Here is a list of the most fragrant flowers from around the world. They include some of the best fragrant types for containers and garden beds, especially for summer gardens. Many of these exotics not only add color and life to your garden, but they also come with a nice scent that can refresh your mind.
Grow them in your garden to enjoy the refreshing fragrance every day or use them to decorate the vase in your bedroom or living room.
1. Jasmine
Jasmine is one of the most popular fragrant flowers around the world.
It comes in over 200 varieties, including hybrids. The blossoms are usually small, night-blooming and have great fragrance.
2. Plumeria or Hawaiian Frangipani
These flowers come in different colours and varieties.
The fragrance of plumeria is one of the best, loved by mostly everyone. The perfumes scented with the frangipani are very popular, and you can also find essential oils made of fresh plumerias.
The flowers are beautiful on their own, and they are commonly used in Hawaii to make garlands known as leis.
3. Roses
One of the most popular flowers in the world, many roses have an exquisite fragrance. It’s true that rose petals have been used to make rose oil for perfume for millennia, but fresh roses typically have much more subtlety to their fragrance, with citrusy, fresh or candy notes, depending on the variety. Not all roses are fragrant, with many modern varieties bred for hardiness and toughness in more extreme climate zones. The most fragrant types are English hybrids: they like mild weather and may be best grown in containers if you live in an area with very cold winters/hot summers.
4. Peonies
With gorgeous, fluffy flowers that look irresistible in cut flower bouquets, and a heady fragrance that some describe as the ultimate floral scent, peonies are as close to the “perfect” summer flower as it gets. Be careful: if you’re sensitive to strong scents, they can be overpowering if brought indoors.
5. Sweet Peas
A classic fragrant flower for the cottage garden, the sweet pea smells strongly floral and a little old-fashioned (in a good way!). There’s a powdery/violet aspect to their scent that many people love. They also come in a dizzying variety of colors and don’t mind a wet summer.
6. Lilies
For many people, the scent of the lily is the most elegant floral smell: fresh and clean, a bit like your favorite laundry detergent. They’re also regal-looking and make the perfect addition to a summer garden. Pet owners, beware: lilies are toxic to pets, especially cats.
7. Night-Scented Stock
Night-scented stock may not be the most impressive flower visually, but once the sun sets, it smells incredible, similarly to jasmine.
8. Hyacinth
Hyacinths are sometimes compared to lilacs, and they do have a lot in common with the heady, spring fragrance of the flowering shrub. But hyacinths have an earthier, greener aspect to their powdery/floral scent that makes them unique. Some people like growing them indoors in winter/early spring, but be careful: if you’re not used to the smell, it may give you a headache indoors.
9. Freesias
Freesias have a unique, floral-soapy fragrance that is elegant, crisp and clean and is somewhat similar to orange blossom. Freesias also look beautiful and delicate and look stunning in wedding bouquets.
10. Lily of the Valley
Another “soapy”-scented flower, lily of the valley has such a delightful fragrance that it was often recreated in perfumery (although there is no way to extract essential oil from these flowers, so it had to be created synthetically). Fresh, innocent and clean, the smell of lily of the valley heralds the arrival of spring in temperate climate zones.
11. Narcissus
Not all narcissus (daffodils) are scented, but the ones that are (including paperwhites) have a distinct aroma that some describe as a blend of candlewax and white floral. The result is a heavy, heady fragrance that some adore, while others find a bit overpowering. Smell them outdoors before bringing them in!
12. Milkweed
Milkweed is having a revival recently, with more and more people planting this plant because it’s great for butterflies. But did you know that milkweed also has a fantastic, syrup-vanilla scent? A great addition to the summer garden.
13. Heliotrope
Heliotrope is somewhat less common nowadays, but it used to be incredibly popular in perfume-making thanks to its incredible, cherry-marzipan scent. In fact, some people call heliotope the “cherry pie” plant. Great in containers.
14. Ornamental Tobacco
Another flower that may not look the most impressive, but has a scent so delicious that you will want it in your garden. With notes of jasmine, honey and vanilla, it will delight you in the evenings.
15. Gardenia
Gardenia flowers are well known for their unique fragrance: an opulent, creamy white floral with earthy or mushroom-like fresh undertones. It truly smells like nothing else, and looks stunning, with the intricate, rose-like blooms against glossy, dark-green foliage.
Gardenia flowers are medium-sized, beautiful white flowers produced in evergreen shrubs that are native to tropical and subtropical regions, and they are perfect for ornamental gardens.
16. Tuberoses
Tuberoses are among the most pretty and fragrant flowers, and they are produced in clusters.
The flower clusters include many small, white night-blooming flowers that have a highly attractive scent. They are perfect for beautiful gardens, and they are used around the world for ornamental flower decorations, including the making of floral garlands.
Tuberose leis are popular in Hawaii for weddings and other celebrations. In India also, tuberose garlands are popular for weddings. These flowers are also considered sacred in India.
17. Angel’s Trumpet
People describe the smells of Angel’s Trumpet as “intoxicating”, “narcotic”, “hypnotic”, you pick! It is quite something to smell this flower at night, but be careful: the plant is extremely toxic.
18. Chocolate Cosmos
As the name suggests, the chocolate cosmos flower smells like chocolate! It looks wonderful, too, with its deep red color. Great for sunny summer borders.
19. Iris
The iris is valued extremely highly in perfumery, but it’s the iris bulb or root that is used to produce the unique, violet-earthy-carroty fragrance that you might have smelled in perfume. However, some irises, notably bearded ones, have fragrant flowers too and are well worth planting if you like a fragrance that’s a bit difference.
20. Carnation
Another flower that is perhaps not quite as popular as it used to be, the carnation, which is a member of the dianthus family, has a lovely, spicy fragrance that is a welcome change from all the white florals on our list. Plant carnations in summer borders and use them as cut flowers: they will last a long time in a vase.
