Scented Foliage Garden Perennial Plants

Gardeners don't need to rely only on flowers for fragrance in the garden because all these perennial plants have fragrant foliage. Highlight these aromatic plants in their own fragrance garden space or use them as nose-pleasing accents in any mixed border or container.

Achillea millefolium 'Moonshine' - Zone 3-9. A versatile and long-lived perennial plant, the Moonshine Yarrow provides weeks of yellow blooms and a full growing season's worth of fragrance. 'Moonshine' is a mid-sized perennial and will grow about 2' tall and wide, making it a great choice for a mixed border or large, fragrance container planting. Silvery foliage combines well with other plants and yarrow tolerates drought conditions in the garden with ease.

Agastache cana 'Sonoran Sunset' - Zones 5-9. Agastache, also known as Hyssop, is a very fragrant perennial and useful in a xeriscape garden. Enjoy the aromatic foliage all season long and the purple-rose colored Hyssop flowers during the summer and fall months. Hummingbirds and butterflies find Sonoran Sunset Hyssop attractive and will bring movement and color to your fragrance garden when the visit the bright flowers. Sonoran Sunset is a bit more compact than other hyssops and will grow about 12 inches tall and wide. Gardeners can use this hyssop for a fragrant container planting because of the plant's great drought tolerance, or plant them in masses for a fragrant border edging.

Artemesia arborascens 'Powis Castle' - Zones 5-10. Most wormwoods are fragrant and 'Powis Castle' is no exception. The silver foliage is an attractive feature for any garden, but the fuzzy texture and aromatic leaves make it a great choice for patio gardens where the plant will be close at hand. Artemesia is a deer resistant plant that grows well in full sun conditions. Gardeners should allow this perennial a little more room as it will mature at about 30 inches tall and wide.

Caryopteris clabdonensis 'Dark Knight' - Zones 5-9. This shrub-like perennial is also called Bluebeard because of the dark blue flower clusters. Dark Knight Bluebeard grows 3-4' tall and 3' wide with a dense, mounding growth habit that make a nice, compact shrub look in the fragrance garden. The aromatic, lance shaped leaves are attractive all season long, while the deep blue summer flowers can last until first frost in some areas.

Nepeta faassenii 'Walker's Low' - Zones 5-9. This catmint was named the 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year and is a fantastic addition to any garden. The gray-green foliage is highly aromatic and will be welcome in the sunny fragrance garden. Use Walker's Low Catmint as a fragrant ground cover or to border a perennial bed since the compact, 10" tall plant is pleasing to the eye when planted in sweeping masses. For thick, bushy growth and repeat blooms, cut the plant back after the first flowers begin to fade.

For a complete list of Scented Foliage plants
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More interesting Plant Highlights
Plants with (Black or Maroon Foliage),
Plants with (Gold or Chartreuse Foliage),
(Evergreen Groundcovers),

This 'Plant Highlight' was written exclusively for Sooner Plant Farm by Angela England
.To read more from this talented writer about other highlighted plants and interesting gardening stories click here.

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