New to Scented Garden? This page takes you from “where do I even begin?” to a short list of plants for your own space, in four steps.
Step 1: Look at your space
Before you look at a single plant, answer three questions.
- How much room do you have? A windowsill, a balcony, a patio or a small garden. Count the pots you can fit, not the square metres.
- How many hours of direct sun does it get? Check on a clear day. Six hours or more suits Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, rosemary and thyme. With less, mint, lemon balm and sweet woodruff are better company.
- When do you sit outside? If it is mostly after work, choose plants that release their scent in the evening, such as nicotiana.
Step 2: Choose a scent family
We sort every plant into one of eight scent families. Pick the one or two you like best and your list gets short quickly.
| Scent family | Examples |
|---|---|
| Floral | rose, sweet pea, lilac, jasmine |
| Herbal | rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender |
| Citrus | lemon verbena, lemon balm, scented pelargonium |
| Sweet | heliotrope, sweet alyssum, honeysuckle |
| Spiced | dianthus and other clove-scented plants |
| Woodland | sweet woodruff, aromatic foliage |
| Mediterranean | lavender, rosemary, santolina, thyme |
| Night fragrance | nicotiana, jasmine, evening-scented flowers |
Step 3: Go to the section that matches your question
| If you are thinking… | Go to |
|---|---|
| “I have a balcony or a few pots. What will survive?” | Small-Space Scent |
| “My lavender keeps dying.” | Scented Herbs |
| “I want something in scent every month.” | Scent by Season |
| “I have more rosemary than I can use.” | Garden to Home |
Step 4: Read these first
- [INTERNAL LINK — pending: How to Create a Scented Garden: A Beginner’s Guide]
- [INTERNAL LINK — pending: 15 Best Fragrant Plants for a Balcony]
- [INTERNAL LINK — pending: Why Lavender Dies in Pots, and How to Grow It Successfully]
Take the scent calendar with you
The 12-Month Scent Calendar shows what to plant for fragrance from January to December. It is free.
Two things to know before you plant
Climate. Our timings come from a garden in southern Hungary with cold winters and hot, dry summers. Use your own first and last frost dates and shift our months to match.
Pets and children. Some scented plants are harmful if eaten. Our plant guides note this where it applies and name the source. If pets or small children use your garden, check a plant against the Royal Horticultural Society’s list of potentially harmful garden plants or the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants before you buy it.