ST. PAUL – It’s surprising to find such a sweet-smelling place tucked in to the farm fields between Salem and Portland.

Farm land smells pretty good itself, in my book, except come time for fertilizing crops. That’s when you might see a huge sprinkler shooting streams of liquefied and watered down manure out over the fields. The practice is sound, but boy does it smell.

So, it was with a great appreciation of St. Paul’s hardworking and fertilizing farmers that we happened upon Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery last week. We were in for a treat. Specializing in fragrance since it opened in 1997, the family-owned nursery also tries to carry the new and unusual. Plus, Danielle and Jeff Ferguson and their staff have created a friendly place for children and picnics. And, the nursery is situated within miles of another St. Paul horticulture draw – Heirloom Old Garden Roses.

A very friendly and knowledgeable staff person named Stephanie White gave us a tour through the nursery’s greenhouses and trailed along as my mom and I strolled through the display gardens oohing and aahhing. In addition to the new plant sightings – do keep a lookout during your nursery prowlings for the inky Cimicifuga ‘Hillside Black’ and the glowing golden bleeding heart ‘Goldheart;’ they will knock your socks off! – Stephanie offered a good list of fragrant plants for the garden.

Some new petunias have come on the gardening scene and carry wonderful scents. ‘Priscilla,’ a double flowered, lavender colored petunia, conveys a sweet aroma. The Tumbelina ‘English Ladies’ variety also promises a perfume.

Perennial pleasers include daylilies such as ‘Hyperion,’ ‘Ice Carnival’ and ‘Final Touch.’ The aforementioned Cimicifuga simplex or bugbane produces a sweet smelling bloom, particularly ‘Brunette.’ The ‘Visions’ variety of Astilbe chinensis has an aromatic flower. The Cordyalis ‘Black Berry’ features sweet-smelling, purple flowers. Try the hostas ‘So Sweet,’ ‘Green Suite’ and ‘Fragrant Bouquet’ for a delicious gardenia scent in your shade garden.

Shrubs that offer good scents include Fothergilla gardenii ‘Blue Mist,’ Clethra anlifolia ‘Ruby Spice,’ Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ and wintersweet. The Fragrant Nursery staff also recommends Osmanthus delavayia rounded, bushy shrub with very fragrant, tubular white flowers.

Others include the Harlequin glorybower (Clerodendrum trichtomum) or peanut butter bush. The exceptionally fragrant plant comes into flower in August or September, followed by gorgeous turquoise colored fruit.

Finally, trees with an interesting fragrance include the Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus). The Chaste tree has aromatic, dark green leaves and small, tubular and fragrant lilac to dark blue flowers. It’s vigorous in Zones 6-9. White was sure to mention that deer don’t generally like plants with fragrant leaves, which is a very good thing.

Ferguson’s has sumptuously planted display gardens that feature plants suitable for shade, sun and a combination of the two. The nursery holds “Twilight Moments” – open hours until 8 p.m. the third weekend of each month in summer.

Other special events include a visit from Ann Lovejoy Saturday, July 26. She’ll offer a 10 a.m. class called “The Sensual Garden” and a 3 p.m. session titled “Gardening for All Seasons.” Pre-registration is required for both sessions and the fee is $50 for each, which includes a catered lunch.

For more information, call Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery at (503) 633-4585, visit the Web site at www.fragrantnursery.com or stop by the nursery, 21763 French Prairie Road, N.E., the next time you are in St. Paul. From Interstate 5 north or south, take Exit 278 (Donald-Aurora) and drive west five miles on Ehlen road, turn right on to French Prairie Road, and the nursery is located on the left, right on the corner of French Prairie Road and Ehlen Road. If you’re coming from Woodburn and St. Paul, or from McMinnville and Newberg, you’ll want to follow Highway 219, the St. Paul – Newberg Highway, to McKay Road. Turn on McKay Road and it’s just a couple short miles to French Prairie Road, where you’ll turn left. The nursery is on the corner.

Finally, if you are on a daytrip, you might want to consider a stop at nearby Champoeg State Park for lunch.

Cathy Peterson belongs to the Clatsop County Master Gardener Association. “In the Garden” runs weekly in Coast Weekend. Send comments and gardening news to “In the Garden,” The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 or online to peterson@pacifier.com

Save the butterflies and your ink cartridgesWhat do you do with those empty printer cartridges? Don’t throw them away! Butterflies Forever has a new exciting program where it can recycle just about any laser or ink jet cartridge. Color or black ink, small or large – most can be recycled – and your donation can help earn money for the Astoria Butterfly Conservatory.

Just drop them off at the Butterflies Forever store in Astoria, Flutters, 1139 Commercial St. Flutters is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Boxes will be available for businesses to collect empty cartridges and the store will collect and recycle them every few weeks. For more information, check the Butterflies Forever Web site at www.oregonbutterflies.org or call the store at (503) 325-8410.

For more information on plans for the Astoria Butterfly Conservatory, brick purchases, donations or details, contact Debra Hazelett at (503) 325-8410 or online at butterflywatch@oregonbutter flies.org