In a sense, it’s a strange notion, for aspiring botanists, with some experience in having visited botanical gardens, for example - the thought of that carnation flowers could have a fragrance made, of them.
People who have been around carnations in bloom - and at that, if you happen to be reading this article timely enough, you’d be able to visit a local botanical garden to discover this for yourself: carnations do not particularly seem to have a smell to them - they would seem to be a simply ornamental flowering plant, yet they bloom in May. It’s a perfect time to get in to having the experience of visiting a botanical garden. The carnations flower’s attractiveness and similarity to the rose, visually, would invoke the thought of that they smell strongly, such as the rose flower does.
From Wikipedia:
