The 15 Most Fragrant Perennials For a Garden That Always Smells Amazing

Late winter and early spring are the best times for fragrance. Many early-blooming flowers emit lovely scents that waft in the air as temperatures warm in the early growing season. Woody perennials erupt into bloom, and herbaceous ones emerge from the ground with their blossoms. 

Year-round, many other plants grow scented blooms or leaves. Herbs emit wonderful fragrances from their leaves, while flowering shrubs and perennials have aromatic blossoms. Adding a mix of both will bolster the scents, making your yard a smorgasbord of pleasing aromas. 

No matter whether you like evergreen, deciduous, or herbaceous perennials, there are options on this list that’ll work for you and your garden. Try one of these fragrant perennials, or opt for a mix of your favorites. 

Burkwood Osmanthus

	botanical name Osmanthus x burkwoodii
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-8’
	hardiness zones 6-8

I must open this list with an osmanthus shrub, as the genus is full of fragrant perennials! They’re some of the most fragrant, as they have white blossoms that emit a pleasing vanilla-like scent early in the growing season. 

Burkwood osmathus is a hybrid species that’ll work well in home gardens. It doesn’t grow as tall as other types, and it’s evergreen where it’s hardy. 

Grow Burkwood osmanthus in well-drained soil free from standing water. It tolerates short periods of drought, though it appreciates regular moisture that’s common in garden settings. 

Fragrant Sweet Box

	botanical name Sarcococca ruscifolia
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 3-4’
	hardiness zones 7-9

Fragrant sweet box is another early spring-blooming perennial with exceptionally sweet-smelling white blooms. It forms a low, rounded shape that fits in nicely amongst trees, shrubs, and annuals. It’s evergreen, and its leaves persist through chilly winters. 

Fragrant sweet box has year-round interest. After blooming its aromatic blossoms, it forms red berries that turn black during the growing season. When the berries fall off, the evergreen foliage persists. 

These shrubby, fragrant perennials prefer shady conditions and consistent moisture. Add compost around its roots to keep them moist, well-fed, and insulated. 

Rose The Champion™ Sunblush

	botanical name Rosa ‘Meititika’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4’
	hardiness zones 5-9

This rose is a favorite cultivar. The Champion™ Sunblush boasts multi-color flowers with pink, yellow, and white petals. They’re some of the most fragrant roses available, and they bloom profusely.

To encourage more blooms, routinely deadhead the flowers after they fade. This will encourage more to form from spring through late summer. 

Perfect for containers or beds, this rose works well in a variety of gardens. Give it well-drained soil, regular moisture, and plenty of sunshine to help it thrive. 

Sweet Woodruff

	botanical name Galium odoratum
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 4-8

Sweet woodruff spreads low to the ground. It grows divided, whorled leaves on rambling stems. The stems root where they grow, forming vast patches of lush growth.

In early spring, sweet woodruff explodes into bloom with aromatic white blossoms. They fill the garden with fragrance, and they’re easy to smell when walking by. 

Sweet woodruff prefers moist shade. Give it plenty of moisture during the growing season. It’ll spread when happy, but you can limit its growth by pulling any unruly sprouts. 

Bloomerang® Lilac

	botanical name Syringa x ‘Penda’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4-6’
	hardiness zones 3-7

The Bloomerang® lilac reblooms! Most lilacs offer a few weeks of fragrant flowers. However, the Bloomerang® lilac offers two distinct flowering periods, one in spring and another in late summer through early fall. 

Lilacs are incredibly fragrant perennials. They smell amazing, and the Bloomerang® variety is no exception. As it flowers twice, you’ll get to enjoy its sweet-smelling blooms more than once a year. 

Lilacs tend to be drought-tolerant and hardy once they establish themselves. Give them regular water while they establish themselves, then cut back in future years when they’re large and healthy. 

Mountain Mint

	botanical name Pycnanthemum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Mountain mints are exceptional mint replacements. They’re native to North America, and they aren’t as aggressively spreading as mints are. They’re also aromatic, and their flowers emit a pleasing mint smell that attracts pollinators. 

19 species of mountain mints exist, and the best one for your garden is one that grows locally. Research which mountain mints are abundant in your area, then choose one of those species. 

Mountain mints are more drought-tolerant than normal mints. Give them well-draining soil, and water them when their leaves start to droop. Use their leaves to flavor teas, syrups, and desserts. 

Carolina Jasmine

	botanical name Gelsemium sempervirens
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-20’
	hardiness zones 6-10

This jasmine, also known as Carolina jessamine, isn’t a true jasmine. It’s actually an evergreen vine in the genus Gelsemium, and it’s native to the U.S. and parts of Central America. It features aromatic yellow flowers that emerge all over the vines. 

As it’s native to the southeastern U.S., this vine is an exceptional choice to replace non-native jasmines and invasive species. Have it grow up a trellis for vertical beauty, or let it cover bare soil as a groundcover.

Carolina jasmine is hardy, and it withstands droughts, freezes, and harsh weather. Add mulch around its roots to keep it moist and protected throughout the year. 

Star Jasmine

	botanical name Trachelospermum jasminoides
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-20’
	hardiness zones 8-10

Star jasmine is another jasmine-look-alike that is in a separate genus, Trachelospermum. It sprouts woody, rambling stems that climb and creep. They grow green, glossy leaves and white, star-shaped blooms with some of the most fragrant aromas. 

Star jasmine blooms emerge all at once in late spring, and some lingering flowers emerge throughout the summer season. Your garden will always smell amazing as long as you have these fragrant perennials around. 

Yellow Honeysuckle

	botanical name Lonicera flava
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 10-20’
	hardiness zones 5-8

Yellow honeysuckle isn’t invasive, like the unruly Japanese honeysuckle. This species produces fragrant, yellow blossoms on climbing or prostrate stems. In winter, the leaves turn yellow and fall off the vines. Then, new ones grow in spring when the weather warms. 

The fragrant flowers attract wildlife. Watch as insects and hummingbirds flock to them when they open up. Red berries follow the flowers, and birds love eating them.

Give yellow honeysuckle extra protection in winter as it loses its leaves. Add a mulch, like compost, on top of the soil in a layer two to three inches thick. 

Lemon Balm

	botanical name Melissa officinalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-7

Lemon balm is fragrant all year round. It’s a mint relative in the same family with aromatic leaves, blooms, and stems. They smell like citrus, and they work well dried or fresh in teas, desserts, and sachets. 

Lemon balm tends to spread outside of its planting zone. Watch for seedlings and new sprouts, and pull them promptly before they establish themselves. 

If you’d rather not have lemon balm seedlings, simply snip the flowering stems after the blooms fade. This will encourage more leaves to form, and it’ll prevent seeds from forming. 

Frostproof Gardenia

	botanical name Gardenia jasminoides ‘Frostproof’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 7-11

Gardenias are some of the most fragrant perennials. Their white blossoms are creamy, thick, and fleshy. Each one exposes you to a wonder of aromas. 

Out of the gardenias, ‘Frostproof’ is one of the most cold-hardy. Mulch the roots in winter, and use frost cloth for extra protection if harsh frosts are expected. 

This variety requires less pruning and maintenance than the species. It tends to form a dense, rounded form with age. Trim it to shape after the blossoms fade. 

English Lavender

	botanical name Lavandula angustifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Many lavenders offer fragrant flowers, so why choose English lavender? This species works well in both culinary and herbal preparations, making it a well-rounded fragrant perennial in the herb garden. Use its flowers for their fragrant aroma or for their mild flavor. 

English lavender is more cold-hardy than most other evergreen Mediterranean shrubs, which is why it’s popular in the U.S. It’ll tolerate harsh frosts, rains, and snowstorms. Protect the roots with a layer of compost in the fall to keep them warm through the winter. 

Lewis’ Mock Orange

	botanical name Philadelphus lewisii
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-10’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Lewis’ mock orange is a deciduous shrub with orange-scented blooms. The white flowers open in spring on the branch tips, and they exude a sweet fragrance that fills the garden. 

A few mock oranges are native to the U.S. Lewis’ mock orange grows wild in the West. It likes moist soil, though it tolerates a range of different soil types. 

In zones 2 and 3, try growing the ‘Blizzard’ variety. It’s a cold-hardy cultivar that’s tougher than the species.

Hyacinth

	botanical name Hyacinthus orientalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-12”
	hardiness zones 4-8

Hyacinths are beautiful, hardy, and fragrant. They offer seasonal blooms in shades of purple, white, pink, and red. Plant them in containers to move their scent around the garden, or grow them en masse for a powerful punch of fragrance.

Hyacinths will spread in the garden over time. Divide the clumps to rejuvenate them in the fall before the winter season. Replant the bulbs, and you’ll have more flower heads to enjoy next spring.

Winter Daphne

	botanical name Daphne odora
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6.5’
	hardiness zones 7-9

Winter daphne is the most fragrant perennial of all perennials! It rounds out this list because it’s my favorite. It makes my pathways smell amazing, and it grows well once it establishes itself in the garden.