Houseplants add beauty to any room, but some also offer wonderful aromas with their leaves or flowers. These are the most fragrant indoor plants to fill your home with pleasant scents, from sweet and flowery to warm and spicy.
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Angel's Trumpet
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In full bloom, angel's trumpet is nothing short of spectacular. The huge blooms look stunning, and at night, their strong scent fills the air. This tropical tree can be grown outdoors year-round where it's hardy (Zones 8-10). Elsewhere it should be brought indoors for the winter. Be warned, though: All parts are extremely poisonous if eaten so keep it away from pets and small children.
Name: Brugmansia x candida
Growing Conditions: Bright light and protection from drafts; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 10 feet tall
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Arabian Jasmine
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The starry, pure-white fragrant flowers of Arabian jasmine bloom all year long and produce a soft, flowery scent. Its blooms are used to make jasmine tea and flower necklaces in Hawaii. You can let this shrubby vine's stems grow long and train them on a trellis or grow in an arching mound.
Name: Jasminum sambac
Growing Conditions: Sunny location; 70-80˚F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 5 feet tall
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Citrus
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Certain varieties of orange, lemon, and other citrus fruits can make good houseplants, provided you give them enough light. They'll reward you with the sweet scents of their flowers. If you're patient, you may even get to enjoy homegrown fruits. If you grow citrus from seed, your plants could take years to flower and they'll likely have sharp spines. Your best bet for citrus as a houseplant is to purchase a named, grafted variety.
Name: Citrus selections
Growing Conditions: A bright location protected from drafts and high humidity; 60-65˚F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 10 feet tall
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Corsage Orchid
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Also known as cattleya orchids, showy corsage orchids are so lovely to look at that you may forget to give them a sniff. You can even find varieties named after celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and First Ladies such as Jackie Kennedy. Water and fertilize orchids regularly in spring and summer; keep them drier and cooler in autumn and winter.
Name: Cattleya selections
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light that offers high humidity and protection from drafts; 70-85˚F.; allow soil surface to dry between waterings
Size: Up to 2 feet tall
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Cuban Oregano
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Boasting a distinct spicy aroma, Cuban oregano is an easy-to-grow relative of Swedish ivy. (Interestingly, neither plant is native to the locations from where they get their common names.) You can cook with the fleshy, fuzzy green leaves or just brush them to release their scent. Cuttings from this plant root easily in potting mix, so it's easy to propagate and share these fragrant plants with friends.
Name: Plectranthus amboinicus
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright spot with protection from drafts; keep soil evenly moist in well drained soil
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
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Eucalyptus
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While most gardeners don't think of eucalyptus as a houseplant, this fast-growing plant makes a pretty indoor tree in a brightly-lit spot. It offers blue-gray foliage with a distinct aroma when you rub it. Prune your eucalyptus back once in a while to keep it full and bushy.
Name: Eucalyptus cinerea
Growing Conditions: A bright, sunny spot protected from hot and cold drafts; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 10 feet tall
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Gardenia
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Renowned for being one of the most fragrant flowers around, gardenia makes a lovely, but tricky houseplant. Its single or double white flowers emit a strong, flowery scent. In the spring and summer, apply a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants such as azaleas. Also, be sure to protect this plant from hot and cold drafts.
Name: Gardenia augusta
Growing Conditions: Bright light and high humidity; 65-70˚F.; keep acidic soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
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Hoya
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Commonly called wax plant, hoya is a no-fuss, old-fashioned houseplant that's coming back into style. It has waxy, sweetly scented pink or white flowers and thick, glossy, dark green leaves. Hoyas can take a while to bloom. If you've had one for a couple of years and never seen a flower, try giving it more light.
Name: Hoya selections
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light and protection from drafts; allow soil surface to dry between waterings
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
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Oncidium Orchid
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While the corsage orchids are among the showiest, oncidium orchids are among the easiest to grow orchids and make the best houseplants. They offer a range of bloom colors and sizes, as well as bloom times. Their fragrance varies as much as their color and size. Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance', for example, has a distinct chocolate scent; Twinkle 'Fragrance Fantasy', on the other hand, smells more herbal.
Name: Oncidium selections
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; high humidity and protection from drafts; 70-85˚F.
Size: Up to 10 feet tall
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Orange Jessamine
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When not flowering, orange jessamine makes for a beautiful foliage plant. But when it does bloom, orange jessamine offers up some of the best-smelling flowers around. Its clusters of long-lasting white flowers smell like orange blossoms. The leaves are even fragrant if you rub them.
Name: Murraya paniculata
Growing Conditions: Bright light; high humidity; allow soil surface to dry between waterings
Size: Up to 12 feet tall
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Passionflower
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Passionflowers feature intricate, almost alien-looking flowers, but not all are fragrant, so shop and sniff or read the plant tags and descriptions to ensure you get a scented selection. Some of the best scented flowers are Passiflora x belotii, 'Inspiration', and 'Elizabeth' (shown here). Passionflowers are fast growers and will need support, such as a trellis to climb on.
Name: Passiflora selections
Growing Conditions: Bright spot protected from drafts; 55-65˚F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 15 feet tall
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Scented Geranium
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Start exploring the world of scented geraniums and you'll be amazed at the diverse aromas these fragrant plants offer. Choose from rose, lemon, lime, nutmeg, ginger, or chocolate scents, just to name a few. The foliage is available in various leaf shapes and textures that are as fun to touch as they are to smell.
Name: Pelargonium selections
Growing Conditions: Bright light; 45-70˚F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
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Plumeria
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A tropical tree famous for its beautiful flowers and stunning fragrance, plumeria flowers are often used to make Hawaiian leis. The flowers' strong scent is similar to the sweetshade tree. In addition to white, the blooms come in a range of shades, including reds and pinks, yellows and oranges, and mixtures.
Name: Plumeria selections
Growing Conditions: Bright light and protection from drafts; allow soil surface to dry between waterings
Size: Up to 25 feet tall
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Stephanotis
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A favorite flower for wedding bouquets, stephanotis shows off starry white flowers and shiny, dark green leaves. But no special event is required to grow these delightfully fragrant blooms. Because stephanotis grows very slowly indoors, try encouraging more growth and blooms by moving it to a partly shaded spot outdoors for the summer.
Name: Stephanotis floribunda
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; 64-69˚F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 20 feet tall
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Sweet Bay
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A slow-growing shrub that may become a small tree, sweet bay shows off shiny green leaves with a savory, herbal scent. You also can use the leaves of sweet bay in soups, stews, and other dishes. You may allow this plant to go dormant in winter if you have a cool room to keep it in. Water it every few weeks, just enough to keep the potting mix from drying out.
Name: Laurus nobilis
Growing Conditions: Bright light; 45-60˚F.; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 30 feet tall
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Sweet Begonia
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While most begonia flowers aren't scented, use your nose while shopping and you might be surprised. Some especially fragrant begonias to look for include 'Tea Rose' fibrous begonia and varieties of Begonia odorata such as 'Angelique'. Water and fertilize your begonias regularly in spring and summer to ensure a steady show of flowers.
Name: Begonia selections
Growing Conditions: Medium to bright light; high humidity and protection from drafts; keep soil evenly moist
Size: Up to 1 foot tall
