Five scented plants to try this year 

By BROOKE EDMUNDS 

Choose plants with scented leaves to add a little something extra to your garden this summer. Grow them along a path or somewhere you will brush up against them to release the fragrance. Kids will also love trying to guess the different scents. 

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is a perennial with leaves that smell like pineapple when crushed. It is a great food source for hummingbirds. 

It produces tubular red flowers late in the season (Aug through to winter) and fills in a gap when other plants have stopped flowering. Plan ahead though; this plant can grow 3 – 4 inches wide. 

Scented geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) come in many cultivars with different aromas and have use as both an ornamental and for flavoring dessert recipes. 

Lovely as container plants with beautiful foliage and flowers. Look for varieties scented as lemon, lime, rose, apple, orange, ginger, mint, apricot, pineapple and others. 

Geraniums are sensitive to cold so grow them as an annual or bring indoors for the winter. 

Creeping Thyme (Thymus spp.) is a low growing, spreading plant that looks great in rock gardens or when allowed to cascade over retaining walls. Some varieties are also tough enough to be planted between stepping stones or along pathways. 

When gently crushed it will release a thyme or lemony scent depending on the cultivar. Look for pots of creeping thyme for sale in early spring. They will grow as a mat to fill in an area within a growing season or two. 

Try unique varieties of mint (Mentha sp.) like chocolate mint (smells like peppermint patty candies), orange mint, or even the fuzzy-leafed apple mint. 

All of these can be used in recipes like teas and b a k e d goods. Remember to grow mint in pots to keep them from invading your garden beds. 

Have space for a tree? Why not try Clerodendrum trichotomum also known as the Harlequin Glorybower aka the peanut butter tree. 

The flowers and fruit are stunning. But the reason it gets its name is because of the peanut butter scent given off when the leaves are bruised. The scent isn’t for everyone so it might be worth it to test smell this one at a nursery before buying. 

For more information reach out to Brooke at brooke.edmunds@oregonstate. edu. 

For gardening questions, reach out to the Marion County Master Gardener help desk at [email protected] or 503-373-3770. 

Stop by in person Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the OSU Extension Marion County office, located at 1320 Capitol St NE or look for us at community events this summer. 

(Brooke Edmunds is with the Oregon State Extension Office) 

Contact Keizertimes Staff:
[email protected] or 503-390-1051

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