Houseplants add beauty to any room, but some also offer wonderful aromas with their leaves or flowers. Some house plants clean air by not only absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, but also by eliminating significant amounts of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and other chemicals from the air. The naturally fragrant plants can beautifully overshadow any artificial scents and room-fresheners. Keep fragrant plants and enjoy the feeling of earthy fragrance in your home's atmosphere.
Let fresh fragrance naturally pervade your indoor space with the help of these pretty potted plants:
Hedychium: The graceful, orchid-like flowers of the ginger lily have earned the common name “butterfly ginger.” They are beautiful when arranged in a vase. An entire week’s worth of fragrant air can be enjoyed from a single vase of Hedychium coronarium. It grows well in full as well as partial sunlight. Its height goes to 24-150 inches. It needs moderate water and maintenance.
Lavender: The calming fragrance of a lavender plant in your home is thought to provide relief from stress, depression, and migraines. It is also considered anti-inflammatory and has antiseptic properties. Lavender helps in repelling bugs such as mosquitos, fleas, moths, and ticks. Plant lavender in full sun and well-drained soil. Water plants deeply but infrequently, when the soil is almost dry. Prune every year immediately after bloom.
Rajnigandha: Rajnigandha plant is famous for its fragrance, it is a nocturnal plant which blooms at night unlike other flowers. In English, it is Known as Tuberose. Rajnigandha, or Nishigandha flower, is commercially cultivated for its use in perfumes and decorative purposes. They are fragrant flowers that grow as clusters of large, pristine, white blooms. However, it is easy to grow the plant in your home garden.
The flower grows through bulbs or tubers. The flower grows on a stalk which can goes upto 1 metre tall. About 10-15 flowers blooms started from below upto 2-3 months continuously. This flower plant thrives best in well drained and highly nutritious soil.
Sweet Peas: As commonly known as Sweet Pea, has a Latin name Lathyrus Odoratus. They fill the garden, house and life with scent and colour. They are the stars of our summer season. The range of sweet peas to enjoy is huge, from rich, saturated blues and purples, to pastel shades and luscious bi-colours. There are long-flowering ones with whopper stems, as well as compact ones that are good for pots. They all have fantastic fragrance and can be cut and brought in to fill the house with scent.
Daffodil : The world of Daffodils offers irresistible fragrance. Their perfumes range from delicate to sweet and spicy depending on the variety.
Their common name is Daffodil and their Latin, botanical name is Narcissus. Their average height and spread are 5cm (2in) to 50cm (20in). They prefer sun or light shade and are an easy to grow bulb. The plant is very resistant and most sorts survive cold winters to flower for many years. Daffodil flowers are either yellow or white, trumpet or star-shaped and grow on a long stalk with green leaves.
Lemon Balm: Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a herbaceous perennial famous for its essential oils and mild scent. Its oils and extracts are widely used in perfume and beauty products, also as household cleaning products. It takes 30-40 days to harvest. To grow well it needs full sun to partial shade. It also requires regular watering and fertile, moisture-retentive soil. Lemon balm can be cultivated as an ornamental plant that also attracts honeybees.