Fragrant Perennials
Here are a few easily found plants you might consider growing.
Achillea - easily grown in full sun and rock hardy
Agastache - self sowing, lovely violet shades for sun
Arabis - low growing, sweet fragrance for sun or light shade
Artemisia - foliage is menthol for full hot sun
Asclepias - flowers are almost sickly sweet and overpowering in mass plantings
Buddleia - a fall bloomer and garden classic
Calamintha - lesser known garden perennial - minty
Caryopteris - shrubby plant, grow as herbaceous perennial in cold areas
Centaurea - blue corn flower, full sun and self-sowing
Centranthus - full sun-lover and easy to grow
Cimicifuga - a shade garden classic perennial, sweet fragrance
Clematis - sweet fragrance on bush clematis
Convallaria - classic lily of the valley for spreading shade
Corydalis - another tender shade lover
Cosmos - chocolate cosmos with distinctive fragrance - while most will self-sow, you should do this one from cuttings
Cyclamen - sweet if you can get your nose that low
Dianthus - carnation smells
Dictamnus - powerful fragrance for the sunny garden
Erysimum - sweet spring if short lived plant
Eupatorium - full sun lover and easy once established
Euphorbia - another tough to kill plant in full sun
Geranium - leaves are menthol fragrance
Hemerocallis - some flowers fragrant - "lemon lily" is of the classic fragrant perennials
Hesperis - dames rocket - a native has purple or white fragrant flowers
Hosta - the fall bloomers are wonderfully fragrant
Iris - goes without saying
Lavandula - another full sun classic
Lilium - and the third in the series of plants you have to grow if you want fragrance.
Melissa - minty fragrance
Monarda - the leaves are distinctive
Nepeta - catnip with its minty tones
Origanum - oregano - both for fragrance and low-growing ornamental status
Paeonia - classic corsage and cut flower
Perovskia - late summer blooming and foliage is dusky
Phlox - some varieties more fragrant than others
Polemonium - tender sweet fragrance - not heavy
Primula - a classic primrose sweet floral fragrance
Rosmarinus - rosemary - it's all in the leaves
Salvia - it's all in the leaves of this "sage" family
Silene - another faint but interesting floral perfume
Tanacetum - again see the leaves of this mum
Thymus - who doesnt' think of fragrance when you think of thyme and fragrant perennials
Tiarella - a slight woodlandy sweet fragrance
Viola - a clear flower fragrance from the violets.
Print out this list of fragrant perennials and take it shopping with you to make sure you do indeed double your pleasure with your garden this summer.
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