We tend to choose plants for our gardens based on their visual appeal, hardiness, and water or soil needs. But before you decide upon your landscaping project, don’t forget one more important element. Choose plants that are also pleasing to your nose!
Aside from smelling terrific, fragrant plants also attract birds and pollinators to your garden. And if you choose the right scents, you may even reap some aromatherapy benefits! For example, lavender is said to be calming. By carefully selecting fragrant plants for your garden, you could supply yourself with the added boost of energizing or stress-reducing aromas.
You can place fragrant plants anywhere in your garden that you please, but, as usual, keep in mind each plant’s need for sun, shade, and soil type. It also helps to keep in mind the locations that you tend to enjoy the most. For example, if you like to read on the patio, then that would be a great spot for some soothing aromas. If you’re planting a citrus tree for its delicious scent, then naturally you will choose a spot appropriate for a tree – away from concrete structures that could be damaged by growing roots.
Whether you want to plant herbs, perennials, annuals, shrubs, vines, or trees, there are fragrant options available to you. The best way to gauge the scent of different plants is by visiting our nursery and taking a few whiffs for yourself!
Some plants can actually produce an overwhelming fragrance – such as gardenia, jasmine, and lilac. If you choose a particularly strong-smelling plant, use it in moderation and, again, keep in mind location.
Some plants commonly valued for their fragrances are listed below:
Perennials – iris, peony, dianthus
Annuals – pansies, nasturtium
Shrubs – roses, butterfly bushes, camellias, gardenias, lilacs
Trees – crabapple, crepe myrtle, Chinese fringe tree
Vines – jasmine, honeysuckle
Herbs – lavender, sage, basil, oregano
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