9 Plants That Smell Amazing, No Flowers Necessary – GWC Mag

There are lots of reasons to plant gardens. Many people love to look at beautiful flowers or watch the birds and butterflies flocking around them. Other gardens are meant for food production, and even though squash blossoms are gorgeous, they are more appreciated for the squash to follow.

Plants might be special for their strong wood or attractive bark. Plants might be unique for their unusually shaped foliage or their evergreen boughs. It might be about the berries or fruit or vegetables or roots. Just as readily, it could be that we choose some plants for their aroma.

Walking by or in a garden with a magnificent fragrance wafting through the air can be magical. It can demand observation and appreciation. It can inspire the installation of a bench to sit on and simply smell what’s happening. Plants that smell amazing, no flower necessary, are a wonderful addition to the garden mix.

Bayberry

Called the scent of the holidays, bayberry is a native North American plant, primarily found on the eastern seaboard. Bayberry is frequently used to make candles which are often burned at Christmas Eve church services. This perennial shrub is easy to grow in sunny spots, and the “berries” remain on the bush for a long time.

Bee balm

A native North American plant that is so beautiful it seems as though it shouldn’t be wild. It has amazing flowers that brighten up the summertime, and it is a member of the mint family that spreads like wildfire. It also has amazing-smelling leaves that can be used for herbal tea or even (sparingly) as salad greens.

Source: Garden Plants with Jim Putnam/YouTube

Bluebeard

Bluebeard is a nice-looking, drought-tolerant shrub that attracts pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Its leaves have a scent often compared to sage and/or lavender, and their aroma combines well with Bluebeard’s beautiful blossoms when they are in season.

Lemon Verbena

A perennial plant native to tropical South America, lemon verbena is a member of the aromatic Aloysia genus and isn’t great at dealing with cold weather though it can be overwintered with some serious mulch to protect it. It has an addictive sweet lemony scent that makes it worth spending a few bucks every year if it can’t survive the winter. It’ll also grow well as a pot plant brought indoors.

Mint

Sometimes the answer is simple. Mint smells amazing. And, there are loads of flavors to enjoy, including chocolate mint, orange mint, apple mint, and on and on. Mint grows very well in wet areas, and it’s notorious for its ability to take over a garden. It can be a great thing to plant in the yard or fence line where mowing can keep it under control and illicit the delightful aroma.

Source: Morag Gamble: Our Permaculture Life/YouTube

Pineapple Sage

One of the many members are wonderful smelling sage plants, pineapple sage has an alluring mixture of pineapple and sage that keeps a gardener sniffing. It’s not a very cold-tolerant plant, but it can get several feet tall in one growing season. It puts out vivid little red flowers in late summer.

Scented-Leaved Geraniums

There is a large group of garden geraniums, the Pelargonium genus, that have strongly scented leaves that emit beautiful fragrances when crushed, touched, or sometimes even brushed. Some of the popular varieties of these plants include apple-scented, “mosquito plant” (citronella-scented), and rose geraniums.

Sweet Woodruff

Sweet woodruff is a perennial plant that is often used as a groundcover, especially under trees and shady spots. It thrives, aggressively, in such space. It has a nice, earthy smell sometimes compared to freshly mown hay, and it’s so beloved it sometimes features in potpourris. It is considered invasive in some places because it spreads so readily.

Wormwood

Having developed a reputation as the magic ingredient in absinthe, wormwood is not just used for potent elixirs. It is also put into perfumes. The plant has a unique herbal aroma, often described as bitter as well as earthy and medicinal. In short, it’s hard to describe but appreciated by many.

Of course, there are so many other plants that smell wonderful. Culinary herbs are well-known for their aromatic qualities, and lots and lots of flowering plants emit beautiful fragrances from the blooms. A garden just isn’t complete with those wonderful aromas to enjoy.

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