All About Fragrant Plants

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My Garden Life

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August 8, 2022

Neuroscientists discovered years ago that, among the human senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell), scents are the most powerful trigger for long-term memories. This is because the processing of smells takes a more direct route to the brain and the memory structures within it. This knowledge explains why the scent of fragrant plants can instantly take us back to a special occasion, person or place in time.

With the abundance of options involved when designing a flower garden or landscape, it’s easy to overlook fragrance in favor of color, form, or texture. We have tips for making your garden not just beautiful, but memorable, by incorporating flowering plants that perfume the air with unforgettable fragrance.

Choosing Plants with Fragrant Flowers

Whether you are looking for fragrant flowering annuals, perennials, shrubs or vines, we have tips for selecting the most fragrant plants to incorporate into your garden design. If you’re short on space, many fragrant plants can be grown in containers and placed near seating areas where their scent can be fully enjoyed.

young girl smelling lilac flowers on tall lilac shrubs

10 Shrubs that Smell as Good as They Look

Improve your home’s curb appeal with fragrant shrubs that look great and
smell even better!

close up of purple flower clusters on a lush lilac vine (Hardenbergia violacea)

8 Sweet Smelling Vines to Grow this Year

Make the most of vertical spaces
with flowering, fragrant vines.

large urn planter filled with blue pansies and white sweet alyssum plants on a patio

Fragrant Plants for Containers

Mix and match fragrant plants to
create a perfumed planter for your deck, patio or balcony.

lush patch of lily of the valley plants growing in the shade of a large tree

How to Plant a Fragrant Shade Garden

Shade-loving plants with fragrant
flowers create a heavenly-scented shade garden.

beautiful summer flower border in full bloom with a mixture of different flower varieties

Create a Fragrance Garden

Discover ten plants that will add exceptional
fragrance to your landscape.

outdoor seating area under a pergola surrounded by perennial flowering plants and garden art

Ideas to Create a Sensory Garden

Learn how to create a garden space that will delight all the senses.

12 Easy to Grow Fragrant Garden Plants

Planting just a few of these intensely scented flowers can change the whole mood of a garden with their distinctive fragrances.

Hyacinth

Plant hyacinth bulbs in fall to enjoy flowers every spring.

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the valley makes a fragrant groundcover for shady spaces.

Carnation

Carnation’s clove-scented flowers are popular for cut bouquets.

Oriental Lily

Lily’s big, exotic blooms produce an intensely sweet fragrance.

Sweet Pea

Annual and perennial sweet pea varieties are available.

Stock

Stocks are a favorite for adding fragrance to cut flower arrangements.

Heliotrope

Heliotrope’s sweet-smelling flower clusters are loved by butterflies and other pollinators.

Sweet Alyssum

Alyssum’s tiny flowers create a carpet of color and fragrance.

Petunia

Put potted petunias near seating areas where their light scent can be enjoyed up close.

close up of clusters of lavender-colored lilac blooms on a shrub

Lilac
(Syringa vulgaris)

Lilac is a classic scent for perfumes, toiletries and candles.

close up of a flowering branch of a fragrant olive shrub

Fragrant Olive
(Osmanthus fragrans)

Plant fragrant olive shrubs near a deck or patio to create a fragrant space.

close up of a fragrant white gardenia flower on the shrub

Gardenia
(Gardenia jasminoides)

Gardenia flowers are a familiar sight and smell in Southern gardens.

Plant Herbs to Add Fragrance to a Garden, Deck or Patio

Herbs are easy to grow and the oils in their foliage are a continuous source of fragrance. Many herbs have foliage that is not only aromatic, but their leaves are attractive enough to plant among flowering plants. Herbs also add fragrance and variety to a vegetable garden.

corner herb garden with rosemary, sage, lavender, thyme, mint, and oregano backed by a brown stone wall

Learn more about how you can incorporate herbs in your landscape or container garden in All About Growing Herbs.

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fragrant plants

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Fragrant Plants for Containers

February 13, 2017

The invisible power of scent has a profound effect on our mood and it is one way to transform any garden space into an exciting area. Mix and match fragrant plants to create a beautiful perfumed oasis on your deck, patio or balcony.

Create a Fragrance Garden

March 19, 2018

Flowering plants are all beautiful, but some are more fragrant than others. Discover ten plants that will add exceptional fragrance to your landscape.

8 Sweet-Smelling Vines to Grow this Year

May 18, 2020

You don’t have to live in the tropics to have a garden graced with beautiful blooming vines that fill the air with sweet perfume. Check out our list of eight fragrant vines—you’re sure to find one that will work in your landscape and garden.