Fragrant Flowers

68 plants · Fill your garden with scent from spring through fall.

A garden should smell as good as it looks. These plants produce flowers or foliage with genuine fragrance, from the honeyed sweetness of jasmine to the clean intensity of lavender. Plant them near walkways, patios, and open windows.

Colors
41
29
23
22
18
13
Types29 Perennials18 Shrubs6 Trees6 Vines
Angel's Trumpet
Angel's Trumpet6-15'
Shrub · May-Oct · Z9-11

Huge pendant trumpets release intense evening fragrance over a long warm-season bloom.

Anise Hyssop
Anise Hyssop2-3'
Perennial · Jul-Sep · Z4-9

Lavender-blue spikes with licorice-scented foliage. A pollinator powerhouse that blooms for months.

Arnold Promise Witch Hazel
Arnold Promise Witch Hazel10-15'
Tree · Feb-Mar · Z5-8

Spidery yellow flowers with sweet fragrance on bare branches in late winter. The earliest tree to bloom.

Bee Balm
Bee Balm2-4'
Perennial · Jun-Aug · Z3-10

Shaggy, crown-shaped flowers that hummingbirds fight over.

Beverly Sills Iris
Beverly Sills Iris2-3'
Perennial · May-Jun · Z3-9

Coral-pink blooms with a tangerine beard. Named for the opera star and just as elegant.

Bloomerang Lilac
Bloomerang Lilac4-6'
Shrub · May-Sep · Z3-7

Blooms in spring, then reblooms summer through frost. Compact habit with classic lilac fragrance.

Blue Angel Hosta
Blue Angel Hosta3-3'
Perennial · Jul-Aug · Z3-8

Massive blue-gray leaves up to 18 inches long. One of the largest and most slug-resistant hostas.

Bowl of Beauty Peony
Bowl of Beauty Peony28-34"
Perennial · May-Jun · Z3-8

Hot pink outer petals cup a creamy center of narrow petaloids. Dramatic and unmistakable.

Butterfly Bush
Butterfly Bush5-10'
Shrub · Jun-Oct · Z5-10

Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.

Cat's Meow Catmint
Cat's Meow Catmint15-20"
Perennial · May-Sep · Z3-9

Tidy, dome-shaped habit that never flops open. Stays compact without shearing.

Catmint
Catmint12-24"
Perennial · May-Sep · Z3-10

Billowy lavender-blue haze that blooms all season if you shear it back.

Chamomile
Chamomile12-24"
Annual · May-Aug · Z3-9

Tiny daisy flowers with apple-scented foliage. Brew into tea or let it naturalize between pavers.

Chinese Witch Hazel
Chinese Witch Hazel8-12'
Shrub · Jan-Mar · Z5-8

Spidery yellow, sweetly scented flowers bloom on bare branches in late winter.

Creeping Thyme
Creeping Thyme2-4"
Ground Cover · Jun-Jul · Z3-10

Fragrant, walkable ground cover. Bees love it, foot traffic can't kill it.

Culinary Sage
Culinary Sage18-24"
Perennial · May-Jun · Z4-8

Spiky purple blooms above silver-green aromatic foliage. A kitchen herb that doubles as an ornamental.

Dianthus
Dianthus6-18"
Perennial · May-Aug · Z3-10

Spicy-scented, fringed petals. One of the best edging plants there is.

Don Juan Climbing Rose
Don Juan Climbing Rose8-12'
Vine · Jun-Oct · Z5-10

Deep velvety red climber with classic rose fragrance. Repeats reliably on a strong, vigorous plant.

Double Delight Rose
Double Delight Rose3-4'
Shrub · May-Sep · Z5-9

Creamy white petals blush to strawberry red at the edges. Knockout fragrance matches the looks.

Dwarf Korean Lilac
Dwarf Korean Lilac4-5'
Shrub · May-Jun · Z3-7

Slow-growing dwarf with dense rounded habit. Perfect for small gardens and foundation plantings.

Festiva Maxima Peony
Festiva Maxima Peony3-3'
Perennial · May-Jun · Z3-8

Pure white double blooms flecked with crimson at the center. Beloved since 1851 and still unmatched.

Flowering Tobacco
Flowering Tobacco2-4'
Annual · Jun-Sep · Z2-11

Tubular flowers that release sweet fragrance at dusk. A cottage garden classic that attracts moths and hummingbirds.

Fringe Tree
Fringe Tree10-20'
Tree · May-Jun · Z4-9

Clouds of white fringed petals dripping from branches in late spring. Fragrant and underused native.

Garden Phlox
Garden Phlox2-4'
Perennial · Jul-Sep · Z3-8

Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.

Gardenia
Gardenia2-6'
Shrub · May-Aug · Z8-11

Glossy evergreen foliage frames intensely fragrant white flowers from late spring into summer.

Graham Thomas Rose
Graham Thomas Rose4-5'
Shrub · May-Oct · Z5-9

Rich golden-yellow cups with an intense tea rose fragrance. David Austin's most famous creation.

Happy Returns Daylily
Happy Returns Daylily18-24"
Perennial · May-Sep · Z3-9

Lemon-yellow rebloomer with light fragrance. A bit taller than Stella with softer color.

Hidcote Lavender
Hidcote Lavender12-18"
Perennial · Jun-Aug · Z5-9

Compact and intensely dark purple. The standard against which all other lavenders are measured.

Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle8-20'
Vine · May-Aug · Z3-10

Tubular, nectar-rich flowers with a fragrance that defines summer evenings.

Hosta
Hosta1-3'
Perennial · Jul-Aug · Z3-8

The undisputed queen of shade gardening. Foliage in every green and blue.

Hyacinth
Hyacinth8-12"
Bulb · Mar-Apr · Z3-8

Dense, intensely fragrant spikes. One bulb can perfume an entire room.

Immortality Iris
Immortality Iris24-30"
Perennial · May-Sep · Z3-9

Reliable rebloomer with pure white ruffled falls. Blooms spring, then again in fall.

Iris
Iris2-3'
Perennial · May-Jun · Z3-10

Elegant sword-leaved perennials with intricate, ruffled blooms.

Jasmine
Jasmine6-15'
Vine · Mar-Aug · Z7-10

Intensely sweet-scented white stars. The scent of warm southern evenings.

Lavender
Lavender2-3'
Perennial · Jun-Aug · Z5-10

Fragrant silver-green mounds beloved by bees and humans alike.

Lilac
Lilac8-15'
Shrub · Apr-May · Z3-8

Intensely fragrant clusters that define spring in northern gardens.

Magnolia
Magnolia15-30'
Tree · Mar-May · Z5-9

Goblet-shaped blooms on bare branches. One of spring's most dramatic moments.

Matilija Poppy
Matilija Poppy4-8'
Perennial · May-Jul · Z7-10

Enormous fried-egg flowers on blue-gray stems. California's largest native wildflower. Spreads aggressively.

Meyer Lemon
Meyer Lemon4-8'
Shrub · Jan-Dec · Z9-11

Sweetly scented white blossoms appear intermittently year-round and set thin-skinned lemons.

Miss Kim Lilac
Miss Kim Lilac4-6'
Shrub · May-Jun · Z3-8

Compact lilac with pale lavender blooms and outstanding fragrance. Burgundy fall foliage as a bonus.

Mock Orange
Mock Orange6-10'
Shrub · May-Jun · Z4-8

Arching stems carry orange-blossom-scented white flowers in late spring.

Munstead Lavender
Munstead Lavender12-18"
Perennial · Jun-Aug · Z5-9

Earlier blooming and slightly softer purple than Hidcote. Gertrude Jekyll's favorite for a reason.

New Dawn Climbing Rose
New Dawn Climbing Rose10-15'
Vine · Jun-Sep · Z5-9

The world's most popular climbing rose. Soft blush pink, sweetly fragrant, and remarkably vigorous.

Oregano
Oregano12-24"
Perennial · Jun-Aug · Z4-9

Tiny flowers are a pollinator magnet when allowed to bloom. Let a patch go to flower for the bees.

Peony
Peony2-3'
Perennial · May-Jun · Z3-8

Lush, ruffled blooms with intoxicating fragrance. Lives for decades.

Petunia
Petunia6-18"
Annual · May-Oct · Z3-10

Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.

Phenomenal Lavender
Phenomenal Lavender2-3'
Perennial · Jun-Aug · Z5-9

Survives humidity and cold that kills other lavenders. Silver foliage stays tight and full.

Pink Plumeria
Pink Plumeria6-15'
Tree · May-Oct · Z10-11

Clusters of pink, sweetly scented blooms cover this classic tropical tree in summer.

Plumeria
Plumeria10-25'
Tree · May-Oct · Z9-10

Intoxicatingly fragrant tropical blooms. The flower of Hawaiian leis.

Rose
Rose2-8'
Perennial · May-Oct · Z3-10

The queen of the garden. Modern varieties are surprisingly low-maintenance.

Rosemary
Rosemary2-4'
Perennial · Mar-May · Z8-10

Aromatic evergreen herb with tiny blue flowers loved by early bees. Needs excellent drainage.

Sacred Lotus
Sacred Lotus3-5'
Perennial · Jul-Aug · Z4-10

Massive blooms rise above umbrella leaves in shallow water. Seedpods are as ornamental as the flowers.

Sarah Bernhardt Peony
Sarah Bernhardt Peony3-3'
Perennial · May-Jun · Z3-8

Fully double, apple-blossom pink blooms so heavy they nod on their stems. The most planted peony in history.

Sensation Lilac
Sensation Lilac8-10'
Shrub · May-May · Z3-7

Unique bicolor blooms with purple petals edged in white. A head-turner in any spring garden.

Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Alyssum3-6"
Annual · Apr-Oct · Z3-10

Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.

Sweet Autumn Clematis
Sweet Autumn Clematis10-20'
Vine · Aug-Sep · Z4-9

Explosive late-summer bloom of thousands of tiny fragrant white flowers. Vigorous to a fault.

Sweet Olive
Sweet Olive6-10'
Shrub · Mar-Nov · Z8-11

Small clustered flowers perfume the garden with an apricot-like scent over a long season.

Sweet Pea
Sweet Pea4-6'
Annual · Apr-Jun · Z2-11

Ruffled, intensely fragrant climbing flowers in every pastel shade. Cool-season annual that hates heat.

Thalia Daffodil
Thalia Daffodil12-16"
Bulb · Apr-May · Z3-9

Pure white, swept-back petals with two to three blooms per stem. Orchid-like elegance.

Tuberose
Tuberose2-3'
Bulb · Jul-Sep · Z7-10

Tall summer spikes of waxy white blooms release powerful evening fragrance.

Viburnum
Viburnum6-12'
Shrub · Apr-Jun · Z3-10

Fragrant snowball clusters in spring, then berries for birds in fall.

Walker's Low Catmint
Walker's Low Catmint24-30"
Perennial · May-Sep · Z3-9

Perennial Plant of the Year. Billowy lavender-blue spikes that rebloom hard after a shear.

Water Lily
Water Lily1-6"
Perennial · Jun-Sep · Z4-10

Floating jewels that transform any pond. Pads provide shade for fish while flowers dazzle above.

White Plumeria
White Plumeria6-15'
Tree · May-Oct · Z10-11

Highly fragrant white flowers with yellow centers appear in clusters on succulent branches.

Wild Bergamot
Wild Bergamot2-4'
Perennial · Jul-Aug · Z3-9

The wild cousin of bee balm. Lavender puffs alive with pollinators. Tougher and more mildew-resistant.

Winter Daphne
Winter Daphne2-4'
Shrub · Feb-Mar · Z7-9

Clusters of pink buds open to white, intensely scented blooms in late winter.

Wintersweet
Wintersweet6-15'
Shrub · Jan-Feb · Z7-9

Highly fragrant waxy yellow flowers open on bare stems in midwinter.

Wisteria
Wisteria15-30'
Vine · Apr-May · Z5-10

Cascading, fragrant racemes that create a dreamy canopy. Needs structure.

Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel10-20'
Shrub · Jan-Mar · Z3-8

Spidery, fragrant blooms on bare branches when nothing else dares.

Browse all with filters →
Explore More Collections
Pollinator Powerhouses Bulletproof Shade Plants Zero-Effort Garden Container Garden Essentials Nonstop Color Native Plants Drought-Proof