Top 7 Aromatic Plants for Your Garden

02-09-2024

There's nothing quite like the delightful scent of blooming flowers to enhance your garden or balcony. As summer arrives, it’s the perfect opportunity to embrace the outdoors. With the sun shining, vibrant flowers, and the gentle hum of bees, nature is awakening anew. By adding aromatic plants to your garden, patio, or balcony, you can transform your space into a serene retreat.

Certain plants exude their fragrance when touched, while others scent the air throughout the day or offer a captivating aroma in the evening. These fragrant plants are readily available at local garden centers and nurseries.

Aromatic Plants for Your Garden

Adding the scents of roses, lavender, or geraniums to your garden can enhance its beauty and fragrance. Not only will your garden be visually stunning, but it will also be pleasantly aromatic. Our garden center in Winterswijk offers a wide range of aromatic plants. Some may be familiar to you, while others could be exciting new discoveries. Visit us to explore our top 7 aromatic garden plants.

1. Roses

While modern roses are known for their extended blooming periods and resistance to disease, they sometimes lack the classic rose scent. Fortunately, many garden centers provide traditional roses that can fill your garden with their distinctive fragrance. You can find:

• Hybrid French Roses (Rosa gallica), including musk roses (Rosa moschata) and Japanese rugosa roses (Rosa rugosa).
• Gallica Roses, like the apothecary's rose Rosa Gallica 'Versicolor', which blooms in June with a lovely scent.
• Musk Roses, available as shrubs or climbing varieties, known for their repeat blooming.
• Japanese Rugosa Roses, hardy shrubs with a single blooming season.

2. Lavender

Lavender’s scent is evocative of warm summer days and distant travels. It’s perfect for pots on your patio or as a low hedge near the entrance. The fragrance is released when you brush against the plant, and its grey-green leaves persist through winter. You can also dry the flowers for sachets or culinary use. Lavender thrives in sunny, dry conditions.

3. Scented Geranium (Pelargonium)

Like lavender, scented geraniums emit their fragrance when their leaves are touched. Rub a leaf between your fingers to release its scent. Popular varieties include:

• Lemon Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens or crispum), which has a lemon fragrance and purple flowers.
• Pelargonium 'Roses of Attar', known for its rose-like scent and pink flowers.
• Pelargonium odoratissimum, featuring an apple scent and small white flowers.
• 'Chocolate Peppermint', with a peppermint aroma, mauve flowers, and chocolate-brown leaf markings.

These geraniums are ideal for pots on your balcony or patio.

4. Anise Hyssop (Agastache)

The leaves of anise hyssop have a scent reminiscent of anise. This perennial blooms for an extended period with small lilac or white flowers and attracts butterflies and bees. It is fairly hardy and grows well in both pots and garden beds. Place it in a sunny location.

5. Lilac

The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) can grow into a shrub up to five meters tall. Dwarf varieties (Syringa patula) stay smaller, and there are also lilacs trained as standard trees. Blooming in May and June, they fill the air with their enchanting fragrance. They thrive in sunny or lightly shaded areas. Lilac branches make beautiful cut flowers for vases with floral food.

6. Honeysuckle (Lonicera)

Honeysuckle is an attractive climber that releases a sweet fragrance in the evening. Its flowers, which come in various colors, attract bees and butterflies, making it an excellent choice for a pollinator-friendly garden. It thrives in moist, nutrient-rich soil and can grow in full sun or partial shade.

7. Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Sweet Rocket may not be as well-known but certainly adds a unique touch to your garden. This perennial blooms from May to September with white, pink, or lilac flowers that release a stronger scent at night. It grows up to about 80 centimeters tall and prefers a moist, partially shaded spot.

Local garden centers and nurseries offer a diverse array of aromatic plants. Enhance your garden or balcony with these delightful selections. From fresh roses to spicy lavender, you're sure to find a favorite. Visit your local garden center to smell and discover the perfect fragrant plants for your space.