top 10 plants for fragrance
top 10 plants for fragrance
Adding sensory elements like fragrance can make it the most welcoming addition to your garden, from practical herbs, to classic lavender pathways, but the list shouldn't stop there! Discover our top 10 plants for fragrance below.
Viburnum
Excellent, hardy shrubs, Viburnum are available as both an evergreen or a deciduous shrub, with clusters of flowers that will attract the pollinators into your garden, however not all varieties are scented! Our favourite fragrant variety is Viburnum bodnantense Dawn, both beautiful in appearance and in scent, just one or two branches of Viburnum will fill an entire room with their fragrance! Plus, they flower from Autumn through to spring.
Gardenia
Another perfumery favourite, Gardenia offers exquisite flowers and attractive glossy foliage with an equally exquisite fragrance to match. Ideal for planting in a container by a door, where the fragrance will fill your nostrils as you walk by.
Hyacinth
Celebrate the arrival of spring with the fabulous fragrance of Hyacinths. Such an easy plant to grow and available in a wide array of bright colours. They really are a feast for the senses! Perfect as cut flowers too, so you can enjoy the scent in your home.
Honeysuckle
Often used in perfumes, Honeysuckle (Lonicera) has an enticingly strong, sweet aroma that is sure to draw you in. The bees and butterflies also agree, as they love the masses of blooms too! A beautiful plant to soften walls, disguise fences and to grow over arches where the clouds of scent can thoroughly be enjoyed.
Philadelphus
The fragrance of Philadelphus is truly intoxicating. Their gorgeous perfume will waft across your garden- so much so that you will feel as if you are walking through your own perfumery. Not only do the smell amazing but now there are new and exciting varieties like Philadelphus 'Petite Perfume Pink' that have a gorgeous and unusual magenta to pastel pink blooms, a refreshing change to the elegant, white fragrant flowers you normally see on Philadelphus shrubs.
Roses
Another very popular fragrant flower is of course Roses. The scent of a Rose is absolutely timeless and has been used in perfumes for years. It’s no wonder we give Roses to the one’s we love on Valentines Day, as they look and smell divine.
Jasmine
Often used for their essential oil which is featured frequently in perfumes, Jasmine offers a rich and sweet fragrance whilst remaining delicate. The scent of Jasmine is often associated with spirituality and healing and recently it has been recognized as being highly relaxing and anxiety-reducing.
Sweet Peas
As you would expect from their name, Sweet Peas (Lathyrus) have a very sweet fragrance. The Sweet Pea scent is often used in perfumes, reed diffusers, fabric softer and many more, as it’s such a crowd-pleasing aroma.
Daphne
Daphne are an absolute winner when it comes to fragrance and give off an intoxicatingly heady scent that will fill your garden for months on end. Daphne’s have even been described as a must-have plant by the RHS and have been voted as one of the most fragrant shrubs in the UK.
Lavender
One of the most popular fragrant flowers, the smell of lavender is not only enjoyed in gardens, but lavender essential oil is used in perfumes, cosmetics, bath products and balms to name just a few. The scent also has a relaxing effect and has been shown to help relieve stress and improve sleep.
