fragrant plants…
Fragrant Cymbidium Orchids – Species plants
Below is a small selection of just five species plants I suggest you try for fragrance.
Cymbidium tracyanum and Cymbidium eburneum are arguably two of the most fragrant Cymbidium species plants we have. Cym tracyanum is not the easiest plant to flower and is quite finicky with its water quality requirements. Rainwater is a must for encouraging species Cyms to grow well. Poor quality water will cause leaf tip dieback and black spotty leaves. Getting Cym. tracyanum to flower every year is very much a challenge. Every second year is a lot easier!
Cym. tracyanum flowers in Winter and only flowers on new bulbs and only single spikes. However, a large plant with multiple spikes in winter it is very showy. With impressive long arching spikes it fills an area with a perfume that is divine. To get the best out of this plant I would suggest having two or three plants to increase your chances of one being in flower every year! In fact, I suggest obtaining three different cultivars for slightly different shaded flowers!
Cymbidium eburneum is a plant that generally only has one to two flowers on a spike, sometimes three, so you’ll definitely need a number of plants to make it worthwhile. It can be a reasonably compact plant so having more plants won’t take up too much space. Flowering in Spring, it is a lovely plant to own! Cym. eburneum’s white flower is a stark contrast to Cym. tracyanum so there will be some great contrast in your collection!
Fragrant species plants not only smell great, they are attractive to look at too!
Another lovely fragrant species Cymbidium is Cym. mastersii. I love this plant! It is a very compact grower with intermediate sized flowers, so ideal for small spaces, and a plant that is underrated I believe, and a little on the rarer side. Cym. mastersii flowers in Autumn on upright/arching spikes with less than a dozen flowers, but smells lovely. Again, you will need a few of these plants for best effect.
Cymbidium hookerianum is the next of my picks for fragrant species Cyms, but like Cym. tracyanum, you will need some space for this one. Maybe not quite as big as Cym. tracyanum, it still grows into a lareg plant. Flowering in late Winter, on long arching spikes, the fragrance is quite pronounced. Depending on your location, this one may be more difficult to flower requiring a slightly cooler environment.
Another very beautifully fragrant species Cymbidium Orchid is Cym. ensifolium. This is a wonderfully compact grower ideal for those with very little space to grow but delights with lots of miniature flowers on upright spikes.
Miniature flowers are wonderfully attractive and a multi-spiking plant is a real treat to see.
Some Cym. ensifolium cultivars also display some lovely red, and even light green foliage too for a really nice contrast. There are a lot of different cultivars including an album (plain colour green) flower which is very attractive. This image was taken from the orchidmart website.
Cym ensifolium is being used in breeding more and more lately, with some lovely new plants resulting. Some of which will be available for purchase from the Orchid Wise shop in the future.
I have all five of these plants in my collection, and I love each of them! I’ve never been lucky enough to have all five in flower in the same year, but I can’t wait until that does actually happen! These five suggestions are a great selection to own and will provide flowers for you from Autumn until Spring.
Fragrant Cymbidium Orchids – Primary Hybrid plants
My first pick of the fragrant primary hybrid Cyms is Cym. Rosefieldence. It is a cross between Cym. tracyanum x Cym. hookerianum. I think an underrated plant, and one that has not been used much for breeding. It it a keeper for my collection, if for nothing else, for the really strong fragrance it produces. When in full flower, on long arching spikes, it is very showy and fills an area with a very strong perfume. The only downside is that it does grow into a large plant, so certainly not for the courtyard garden
Cym. Seamew is another, often forgotten, fragrant cymbidium. It may not be the prettiest Cym, that’s for sure, but my plant does have a slight fragrance. Both parents, Cym. i’ansonii and Cym. sanderae are fragrant, so it’s no surprise some of that has translated to its progeny. Again, you will need several plants in flower to create the sort of fragrance that Cym. Rosefieldense gives off, but it is pleasant none the less.
Cym. Wiganianum is another on my list of fragrant primary hybrids. A cross of Cym. eburneum x Cym. tracyanum has produced a very fragrant flower. It has that great wild species diploid charm to it and I love seeing this flower. Its parents are two of the most fragrant species plants we have, and it doesn’t disappoint!
However, plants could be hard to come by these days, so you will have to go searching. Orchid Wise is currently in the process of a remake of this hybrid, but it may take some time!
And, last but not least, a couple of miniatures for good measure!
Whilst not as boldly fragrant as Cym. Rosefieldense, Cym. ensifolium x Cym. erythraeum is another very sweetly scented fragrant orchid for your collection. A very compact plant with miniature sized flowers, having several flower at the same time intensifies the faint fragrance into something you can really enjoy. I have several in flower right now (Summer/Autumn 2025) and my wife is a huge fan of this one! The fragrance is best enjoyed in the morning and whilst faint, is one of the better fragrances we get from a Cymbidium orchid.
And to round out our five fragrant primary hybrids, try Cym. Scallywag. A hybrid of Cym. floribundum x Cym. suave. This one is a little different but certainly worth trying! A pendulous spike with masses of miniature flowers creates a wonderful display on this plant.
So, these are just a few suggestions on where to start with fragrant orchids for your collection.