Best Plants for Adding Fragrance to Outdoor Rooms

Planting fragrant plants is an effective way to transform a patio into an outdoor room, but be wary when placing too many strong-scented varieties close together; their scent could potentially overwhelm one another and be too strong.

Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is an easy-to-grow perennial that fills containers with blooms and scent from spring through summer, while Koreanspice Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum) flowers provide springtime fragrance as well as handsome foliage.

1. Lantana

Few plants possess the power to perfume an outdoor space like Lantana (Lantana camara). This heat and drought tolerant workhorse flowers from summer until frost, or year-round in warmer climates. Combine lantana with other high impact plants such as Cleome or Coleus as thriller plants with trailing sweet Potato vine or Lobelia trailing behind for an effective „thriller, filler and spiller” effect in containers.

Gardeners who reside in areas frequented by deer may benefit from knowing that lantanas repel deer. Their fragrant flowers also attract hummingbirds.

Lantana varieties with tight clusters of flowers tend to be more fragrant. Deadheading can promote more blooms while keeping seeds from going to seed – something which could become an invasive problem in some regions.

2. Pineapple Sage

An assortment of fragrant herbs can fill an outdoor room with their scent. Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) flowers are highly aromatic, and can be used fresh or dried in cooking – it’s even popular among hummingbirds! A great late season bloomer.

This easy-to-grow herb is related to common sage, but has a fruitier scent and larger foliage. Additionally, it produces bright red tubular flowers similar to honeysuckle that work as a garnish.

Plant pineapple sage in rich, well-draining soil and water it regularly for best results. Gardeners in USDA hardiness zones 8a and 8b can treat pineapple sage like an annual, while those living in milder climates can treat it like a perennial by adding extra mulch in fall and cutting back lightly in spring – this makes an excellent container choice! Additionally, this species thrives best in sunny locations with regular fertilization from Miracle-Gro Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition application.

3. Roses

Even the smallest balcony gardens can become fragrant havens. Look for plants like pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) with citrusy leaves or curry plant (Murraya paniculata), to fill your space with delightful scent and draw curious passersby into your garden.

English Roses are ideal for balconies with limited growing spaces. This hybrid tea rose (‘Just Joey’) boasts large 5-inch flowers that boast fruity aroma throughout summer on a compact plant resistant to disease that keeps its form well into fall.

David Austin’s irresistible „Strawberry Hill” (Ausrimini) flower will add sophistication. Producing pure rose pink cupped blooms that gradually fade to light pink with a yellow stamen at their center, these elegant blooms make a striking display when combined with pots of fragrant thyme or trailing violas for additional color and texture.

4. Stock

Stock (Matthiola incana), an ornamental member of the cabbage family, adds vibrant hues and an alluring clove-like fragrance to garden beds and containers. Favored by florists due to its long-lived flowers and aromatic foliage, stock is especially well suited for floral arrangements.

Grow it in full sun or partial shade and on rich, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 for optimal results. Consider planting it near seating areas where its intoxicating fragrance can be appreciated.

Heat can quickly cause this flower to wither and fade, but you can extend its blooming season by regularly deadheading, providing it with ample moisture, protecting it from verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt, protecting from nematodes and protecting from other threats like verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt, using trellises or supports as climbing aids when necessary to stay upright during windy conditions, protecting from verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt; most climates will enjoy annual annual or perennial species overwinter as permanent perennial species with additional care taken into consideration during milder climates if conditions warrant it – giving extra care will allow it to overwinter as perennial species with ease!

5. Sweet Alyssum

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) provides low-growing ground coverage with fragrant clusters of tiny flowers that bloom low to the ground. Perfect as filler among perennials or annuals in flower beds; adds lush carpet of color in window boxes and planters alike.

Plant in full sun or partial shade, providing afternoon shade if growing it in containers to prevent heat stress and facilitate blooming.

Fertilize with a balanced slow-release fertilizer at planting time and monthly until frost.

Sweet Alyssum is easy to propagate from seed and makes an attractive flower bed when planted in mass, forming an abundance of blooms. Container gardening also works well; just pinch off spent flowers as needed to encourage reblooming. Low maintenance requirements make Sweet Alyssum drought-tolerant!

6. Scented Geraniums

This robust perennial vine sprawls from trellises or fence lines and fills gardens with its sweet fragrance, native to the South where it attracts pollinators and butterflies alike.

These fragrant perennials thrive in sunny but partially shaded locations. Plant them in garden beds or pots filled with rich, slightly acidic soil. Numerous types of scented-leaved geraniums offer beautiful blossoms from spring through summer blooming periods.

For maximum impact, start growing scented-leaved geraniums from seed in December and transplant them outdoors as soon as the weather warms up. Be sure to water regularly without overwatering, while bring indoors when frost threatens. These tender plants could die in winter temperatures while leaving them outdoors may open them up to alternaria leaf spot or botrytis blight diseases that cause alternaria leaf spot or botrytis blight disease outbreaks.

7. Daffodils

Narcissus in the Genus Narcissus is an iconic spring bloom, known for its fragrant blooms that make an impression in Southern landscapes. Mackintosh often picks these sweet-smelling blooms to include in bouquets. Daffodils can also provide long-term fragrance even though their leaves become dormant during summer and fall seasons, offering long-term scent even while dormant.

Narcissus ‘Actaea’ is an award-winning fragrant large-cupped narcissus with exquisite pure white blooms featuring wide petals and petite golden cups, making this vigorous midspring performer ideal for naturalizing or adding fragrance to a border or rockery.

Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’, an elegant miniature daffodil, produces up to five small fragrant blooms per stem in late spring. Perfect for forcing and warmer climates alike, this fragrant variety makes an excellent naturalizer choice in front of flower beds or containers.

8. Hyacinths

Hyacinthus orientalis) provide a much-anticipated burst of scent and color well before outdoor gardens open up for spring. You can purchase prechilled bulbs from nurseries or chill them yourself in your garage or basement in order to speed up flowering during winter or early spring.

Hyacinths grown outdoors thrive when provided with constant moisture and an environment with good drainage, according to Gaumond. Heavier soils that need additional organic matter should be amended prior to planting.

Indoor hyacinths require some planning as well. You can plant them in bulb vases, shallow dishes or bowls using pebbles instead of soil as the medium for planting, until only the top third of each bulb can be seen, then add enough water so it remains moist but not waterlogged – and be sure to check by sticking your finger into the soil to see that your indoor hyacinths haven’t been overwatered!

9. Heliotrope

Heliotrope (Heliotropium) blooms brighten gardens during warm summer days with sweetly fragrant purple blooms that fade to lavender, spreading sweet fragrance throughout your garden. Though generally considered annual plants, they thrive as perennials in warmer areas and are beloved by both bees and butterflies.

Choose from classic varieties with dark green foliage and precious clusters of deep violet-blue blooms, or newer hybrid varieties whose flowers come in lavender or white hues. Heliotropes require rich soil; to conserve moisture when planting directly in the ground or potting up for containers. All heliotrope varieties need heavy feeding; mulch to conserve moisture when planting out or potted up indoors.

Heliotrope should be planted in full sun or partial shade for best results, though shade is recommended in more hot regions. Deadhead spent blossoms to ensure continuous blooming and keep your plant tidy; prune mature plants carefully as too severe pruning could result in quick reblooming. Use liquid plant food at midsummer feedings of both planted heliotropes as well as those in containers.

10. Pelargonium

Geraniums (Pelargonium x argyranthemum) have long been popular annual flowers; however, when grown as scented annuals they emit powerful aromas of rose, citrus, mint and chocolate that make for an exciting display. If necessary for mild climates they may even overwinter indoors!

Pelargoniums are easy to care for in any garden environment and many varieties tolerate both drought and heat without much worry of scorch damage or insect pests.

Plant pelargoniums in slightly alkaline or neutral soil with good drainage. Dig holes larger than their root balls, add compost or rotted manure as amendment, firmly press down on soil, water it thoroughly after planting, then fertilize regularly in order to encourage vigorous growth and healthy blooms.