Fragrant plants for apartments, balconies and gardens and hardy varieties

Scented plants are suitable for a wide variety of areas in the garden. For example, you can create special scent beds or scent paths, but also complete scent islands with different types of plants. But you can also create your own little oasis of well-being indoors with scented plants. However, especially for the home, you should not use plants that are too fragrant, depending on the scent, this could also be perceived as unpleasant under certain circumstances.

Fragrant plants for the home

There are numerous aromatic plants with more or less strong scents for the home. When choosing the right mix is ​​important. Combining too many different scents does not usually make sense, especially not in the home.

Plants with similar scents can be combined very well, such as different types of jasmine and citrus plants, with the aromas being particularly intense in a closed winter garden.

Just as important is the consideration of the light and temperature requirements of the individual plants and the prevailing conditions, which, for example, differ significantly between normal living space and a winter garden.

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa)
With its sweet, beguiling scent, the tuberose is considered the queen of fragrant plants. Due to its wonderful scent, it is even part of the world-famous perfume Chanel No. 5. It is very sensitive and needs warmth and is therefore an ideal houseplant. But it can also be cultivated as a container plant and overwintered in the house.

Arabian jasmine
A plant with a particularly pleasant, sweet-spicy scent is the Arabian jasmine. The jasmine blooms from winter to spring and does not go into hibernation and is also suitable for the winter garden.

Wreath loop Stephanotis floribunda
The wreath loop Stephanotis floribunda is one of the most beautiful climbing plants for indoors and produces brilliant white flowers that exude a very pleasant, gentle and floral scent. It is also often used for bridal bouquets because of its beautiful flowers.

Jamaica
thyme With its thick-fleshed leaves, Jamaica thyme exudes a particularly spicy aroma. It should be protected from drafts and needs a bright location.

Gardenias Gardenias
, for example, have a somewhat more intense but also lovely scent. In addition to the floral scent, these plants shine with brilliant white flowers. They grow up to 150 cm high and like bright locations. By the way, these plants are also very suitable for the winter garden.

Scented pelargoniums
A particularly intense scent of lemon, rose, cedar, eucalyptus, mint, camphor as well as aromatic or nutty scents exude the pink, red or white flowers of the scented pelargonium. A repeated cut can keep the plant in shape.

The winter garden as a fragrant oasis

Orchids
Many types of orchids are also fragrant plants such as the Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’ orchid, which exudes a chocolate aroma. She likes it bright without direct sunlight and should be protected from drafts.

Citrus plants
The winter garden is the ideal place for a multitude of fragrant plants, including citrus plants such as the scented orange. The sweet scent of lemons and oranges is usually found to be very pleasant. Citrus plants are suitable for both warm and cold winter gardens.

Myrtle
The myrtle is a popular winter garden plant. The leaves of this evergreen leaf scent give off an intensely resinous aroma when rubbed. In winter temperatures around 7 degrees are optimal. It is particularly suitable for colder winter gardens.

Winged candle
bush Another leaf scent is this bush, also known as cassia or spice bark. It impresses with its candle-like, upward-growing inflorescences, which appear almost all year round, except in February / March. When you touch its pinnate leaves, it smells intensely of peanuts.

Sweet scented flower ‘Osmanthus fragrans’
A single specimen of this plant can envelop an entire winter garden in an intense but very lovely peach blossom scent . The numerous small white or yellow to yellow-orange flowers of this evergreen plant show up mainly in spring and autumn, but can also appear in summer and winter.

Silver acacia
As early as February, the violet-scented, yellow, flower clusters of this fine-leaved acacia ring in the spring. In summer it can stand very well on the terrace or balcony.

Fragrant plants for the garden

The different types of scents should also be taken into account in the garden. Too many strongly scented plants in a confined space can result in a completely new scent, but they can also be perceived as too intense. However, not all plants belonging to the same species are fragrant. Fragrant plants should not be planted in places that are too windy so that their scent is not blown away. The sunnier you are, the more intense your scent. In the case of low-growing species, it can make sense to plant them a little higher in order to be able to perceive their scent.

Ground cover fragrant plants

Winterling and scented violets
Even in early spring, the intensely fresh, sweet scent of the winterling, which forms true carpets of flowers, inspires. With its bright yellow, sweetly fragrant flowers, this 5-15 cm small plant defies snow and cold from January to March. It is well suited as underplanting of trees and bushes.

The 10 cm small scented violet also lives up to its name. As soon as its numerous white, yellow, red or violet-blue flowers open from March, they give off their intense scent. In slightly shaded locations, the violet also forms extensive carpets of flowers over time.

Fragrance stone rich
This honey-scented plant forms cushion-shaped carpets of flowers with its white or pale pink flowers from April to October. It is also very suitable as a hanging plant or for planting on the balcony.

Scented perennials and flowers

Gold lacquer and blue woodruff
In early summer, from the end of March to June, the gold lacquer, a night-scented plant, exudes its violet-like scent. With its bright yellow flowers, it reaches heights of growth of 20-70 cm.

From the beginning of June to the end of September the blue woodruff envelops his surroundings in a sweet, pleasantly flowery scent. This annual plant, around 30 cm high, is particularly suitable for fragrant gardens, fragrant hedges and fragrant lawns.

Peony and forest phlox
The intensely fragrant white, red or pink flowers of the perennial peony appear from April to June, depending on the species. Mostly it prefers full sun locations.

The forest phlox, a small species of phlox, gives off its intense scent, which is perceptible several meters away and is reminiscent of that of the honeysuckle family, from April-June. Honeysuckle plants are among the plants with the most intense fragrances.

Poet’s daffodil and chocolate iris The poet’s daffodil is a particularly fragrant plant. Its white, strongly scented flowers appear from April-May and the daffodil also forms beautiful flowering meadows.

The perennial chocolate iris, up to 80 cm in size, produces beautiful purple-brown flowers from May-June that smell intensely of chocolate. It likes sunny to partially shaded locations.

Japanese miracle flower and garden
penteclove This typical night scented plant blooms from July to October. Their flowers open in the late afternoon and don’t close again until the next morning. During this time, they are surrounded by a real cloud of scent.

The peony is one of the leaf scents, with both leaves and flowers giving off a pleasant scent.

Roses and lilies
Among the roses, especially the wild species and the pink and red blooming old rose varieties exude the typical rose scent. White, yellow and apricot-colored varieties tend to be fruity and spicy, sometimes even smelling of herbs.

Among the lilies, trumpet and Asiatic lilies are particularly fragrant. There are also numerous fragrant varieties among the irises, as well as the daylilies, here the varieties with the narrower petals are fragrant.

Fragrant woods

Lilac
Lilac is perennial and one of the most beautifully fragrant summer bloomers. The colorful, panicle-like inflorescences provide a true fragrance experience from May to June.

Scented honeysuckle and scented snowball
The white flowers of this fascinating wood in a protected location spread a very pleasant, sweet scent that is reminiscent of jasmine as early as January. After flowering, dead shoots should be removed and the plant regularly exposed.

The strikingly intense, marzipan-like scent of the white to pink flowers of the scented snowball can be enjoyed as early as February / March. This wood is frost hardy and loves sunny to partially shaded locations.

Fragrant plants for the balcony

On the balcony, for example, roses and lavender can be combined well in the tub, both of which have a very subtle scent. The Arabian jasmine and the vanilla flower, for example, spread oriental scents. However, the vanilla flower is highly poisonous.

The scented geranium is the ideal plant for the balcony box. The numerous varieties offer almost all scents, from a sweet rose scent and a rose, peppermint or nutmeg scent to lemon and orange scents to apple or wine gum scents.

On sunny balconies, you can create a special fragrance experience with feather and pinto cloves. Depending on the species, the fragrant flowers appear from May-July and September-October. For shady balconies, for example, Pfennigkraut, Steinquendel, fragrant violets, blue lark spur or forest phlox are ideal for fragrant plants.

Herbs such as thyme, lavender, parsley, sage, basil, peppermint and rosemary unfold their aromatic scent in the balcony box but also in the tub. Herbs should be clearly separated from fragrant flowers.

Particularly beautiful hardy varieties

Evening Scent Leimkraut (Silene italica)
This 60 cm high plant, which blooms from June to September, gives off a fascinating, heavy, sweet scent after sunset.

Hyacinths
The heavy scent of hyacinths can be perceived from a few meters away. They belong to the bulbous plants and overwinter in the ground.

Lily of the valley
The flowers of the hardy lily of the valley give off a very pleasant scent in spring and eventually form true flower carpets over time. They are poisonous in all parts of the plant.

Scented Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’
The spectacular dark orange flowers of this hardy perennial not only impress with their appearance, but also with their delicate fragrance.

Scented Phlox ‘Jeff’s Blue’
This bluish shimmering phlox produces delicately scented flowers from June to September, which contrast nicely with their lush green foliage.

Dictam ‘Burning Bush’
From May to June the bright pink and darker veined flowers of this 60-120 cm high, attractive herbaceous rarity give off a fresh lemon scent.

Peonies
The colorful flowers of the numerous types of peonies also give off a very pleasant, delicate fragrance from May to June.

Polemonium ‘Fragrant Halo’
This intensely but pleasantly scented novelty among cut and bed perennials impresses not only with its scent but also with brilliant white flowers that appear from July to September.

Witch hazel Witch
hazel is an ornamental shrub that already blooms in January / February and gives off a sweet honey scent.

Conclusion
Scented plants have the pleasant property of stimulating our senses, be it with spicy herbal scents, floral and fruity scents or chocolaty scents. However, you should pay attention to the right combination with such plants in order to be able to enjoy the scents. Ultimately, it always comes down to personal taste and, as is well known, it can be argued about, because what is very pleasant for one person can be perceived as annoying and uncomfortable by others.

Kira Bellingham

I'm a homes writer and editor with more than 20 years' experience in publishing. I have worked across many titles, including Ideal Home and, of course, Homes & Gardens. My day job is as Chief Group Sub Editor across the homes and interiors titles in the group. This has given me broad experience in interiors advice on just about every subject. I'm obsessed with interiors and delighted to be part of the Homes & Gardens team.

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