Are you fed up with boring, unscented plants? We’ll show you the top 10 scented plants that will delight even fine noses.
Anyone who thinks of nature and flowers will immediately feel a smell. Because what would our flowers be without their lovely scent? After all, the scent of flowers is just as much a part of a garden as the colorful flowers and beautiful leaves. But which flower has the best and which the most exotic scent? Regardless of whether it is a tropical flower dream or an inconspicuous plant, a new breed or a well-tried classic: We will show you the ten best plants that will also turn your garden into a paradise for your nose.
10th place: wax flower
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Tropical feeling in your own garden? No problem! With the wax flower (plumeria) you bring a wonderful exotic plant into your garden that can do more than just look good. The trees or bushes not only have beautiful flowers in summer, but also give off a wonderful scent. No wonder, then, that in their home on the tropical belt they not only decorate numerous parks, but also many monuments and temples (which is why they are also called the temple tree). Their fragrance is so popular that it is now found as an essence in numerous perfumes. One forgives the wax flower that it loses its leaves over the winter and looks like a completely normal deciduous tree. The wax flower can also thrive in German gardens if you treat it correctly. Above all else, the exotic needs one thing: warmth. That is why it makes sense, especially in colder areas, to plant the flower in a pot so that it can be brought inside to overwinter when the first cold. And nothing stands in the way of the tropical flower dream in your own garden.
9th place: Freesia
The freesia (Freesia) also shines not only with its subtle scent, but also with its beautiful appearance. The lovely flower appears in a whole range of color variations and flower shapes that also beguile the eye. The fragrant flowers made it from South Africa to Germany about a hundred years ago and became popular indoor plants, which is why they still evoke a certain nostalgia in many people today. The charming freesia is by no means stale. In the meantime there are even cultivations in the open air that can withstand the cold climate of Europe in the garden and envelop your garden in a fruity scent.
8th place: Rose
When you think of fragrant flowers, you immediately think of roses. The rose (Rosa) is probably the classic among the scented flowers. It is not for nothing that it is the queen of flowers, enchants gardens with its splendor of flowers and belongs in every good farm garden. You too will impress with countless variations in color, shape or even in how often it blooms. But be careful: there are also a number of non-scented rose varieties. So if you want to buy a rose to pamper your nose, you should look for a fragrant variety when buying it. Old varieties or specially grown fragrant roses in particular have a much more intense odor than the classic garden roses. If you pay attention to the right care for roses, the flower feels good in every garden and embellishes it with its classic, romantic charm.
Rank 7: sweet peas
The sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is not only an old, but also a very popular scented plant. Even if it is called a vetch, it is actually a flat pea and not related to the “wild” vetch. Therefore, without its flowers, it looks confusingly similar to a pea plant. But once the climbing plant shows its flowers and exudes its scent, you can see that it is not one of the most popular climbing plants in our gardens for nothing. It bears its flowers from June to September and enriches your garden with a bewitching scent during this time.
6th place: miracle flower
During the day, this copy looks rather inconspicuous. The flowers closed, the shrubs withered. But what would a miracle flower (Mirabilis jalapa) be without miracles? Even if the miracle flower looks so miserable during the day, it shows its full beauty at night. From the evening twilight until late in the morning, the plant blooms in its full splendor and exudes its intense perfume. The wonder flower beguiles not only with its smell, but also with its appearance. If their flowers open at night, you can recognize the beautiful yellow, red or red-yellow flowers. A plant often has at least two, sometimes even three different flower colors – a botanical sensation. The wonder flower can also thrive in German gardens, but it is not hardy and should be dug up and stored in the apartment in winter. Nevertheless, the wonder flower is an enrichment for the garden and a must for all night owls who do not want to miss the floral scent in their gardens even on warm summer nights.
5th place: Chocolate cosmos
Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, the Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) is the perfect plant for you. Because even if this plant is unfortunately not suitable as a dessert, it does not bear its name wrongly. Because the chocolate cosmos does not smell flowery or fresh. In warm summer weather it gives off a scent that is reminiscent of dark chocolate and makes the heart of every chocolate lover beat faster. The plant is also not to be despised visually, with dark purple to dark red flowers. In their home country Mexico, the cosmopolitan likes it warm and in Germany, too, they love a location in full sun. It does not tolerate winter well and should therefore spend it in a warm house. Otherwise, the chocolate cosmos can also be cultivated well in German gardens and offers a great variety for everyone who wants something different than the typical floral scent in their garden.
4th place: jasmine
Everyone has probably had the smell of jasmine (Jasminum) in their noses. After all, there is now a whole spectrum of areas of application, from tea to perfume, in which the fragrant plant is used. But the plant is not only so popular because of its smell. The jasmine also looks great and shines with summer or evergreen leaves and a multitude of small flowers that often bloom for several months. The jasmine can also have some frost-hardy varieties, which also thrive in colder regions without any problems. The winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorium) even blooms from December to April and sweeten the winter with its magical blossoms, even if it does not smell as intense as, for example, its warmth-loving brother, the Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac). This thrives primarily as a houseplant and will delight your nose with its intense, sweet scent even in the apartment.
3rd place: lily
Another true classic among the scented plants is the lily (Lilium). It is often used in old cottage gardens, but also finds its place in modern parks. There seems to be no limit to the shape and color of the lily, it shines with speckles, tabby or monochrome in all possible colors. The stargazer lily is probably the most intensely fragrant lily, but it is particularly suitable as a houseplant. Their smell is described as somewhat spicy, but has many fans around the world and is of course also used for a variety of perfumes. For the garden, on the other hand, you should use somewhat more robust types of lily, which, however, have a slightly less intense smell so that you can enjoy them for a long time.
2nd place: lilies of the valley
Even if the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) looks rather inconspicuous when it appears at the edge of the forest in spring, it still has a pleasantly sweet smell. Its bell-shaped flowers and a certain nostalgic flair (didn’t we all give our mother a bouquet of lilies of the valley for Mother’s Day as children?) Make the lily of the valley a popular plant for the home garden. However, you should be careful with wild lilies of the valley: They are under nature protection and may not be picked or relocated. So if you want to experience the splendor and wonderful scent of the small flowers in your own garden, you should go to a nursery and not the nearest forest. Here, too, you can buy the small scented flowers without having to worry about the forest rangers or the police.
1st place: gardenia
The gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) is probably the queen of fragrant plants, not only beguiling you with its wonderful fragrance, but also with its beautiful appearance. Not least because of this, it is popularly known as jasmine rose – an intense scent like jasmine, paired with the beauty of the rose. Often times these flowers were popular houseplants in the past and are now often viewed as old-fashioned, even if many people still love their classic charm. The evergreen plant is also on the rise in the garden and due to its beauty for weddings and flower arrangements. The gardenia remains the most popular as a pot and houseplant, not least because it does not tolerate frost. However, if it is brought into the warmth in time in winter, it can also unfold its true splendor in gardens and inspire you with its unique fragrance.
Tip: For strong and resilient plants with rich flowers, fertilize your fragrant plants with a high-quality flower fertilizer. This is specially tailored to the needs of flowering plants. This is currently the best fertilizer that we have tested and can highly recommend!
