Occasionally, the same plant provides both: scented leaves and blossoms.
Additionally, plants with strong smells tend torepel deer, thereby cutting down on your need for pest control.
Here are 15 great plants withfragrant leaves.
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It’s dioecious: only male or female flowers appear on each plant.
Bayberry is best known for the berries, which are used to make candles.
But it’s worth growing in a fragrance garden even without berries, because of its scented leaves.
David Beaulieu
Bayberry isn’t a fussy plant to grow as long as you give it full sun and well-drained soil.
It’s drought-tolerant and doesn’t need much fertilizer because it’s anitrogen fixer.
Bee Balm (Monarda spp.)
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The “balm” in the name provides a clue for why some people categorize it as an herb.
By contrast,Monarda fistulais more tolerant of dry conditions.
While some cultivars bear pink or purple flowers, it’s best known for producing blue flowers.
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Bluebeard is often classified as a sub-shrub for precisely this reason.
Catmint (Nepeta spp.)
There are different species and cultivars, and their height varies.
Some types of Nepeta x faassenii can get rather large.Neil Holmes/ Photolibrary / Getty Images
Catmint isn’t fussy to grow.
Just give this drought-tolerant perennial good drainage and sufficient sun.
Most of its maintenance comes in the form of cutting.
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In spring, prune off dead branches left over from last season.
Then shear back the bigger varieties after the initial bloom to promote re-blooming.
Thereafter,deadheadthe flowers whenever they fade.
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Such a regimen will give you blooms into the fall.
But they’re used in different ways in landscaping.
Whereas catmint is ornamental, catnip is weedy.
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But this weedy nature makes it even easier to grow than catmint.
Catnip takes more shade than catmint.
Creeping Thyme (Thymus spp.)
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It has scented leaves, but so do the ornamental thymes.
Whereas the former has an upright form, the latter are creepers.
Creeping thyme is an ideal perennial ground cover in fragrance gardens.
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When you step on it, aroma is released into the air.
It also has attractive flowers.
Creeping thyme is easy to grow and thrives in poor soils.
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Just give it full sun and good drainage; it’s susceptible to root rot in soggy soil.
It becomes woody as it ages and when woody stems begin to predominate, growth will decline.
Either remove and replace the plants or prune them back to rejuvenate them.
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Shrub-form cultivars can be bought that are useful in hedges.
Hemlock is best grown in cool, moist, well-drained ground.
Because it has shallow roots, protect it from strong winds.
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Plant hemlock trees 30 to 40 feet apart.
Some find it refreshing; others find it too pungent.
There is wider agreement on the beauty of its flowers, which come in an assortment of colors.
Tricolor sage is used primarily for ornamental purposesDavid Beaulieu
Lantana grows as a shrub in warm climates, where it’s perennial.
Northerners treat it as an annual, often growing it in hanging pots during the summer.
Lantana growing in the ground doesn’t need much fertilizing (once in early spring).
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But pot-grown lantana should get 20-20-20 fertilizer monthly.
Lantana needs one inch of water weekly; never let it dry out completely.
The sandier the soil, the more you’ll need to water it in hot weather.
David Beaulieu
While lantana can survive a light frost, it dies when temperatures go below 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
Warning
Lantana is toxic to animals.
This is a plant that has both scented flowers and scented leaves.
There are many types; here, we deal specifically with English lavender.
Water new plants every other day for their first week to get them established.
Thereafter, they’re drought-tolerant; excess watering only inhibits their ability to bloom.
Water mature plants only before the ground totally dries out, until flower buds form.
Then water every few days to ensure a good harvest.
Russian Sage (Salvia yangii)
Russian sage is a sub-shrub grown as a perennial.
The plant’s silvery stems are graceful, and its feathery, silvery leaves are scented.
It reaches 4 to 5 feet high, making quite a statement.
Drought-tolerant, it’s useful inxeriscaping.
It’s a minimal-fuss plant; just give it full sun and good drainage.
Its scented leaves and ability to spread are its leading attributes.
The aromatic foliage smells stronger once dried, making it a natural for potpourris.
Sweet woodruff is easy to grow, readily adapting to different soil and moisture conditions.
Alternatively, if you water it sparingly, it won’t spread as quickly.
Harder to control than sweet woodruff, don’t plant tansy in areas where it’s considered invasive.
Tansy is considered aninvasiveplant in North America.
Tansy’s foliage is toxic to humans, cows, and horses.
Its scented leaves boast three colors (white, green, purple).
Standing 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall, it makes a good short border plant.
Grow Tricolor in full sun and well-drained soil.
Mixcompostinto the ground annually to fertilize.
The purple in the variegated foliage depends on full sun.
Wormwood (Artemisia spp.)
Its stems and leaves are harvested and dried to make wreaths.
Silver Mound is easy to grow.
Just give it full sun and good drainage.
It tolerates drought, road salt, and poor soil.
Artemisia ludovicianais toxic to people and pets.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow’s aromatic foliage bears a fern-like appearance.
The fine texture of the leaves is useful for creating visual contrast with other leafy green plants.
But this perennial’s grown more for its blooms.
The flowers come in flat-topped clusters in many colors, giving gardeners seeking particular color combinations lots of choices.
Yarrow is easy to grow and spreads when grown in full sun.
Before planting yarrow, consider whether its spreading is acceptable.
It must be staked in some cases to avoid having its stems flop over in high winds.
Yarrow is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.
Negi, G.C.S., Sharma, S., Vishvakarma, S.C.et al.Ecology and Use ofLantana camarain India.Bot.
