It is well known that houseplants can clean the air in your home and give it a lovely scent if you pick the right kind.
There is no need to spend money on chemical air fresheners that were grown in labs to make fake versions of the real thing. The real thing is healthier, cheaper, and looks absolutely gorgeous in your home.
Now, here are some fragrant houseplants, ranging from mildly fragrant to strongly fragrant, to make your home a sensory playground. Keep in mind, though, that most fragrant houseplants only give off their scent for a short time when their flowers are in bloom. To extend your window of freshness, buy a selection of plants that blossom at different times.
A scented geranium will send a burst of beautiful scent into the room when you gently rub or bruise one of its leaves, just like an air freshener does when you press its button.
Care tips: This easy-care plant should only be watered when the soil is dry. It’s a sun-worshipper, too, so keep it in a window that gets lots of light.
Bringing nature indoors through houseplants is a great way to boost your mood and liven up your home decor. But did you know that certain plants can also fill your indoor spaces with lovely scents? Choosing the right fragrant plant can transform any room with the sweet perfume of flowers or the fresh aroma of foliage.
As an avid gardener, I’ve experimented with dozens of scented plants over the years. Through trial and error, I’ve discovered the 10 best smelling plants that thrive indoors. These beauties will scent your home with notes of citrus, vanilla, rose, and more.
1. Gardenia
The gardenia is one of the most famously fragrant blooms you can grow. Its elegant white flowers emit a strong, sweet floral perfume that can scent an entire room. Gardenias thrive in bright, indirect light and humid conditions. Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
2. Jasmine
Jasmine is prized for its delicate star-shaped flowers and intense, romantic fragrance Varieties like Arabian jasmine bloom abundantly indoors all year long Grow jasmine in a sunny spot and water when the soil surface is partly dry. The vines look lovely trained up a trellis.
3. Orange Jessamine
Also called Murraya paniculata, orange jessamine offers glossy green leaves and clusters of tiny white blooms that smell just like orange blossoms. It prefers bright, indirect light. Allow the soil to partly dry out between waterings.
4. Paperwhites
For a burst of spring fragrance mid-winter, it’s hard to beat paperwhite narcissus bulbs. These dainty flowers have a light, sweet scent reminiscent of hyacinth. Paperwhites are one of the easiest bulbs to force indoors—just plant the bulbs in pebbles and water.
5. Sweet Osmanthus
Sweet osmanthus is an elegant shrub with tiny white flowers that smell like peach or apricot nectar. It needs bright light to bloom freely indoors. Water when the soil surface feels slightly dry. Pinching back the new growth in spring encourages bushiness.
6. Stephanotis
The pure white, waxy blooms of stephanotis release a powerful, refreshing fragrance. Give this climbing vine bright, indirect light or try moving it outdoors in spring and summer for vigorous growth. Water when the soil is partly dry.
7. Angel’s Trumpet
I grow angel’s trumpet as an annual, bringing the potted plant indoors for the winter. In spring and summer, its huge pendulous blooms scent the garden with their spicy, tropical fragrance. Angel’s trumpet needs very bright light indoors. Keep the soil evenly moist but not saturated.
8. Lemon Verbena
Brushing against the pointed leaves of lemon verbena releases its fresh, lemony scent. Growing it indoors can be tricky, but providing very bright, indirect light and lightly fertilizing every few weeks helps it thrive. Allow the soil to partly dry between waterings.
9. Lavender
Most lavenders need a cold dormancy period, but Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) grows well indoors year-round. Rubbing its gray-green fragrant foliage releases a relaxing herbal aroma. Grow lavender in a very sunny window and allow the soil to dry out between waterings.
10. Rosemary
Known as a versatile cooking herb, rosemary also makes an easy-care houseplant. Its needle-like leaves give off a piney, peppery scent when crushed. Rosemary thrives in a sunny spot and tolerates some drought. Water when the soil is partly dry. Trim back leggy stems to keep it full.
With proper care, these scented indoor plants will soon have your home smelling like a garden. Pay attention to each plant’s light, water, humidity, and temperature needs. Group plants with similar preferences in bright, sunny windows or use grow lights to help meet their needs. With regular watering, fertilizing, and pruning, your fragrant houseplants will perfume the indoor air for years to come.
Primrose
If you want a soft, long-lasting scent and a soft pop of color in your home, choose the primrose. If you take good care of it, you can enjoy the scent from early spring all the way through summer as the flowers fade from white to the prettiest yellow.
A lot of sun is good for your primrose, just like it is for your scented geranium. Only water it when the soil is dry.
Frangipani
If you’ve been to Australia, the beautiful and unique scent of frangipani (also called plumeria) will definitely take you back to happy times spent in warmer weather. Down Under, this pretty golden and creamy-white flower is often used as a motif on paintings and surfwear. It comes from Hawaii, which is known as the surfing capital of the world.
Care: Keep your frangipani in a warm, bright, draft-free place. In the summer, move it outside to make sure it gets lots of light. The Frangipani is poisonous, and should be kept out of reach of children and pets for this reason.
10 Indoor plants that smell good | 10 fragrant Indoor plants that make home aromatic
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