Nothing compares to a garden full of baby plants that keep you company and cheer you up. But when they come with unique and charming scents, that’s when they can really turn your garden into a paradise. Curious to find out what plants produce the most fragrant blooms? Keep reading to find out more about our top flowering plants and how they can fill your garden with pleasant smells, attract pollinators, and mesmerize your guests.
1. Lilac
With their stunning cone-shaped flowers, Lilacs are probably the most iconic flowering plants for the warm season. They usually bloom in late spring, bringing a rich and lovely fragrance to their surroundings that can last all summer. Not only do their flowers smell very intense, but they also come in various shades of white, purple, pink, and even blue.
Lilacs are very popular ornamental shrubs and, like most shrubby companions, they are very easy to grow and care for. What makes these flowering plants truly appealing for gardeners is their high tolerance to frost and drought. If you want to attract some butterflies, hummingbirds, or other pollinators into your garden, Lilacs are a must-have for you!
2. Rhododendron
Rhododendrons are natural heart-stealers that will mesmerize your senses with their scent and beauty. Although these plants bloom mostly in spring and early summer, some of them can also reward you with their heavenly scents in autumn. Their flowers appear in clusters and can bring an eye-catching dash of white, pink, red, yellow, orange, or purple to your garden.
Rhododendrons are an excellent choice for gardeners that live in regions with lots of moisture. They love sudden rainfalls and will proudly display their spectacular flowers when they get rainwater regularly. And if winter is harsh in your area, you don’t need to worry too much about protecting these plants! Rhododendrons will do just fine even in the most extreme environmental conditions.
3. Iris
Irises are quite popular and loved by gardeners for their unique shapes, pleasant-looking colors, and delightful fragrances. They are very popular ornamental plants worldwide, and they even have divine origins, having been named after Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
Irises can grow with minimal care once established. Also, you can easily encourage them to bloom again with a regular division of the plants. These flowering plants are often used to make perfumes, bringing a unique earthy, powdery, somehow woody note to products. Once you have them in your garden, it will be very difficult not to start your own business!
4. Jasmine
Jasmines are among the most preferred ornamental houseplants for gardeners that love a nice mix of delicate and exotic scent. In general, these flowering plants bloom from spring to fall and go dormant during the winter months. Their flowers are aphrodisiac, very attractive to bees, and have been used in traditional medicine as a treatment for various diseases.
Thanks to their simple creamy-white blossoms, these plants can make for great companions to many other colorful species of flowering plants. Jasmine plants can be nice garden-fillers but can also thrive indoors, as houseplants or cut flowers. Moreover, the flowers have a wide range of shapes, so you have a lot of beautiful baby plants to choose from!
5. Wisteria
Wisteria plants owe their reputation to their alluring bloomings and long lifespan. These vining plants bloom from spring to late summer, producing spectacular cascades of purple to blue flowers. Depending on the variety, the fragrance of their flowers can be pretty subtle to overpowering.
Wisteria plants are known for their ability to thrive in a wide range of environmental conditions. They grow at a pretty fast pace and can reach over 30 feet (9 m) in length, so you must find a roomy spot in your garden to plant them.
6. Lavender
If you are a big fan of spending long and relaxing days in the garden, Lavender plants are exactly what you need! They are very present on social media and you’ll see them often in various landscape decorations. The great thing about Lavender is that, but you can also enjoy its distinctive flowers indoors after their blooming period has ended.
The scent of their purple-tinted flowers is one of a kind and many people appreciate these plants for their properties and health benefits. Lavender oil is probably the most popular essential oils for aromatherapy. It is believed that the fragrance of Lavender promotes wellness, calmness, but it can also reduce anxiety, stress, and even mild pain.
7. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are easy-going plants that come in many shapes and sizes. The unmistakable fragrance of their flowers only adds bonus points to their adorable appearance. The blossoms appear in white and yellowish clusters and produce sweet, edible nectar that attracts bees.
Versatile plants, Honeysuckles come in many different shapes and sizes. You can opt for climbing varieties that are perfect for gateways or fences. Or you can use them to turn your garden entrance into a fantasy place. These arching shrubs or twining vines can easily be grown outdoors in subtropical areas.
8. Sweet Alyssum
The best thing about Sweet Alyssum plants is that they can look absolutely gorgeous wherever you place them. These plants work just fine as both flowering ground covers or cascading from hanging baskets, containers, or window boxes.
The visual mix of tiny, delicate, and colorful flowers with grayish-green leaves is truly pleasant. But the subtle and sweet scent of their flowers is what gives these plants all the credit. It is said that their fragrance is somehow similar to that of honey.
While not frost-tolerant, only a few other species of annual plants can match the tolerance of drought and heat of Sweet Alyssum plants. They usually bloom from June to October, but you can encourage the growth of new flowers by cutting back the spent ones.
9. Gardenia
With attractive foliage and many milky-white flowers, Gardenias are among the prettiest ornamental plants worldwide. Their strong and well-known scent is a favorite in the perfume world, but many people forget that these flowers smell even better in the garden.
What gives these plants a safe place in gardeners’ hearts is their blooming habit. While most flowering plants bloom only once every year, Gardenias will exhibit their flowers in late spring to early summer and again from late summer to early autumn.
10. Freesia
There is no better word to describe the fragrance of Freesias than this − overwhelming (but in a good way)! These plants can be distinguished not only by their sweet scent but also through their tubular flowers that grow lined along a single stem.
The blooms of freesias are usually white, but they can also be beautiful mixes of red, orange, golden yellow, pink, purple, and lavender. They can be grown outdoors in frosty conditions, but many gardeners enjoy their scent indoors, by preserving them in vases.
11. Rose
Despite what other people might believe, roses are not as fussy as they seem! As long as they are exposed to full sunlight, they will bring out their well-known fragrance whenever they have the chance. Also, new and improved varieties of roses are now available on the market. You can cultivate one of these varieties and you’ll quickly notice that they have a high resistance to pest infestations and diseases.
Roses are versatile plants and the scent of their flowers is a must-have in every gardener’s collection. They look great as stand-alone ornamental plants, but climbing and rambling roses intensify their natural charm when offered woody supports. And the best part of growing these flowering beauties − a beautiful rose will always put a smile on a loved one’s face.
12. Koreanspice Viburnum
In terms of surprises, Koreanspice Viburun plants can get the job done. These flowering plants are very hardy and probably some of the most trouble-free species of shrubs. Besides this, they are evergreen and long-living plants that will reward you with a wide range of colors throughout their lifetime.
Koreanspice Viburun plants produce many clusters of pinkish-white flowers that come along with a curious spicy scent. They bloom in spring, and their flowers last until summer when red berries take their place. The most interesting feature of these flowering plants, however, is their foliage − the leaves are red in autumn but can turn a purplish shade as time passes.
13. Angel’s Trumpet
Although these flowering plants are poisonous, their perfume is more than inviting! Angel’s Trumpet flowers are certainly showy, but they also have a very interesting feature. Their exotic and peculiar fragrance fills the air only after the sun goes down.
Angel’s Trumpets are small tropical trees that bloom from spring to late fall and have the most sporadical flowering in fall. In warmer climates, however, they will produce large, hanging, and trumpet-shaped flowers all-year-round. Their blossoms are usually yellow, but they can also appear in shades of pink, orange, and white.
14. Mock Orange
Whenever you will walk near in-bloom Mock Oranges, you will know it! The sweet, orange-like fragrance of their flowers is something to remember and it would be a shame not to give them a chance. If you want to bring a citrusy note into your garden, these plants are the perfect candidates!
Mock Oranges exhibit adorable tiny and white flowers that appear in spring or early summer. They are hardy shrubs that can grow in almost any environmental condition without any extra effort on their owner. However, they can get quite large with time, so you must find a nice and cozy spot to plant them.
15. Dianthus
Dianthus plants are perennial plants, so you can enjoy their presence all-year-round with minimal care. They have become popular thanks to their spicy or vanilla-like scented flowers that can mesmerize even the pickiest of noses.
They are versatile flowering plants that work well in landscape decorations as edging but also in cute containers. If you have curious pets or children around, no worries! You can grow Dianthus plants safely around them without worries.
In Conclusion
We know, every gardener is different and every garden unique, but flowering plants have one thing in common! They can put a smile on our faces with their enthralling scents. Let us know what your favorite fragrant flowers are in the comments below!
