Best fragrant evergreens – 5 perfumed plants for a year-round sensory garden

Evergreens are the unsung heroes of garden borders. They can be versatile and resilient, adding greenery to boundaries, containers and flower beds even during the cold and dark months of winter.

There are many evergreen options to choose from, including the ever-popular yew, camellias and arborvitae. However, a select few evergreens are also scented - and who wouldn't want to fill their plot with heady floral fragrance? These fragrant evergreens prove that useful can be beautiful, maximizing sensory interest at all times of the year.

So, if you are looking for one or two of the best fragrant hedge plants or evergreen statement shrubs, we have picked five perfect options for creating a perfumed paradise.

Best fragrant evergreens

Evergreens are vital plants in any garden border. Not only do they provide year-round greenery, but landscaping with evergreens can help to soften boundaries, guarantee privacy and also provide habitat for local wildlife. Here, we reveal five of the easiest evergreen trees and shrubs that have fragrant flowers and foliage, thereby adding a meditative, sensory element to your yard.

1. Daphne

Native to Asia, fragrant Daphne shrubs are today cultivated worldwide. There are over 50 species of Daphne, and many of these are evergreen, producing fragrant four-petalled flowers, as can be seen above.

'Daphne is one of the best fragrant evergreens, helping to create a colorful but calm space wherever they are planted,' says Mike Murphy, garden expert and owner at You Had Me At Gardening. 'While it will vary on the exact variety, most can be grown from US hardiness zone 4 plus, although in cooler zones, you might experience some leaf drop depending on the winter weather.

'Daphnes do best in a sheltered, sunny spot in the garden border,' Mike adds. 'Be warned that these shrubs are slow growing, though, often only producing a few inches of growth per season to eventually reach their mature size, usually around 3 or 4 feet tall. For this reason, it is best to purchase as large a plant as you can afford.'

For a variegated evergreen option with perfumed pink blooms, try growing Daphne odora 'Rogbret', available from Nature Hills.

Mike Murphy

Mike grew up gardening with his parents and grandparents. He enjoys his backyard orchard of dwarf fruit trees, raspberry and blackberry patches, and raised garden boxes. In addition to his perennials, Mike enjoys sprouting new fruit and vegetable seeds every spring.

2. Osmanthus

Native to eastern Asia, fragrant osmanthus shrubs are another evergreen option that can add height and structure to garden borders. As a former professional gardener, I have grown Osmanthus fragrans and Osmanthus x burkwoodii, both of which are perfumed options I can highly recommend. Osmanthus live starter plants are available from Walmart.

Most osmanthus shrubs can be grown between US hardiness zones 7 to 10, producing attractive, holly-like leaves with a slightly toothed edge, as well as fragrant blooms from late summer. At maturity, they can reach up to 20 feet tall, but as with other evergreens, osmanthus tends to be slow-growing and well-behaved, only requiring clipping once every few years.

Osmanthus aquifolium, otherwise known as devilwood, can be trained to grow as a small-sized multi-stem tree in a pot with a neatly clipped topiary canopy. Ideal if you enjoy modern cottage garden ideas that are shapely, floral and fragrant.

3. Portuguese laurel

Growing best from US hardiness zone 6, Prunus lusitanica, or the Portuguese laurel, is another fragrant evergreen to consider. Often used as low-maintenance hedge plants, Portuguese laurel can also add a fragrant twist when the white flowers open in summer. For this reason, it is a good idea to position them near a path or entranceway to your home, for a scented welcome to greet visitors.

Native to the Iberian Peninsula, Portuguese laurel showcases lush evergreen glossy leaves that will tolerate most soil conditions and light situations. They make for ideal plants even in dry shade, which can often prove challenging when deciding on species to grow.

Although similar to cherry laurel, I think the Portuguese laurel has superior foliage. What's more, it really is low-maintenance, requiring one trim per year in late summer to keep it under control.

Evergreen laurel plants are available from Amazon.

4. Myrtle

Myrtus communis, or common myrtle, is undeniably one of the prettiest evergreen trees. Native to the Mediterranean, this aromatic shrub has evergreen leaves but is perhaps best known for its sweetly scented flowers that emerge in summer. Each flower produces lots of long, curling stamens, for an unusual and impactful look.

As a native to warmer climates, this shrub prefers sunny, sheltered yards, doing best from US hardiness zone 8 to zone 10 in moist but well-drained soil. At maturity, the plant will reach no bigger than six feet tall, making it an ideal option for a pot display.

Myrtle communis seeds are available from Amazon.

5. Artemisia

While not as well known as some of the other evergreen shrubs, artemisia is a unique silver-leaved species to consider. Generally speaking, artemisia plants are only evergreen in warmer climates, although in a sheltered spot in the yard, for example against a sunny wall, they can retain much of their aromatic foliage through the winter.

Growing to a height of four to five feet, artemisia shrubs are a good choice for gardeners from zone 8 plus. Although these plants with silver foliage are undoubtedly attractive, some species are considered invasive plants in the US. Artemisia vulgaris, or mugwort, for example, is considered an invasive weed in much of the Midwest.

Fortunately, there are many non-invasive varieties to choose from, including southernwood, Artemisia abrotanum, which has beautiful silver-white foliage that shines in the sunlight. Artemisia live plants are available from Amazon.

FAQs

What are the best fragrant evergreens to grow on a sunny balcony?

For a fragrant evergreen on a sunny balcony, stick with silver-leaved plants, which will be able to handle strong sunshine and dry weather during the summer. Artemisia is a good option, but also santolina is another plant that could work well in pots and remains evergreen in mild zones and warmer climates. Santolina live plants are available from Walmart.

If you are looking for native plants that are fragrant evergreens, why not grow juniper? With scented needles, juniper can add an aromatic touch to your borders. For a low-growing option, learn how to grow creeping juniper, Juniperus horizontalis, which is native to the cooler regions of North America.