Top 10 Fragrant Houseplants
These indoor plants don't just purify the air in your home—they sweeten it, too, with fragrant blossoms and leaves
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1 of 10 Creative Commons photo by kolovrat1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Begonia 'Tea Rose'
This begonia is one of the more rewarding indoor plants, as the light, sweet, pink flowers never seem to stop coming. Like many begonias, the 'Tea Rose' variety prefers filtered light to direct sun. It appreciates humidity, and will thrive hanging in a bathroom.
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Paperwhite (Narcissus papyraceus)
If you're a lover of the musky scent of paperwhites, you'll discover that these room-filling bloomers are easy to grow and can be forced to flower any time of the year. Soil isn't even required—they'll grow on a bed of pebbles with a little water. Simple and elegant, the stems make a classy gift in a decorated container.
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Jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum)
Jasmine is so easy to grow that it can become a spreading pest outside. Inside in a hanging planter, it will stay put and sweeten rooms almost no matter how much or how little sun it gets. It's known for its distinctive soothing scent and dainty white five-petaled flowers.
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Stephanotis (Stephanotis floribunda)
Mildly fussy, stephanotis vines like their roots damp but not soggy and their sun bright but not scorching. Indulge this Goldilocks of the plant world, though, and you'll be rewarded with white star-shape blooms so sweet-smelling that you'll understand why stephanotis is also sometimes called Madagascar jasmine (though it's not a true jasmine at all).
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Nutmeg-Scented Geranium (Pelargonium x fragrans)
Don't like your flowers floral-scented? We feel you. Try an appealingly spicy nutmeg-scented geranium. It's the leaves that are fragrant, so you'll enjoy that gingerbread aroma year-round. The flowers on this compact shrub are delightful, too: white with red veins and surprisingly delicate for a geranium.
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Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis)
These small trees grow nicely indoors and stay small if potted and trimmed. They're surprisingly low-maintenance. Fairly easygoing about the amount of sunlight and water they get, they're a forgiving houseplant. They'll need a little pruning, but you'll enjoy that chore because the trimmings can be used in cooking whenever bay leaf is called for.
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Orchid 'Sharry Baby'
This variety of orchid is sometimes called the chocolate orchid, not only because of its unusual white and brown petals, but also because of its rich cacao scent. 'Sharry Baby' is no harder to care for than other orchids, and blooms extravagantly.
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Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree
Lemon trees are, candidly, not the easiest tree to grow indoors, but when they succeed, the rewards are a citrus-scented home (the blossoms smell heavenly) and sweet lemons that are a favorite of chefs. Keep your tree tropically moist using a humidity tray, water it lots, and, if possible, take it outside for some direct sunshine now and then.
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Eucalyptus 'Silver Drop'
The 'Silver Drop' variety of the gum tree grows well in a container, provided you keep it well pruned to discourage height. The payoff for providing your eucalyptus with the sun, plant food, and grooming it demands is a room that smells wonderfully piney and mentholated.
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Courtesy of Food52
10 of 10 Courtesy of Food52
Potted Herbs
Many herbs commonly grown in a kitchen garden will also grow in containers indoors. Some of our favorites are lavender, basil, rosemary, mint, and oregano, particularly the Cuban variety. Not all have fragrant flowers, but many will scent the room at the slightest provocation. Mint, for example, smells like a mojito every time it's watered.
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