Send sweet scents wafting across your patio with a fragrant container garden. Position containers filled with fragrant patio plants where you are likely to brush by them or sit near them. The following plants all do well in container gardens. Their flowers last for weeks—or months in some cases—so you can enjoy a sweet scent whenever you step outdoors. And some have fragrant foliage too.
Alyssum
A cool-season annual that blooms from spring until frost, alyssum (Lobularia maritima) has a sweet, honey-like fragrance that attracts pollinators and is a great nectar source for many insects. Alyssum’s flowers are typically white, but lavender varieties are also available. It has a mounding habit and will trail over the side of a container.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in cool and moderate climates and part shade in hot areas; consistently moist, well-draining soil
Size: Up to 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide
Zones: 9–11
If alyssum plants take on a scraggly, unkempt appearance, prune the stems back by half their length. This encourages the plants to produce new, dense growth and a new flush of flowers.
Lavender
Prized for its calming scent, lavender (Lavandula spp.) is a perennial herb that is easy to grow in containers. Group several containers of lavender together to make a big impact on a small space. Many lavender cultivars are available. A few color-rich favorites include ‘Javelin Forte’, ‘Thumbelina Leigh’, and ‘Sweet Romance’ lavender.
Growing Conditions: Full sun, moderate water in fast-draining soil
Size: Up to 16 inches tall and wide
Zones: 5–9
Pineapple Sage
Brush against the leaves of easy-to-grow pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) to release the plant’s citrusy scent. When provided with regular moisture, this large plant looks beautiful in a container through summer’s heat and humidity. Look for ‘Golden Delicious’ (shown here), which has pleasing, almost-yellow foliage that makes the red flowers pop.
Growing Conditions: Full sun with some afternoon shade in the hottest areas, rich and well-draining soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide
Zones: 8-11
Heliotrope
Sweetly fragrant purple flowers cover heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) from early summer through fall. It tolerates heat and humidity well, making it an excellent plant for the deep south and other areas with humid summers. Bees and butterflies are frequent visitors. Try compact ‘Atlantis’ or vanilla-scented ‘Incense’ heliotrope.
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-draining soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Zones: 10–11
Stock
Add scent to your spring or fall patio containers with the pastel blossoms and sweet perfume of stock (Matthiola spp.). This cool-season annual blooms in shades of pink, purple, yellow, and white and has blue-green foliage. It blooms from mid-spring until early summer, and can be planted again in fall once temperatures cool off.
Growing Conditions: Full or part sun and rich, moist, well-draining soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Zones: 7–
