Gardening Garden Design Garden Styles 23 of the Most Fragrant Flowers That Add Sweet Scents to Any Garden By Sheryl Geerts Sheryl Geerts Website Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. She enjoys writing about garden, food, and home topics. Her bylines have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other publications. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on August 25, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jon Jensen Enhance your outdoor space by including a few of these plants known for their wonderfully scented blooms. And remember, the surest way to find the best-smelling flowers you can grow in your garden is to follow your nose. 01 of 23 Dianthus Peter Krumhardt A quintessential cottage garden flower, dianthus has fringed petals that look as if someone took pinking shears to their edges (hence its common name of pinks). This old-fashioned favorite is grown for its pink, white, red, or bicolor flowers, which have a spicy, clove-like scent. The blooms appear in spring and summer, depending on variety. Name: Dianthus selections Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 1 foot tall Zones: 4-8 02 of 23 Gardenia Denny Schrock Gardenia is one of the most fragrant flowers, producing one of the most beloved scents in the garden world. Fall or spring is the best time to plant this shrub in warmer climates. It also makes a fragrant houseplant, though it can be fussy about indoor humidity. Container plants can be placed outdoors during summer and returned to moderate indoor temperatures in the fall. Name: Gardenia jasminoides Growing Conditions: Light to moderate shade in well-drained, acidic soil Size: Up to 6 feet tall Zones: 8-11 Buy It: Gardenia ($21, The Home Depot) 03 of 23 Nicotiana Peter Krumhardt The star-shaped blooms of nicotiana can fill your garden with a strong, sweet fragrance all summer into fall. A relative of tobacco, nicotiana is also known as flowering tobacco or jasmine tobacco. Plant it near your patio or a bedroom window in a moon garden because the scent is most pronounced at night. The blooms come in white, cream, yellow, lime green, pink, and red. And although it's perennial in frost-free regions, nicotiana is usually grown as an annual. Name: Nicotiana alata Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 10-11 04 of 23 Oriental Lily Jon Jensen Powerfully fragrant and stunningly gorgeous, Oriental lilies such as the famous 'Star Gazer' can perfume an entire garden. Oriental lilies bloom in mid-to-late summer in white, pink, and yellow. So whether you add this showy flower to your perennial border or container garden, it will provide long-lasting color and make a gorgeous cut flower. Name: Lilium selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Stargazer Oriental Lily ($21, The Home Depot) 05 of 23 Garden Phlox Bob Stefko One of summer's most fragrant and showy flowers, phlox bears big clusters of candy-colored blooms on tall stems from mid-to-late summer. These blooms have a sweet scent, most apparent on warm, sunny days. This perennial border staple also attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Name: Phlox paniculata Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 3-8 06 of 23 Rose Mary Carolyn Pindar Well-deserving of its honor as America's national flower, the beautiful rose comes in a wide range of colors, and many varieties are wonderfully fragrant. If possible, do a sniff test on roses before you buy them. Some are powerfully fragrant, and others have no scent at all. Their fragrance varies as much as their color; some smell citrusy, others smell floral, musky, or fruity. Name: Rosa selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-9 Buy It: At Last Rose Live Shrub ($36, The Home Depot) 07 of 23 Sweet Pea Kritsada Panichgul Sweet peas are a bushy or climbing annual that blooms from spring to early summer. They're prized for being one of the most fragrant flowers. It will climb up to eight feet as a vine in a single season. Without support, it will grow in a bushy mound up to 30 inches tall. Their flowers appear in nearly every shade, plus stunning bi-colors. Name: Lathyrus odoratus Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 8 feet tall 08 of 23 Lily of the Valley Bill Holt Don't let this little beauty fool you; though it's small, lily of the valley packs a big fragrance in its nodding white or pink bell-shaped flowers. This tough, low-care groundcover can be planted and practically forgotten in shady spots. In some areas, it can spread too exuberantly, so you may want to put it where you can keep it under control. Note: Keep this plant out of children's reach because all parts of the plant, including its red berries, contain cardiac glycosides, which slow down the heart and cause irregular heart rhythm. Name: Convallaria majalis Growing Conditions: Full to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 1 foot tall Zones: 3-8 09 of 23 Hyacinth Justin Hancock For early spring perfume in the garden, nothing beats hyacinths. Plant them in fall in well-drained soil to enjoy their powerful scent the following spring. Flower colors range from purple to pink, red, white, and yellow. Grow hyacinths along paths or in mixed borders, rock gardens, and containers. You can even force its bulbs to enjoy indoors during the winter. Name: Hyacinthus orientalis Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 1 foot tall Zones: 4-8 Buy It: Giant Hyacinth Mixture ($24, Breck's) 10 of 23 Bearded Iris Brie Passano Bearded irises are available in almost every color of the rainbow. They're among the most fragrant flowers in any spring garden, with scents ranging from anise to floral to fruity. 'Dusky Challenger' has a chocolate scent and dark purple color and raises the standards of dark iris to a new level. The large, heavily ruffled flowers and sweet fragrance of 'Belgian Princess' have an engaging appeal. The scented purple flowers with yellow beards of 'Variegata' are reminiscent of grape soda. Name: Iris selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 4-9 11 of 23 Lilac Bill Stites Thanks to their intense scent and color, lilacs are hard to miss when they're in bloom. Lilacs are durable and can thrive in almost any growing condition except shade. They've also held symbolic meaning in many cultures for centuries. Name: Syringa selections Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 12 feet tall Zones: 3-7 12 of 23 Flowering Crabapple Denny Schrock Fragrant springtime blooms and jewel-like fruit make crabapple trees beautiful additions to just about any landscape. These small to mid-size trees are available in several colorful varieties, including those that have upright, column-shaped branching, or weeping specimens. In spring, they are covered with fragrant white, pink, or red flowers, and in fall with small yellow, orange, or red apples that attract birds. Some of the most fragrant crabapple varieties include 'Charlottae', 'Brandywine', and 'Prince Georges'. Name: Malus selections Growing Conditions: Full sun in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 20 feet tall Zones: 4-8 13 of 23 Heliotrope Helen Norman If you ask a handful of friends what heliotrope in bloom smells like, you're bound to get a different answer from each person. Some say cherry pie, others say vanilla, and others say grape jelly. But, no matter what you think it smells like, you're sure to love the sweet, rich fragrance that emanates from the pretty clusters of purple, blue, or white flowers. Name: Heliotropium arborescens Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 18 inches tall Zones: 10-11 Buy It: Heliotrope Seeds (from $7, Etsy) 14 of 23 Lavender David Patterson Be transported to Provence by growing lavender in your garden. The flowers and foliage of this herb produce aromas that permeate the countryside of southern France in mid-summer. In your own garden, try growing it in a perennial border, rock garden, herb garden, or scented garden. If you plant it next to a walkway, you'll catch a whiff every time you pass by. Name: Lavandula selections Growing Conditions: Full sun in dry to medium, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 5-8 Buy It: Lavender Seeds ($8, Etsy) 15 of 23 Sweet Alyssum Peter Krumhardt Producing carpets of lightly fragrant flowers in white, rose, lavender, or purple, sweet alyssum is an easy-to-grow, low-maintenance cool-season annual. Plant them in masses to enjoy its light honey fragrance in edgings, flower beds, rock gardens, hanging baskets, and window boxes. Name: Lobularia maritima Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 9 inches tall Zones: 5-9 Buy It: Alyssum Royal Sweet Carpet Seeds (from $2, Etsy) 16 of 23 Peony Andreas Trauttmansdorff The old-fashioned, fuss-free peony can thrive for years without special care. The petal-packed blooms make perfect cut flowers, and you can even dry peony flowers to enjoy them year-round. However, not all varieties are fragrant. The double, white-and-pink peonies tend to be the most fragrant. Name: Paeonia selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 3 feet tall Zones: 3-8 17 of 23 Moonflower Mike Jensen As its name suggests, moonflower opens at night. Like flowering tobacco, this plant is perfect for a moon garden because its big, pure white, trumpet-shaped flowers are most fragrant after the sun goes down. Note: Though this plant is beautiful, it is deadly poisonous if eaten, so keep it in a spot out of reach of children and pets. Name: Datura selections Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 4 feet tall Zones: 9-10 Buy It: Moonflower Seeds ($5, Etsy) 18 of 23 Southern Magnolia Mary Carolyn Pindar Among the most majestic trees, Southern magnolia is widely planted for its beautifully fragrant, creamy-to-white spring flowers. Its large, shiny, evergreen leaves with a fuzzy underside and red fruit in the fall add to its seasonal appeal. This large tree is one of the most stunning additions to any ornamental garden landscape. Be sure you know when to prune your magnolias so they'll look beautiful year-round without sacrificing any blooms. Dwarf magnolias are also available. Name: Magnolia grandiflora Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 80 feet tall Zones: 7-9 19 of 23 Mock Orange Bill Stites One of the most fragrant flowers you can plant in your garden, mock orange is grown primarily for its scented white flowers. Its four-petaled blooms resemble the shape of orange blossom, though it doesn't belong to the citrus family. This deciduous shrubs' strong scent keeps deer away, and its height adds privacy to any yard. Prune mock orange as needed immediately after flowering. Name: Philadelphus selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 12 feet tall Zones: 4-8 Buy It: Mock Orange Seeds ($3, Etsy) 20 of 23 Viburnum Jerry Pavia If you want sweet-smelling flowers in your garden and colorful berries in the fall, try viburnum shrub varieties such as Korean spice viburnum and fragrant snowball viburnum. The flowers can be pale pink or white, and berries come in shades of blue, red, and even black. The berries will attract birds to your garden. Name: Viburnum selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 16 feet tall Zones: 2-8 21 of 23 Tree Lilac Denny Schrock Plant a Japanese tree lilac to get the same perfume in the garden as shrub lilacs but with a little more height. You can find varieties with flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white. These lilacs are also pretty drought-tolerant once established. Name: Syringa reticulata Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 30 feet tall Zones: 3-7 22 of 23 Daffodil Matthew Benson Nothing smells like spring more than a garden full of daffodils. The yellow, orange, and white cup-shaped blooms add texture and color to the landscape. To start your fragrant garden early, force the bulbs indoors. Some more fragrant daffodil varieties include 'Actaea', 'Baby Moon', and 'Canaliculatus'. Name: Narcissus selections Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in medium moist, well-drained soil Size: Up to 30 inches tall Zones: 4-8 23 of 23 Azalea Bob Stefko Colorful blooms and glossy leaves make azalea bushes stand out. These shrubs can fill the gap if you have a shady place that needs some color. Suitable soil is essential for azaleas; they prefer acidic conditions and are happiest with lots of organic matter like compost. Some of the more fragrant varieties are: 'Daviesii' (floral scent), 'Dora Amateis' (spicy scent), and 'Else Frye' (lily-like scent). Growing Conditions: Part shade in acidic, well-drained soil Size: Up to 5 feet tall Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Lavender Formosa Azalea (from $5, Etsy) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit