Scented Garden Plants for Mediterranean, Summer-dry Climate Zones

As I stepped outside yesterday during an especially hot autumn day, my olfactory sense was greeted by a resinous perfume. It was coming from a modest 4″ pot of Cleveland sage I had sitting on the porch. I was amazed at how such a little plant exudes such an impressive cloud of aroma! Scented plants have potent restorative abilities in the garden and I resonate with them strongly. So, I want to share my favorites. As my garden is in Sonoma County in Northern California, these are plants that handle the summer-dry (Mediterranean-type) climate zone.

Create a Healing Scented Garden

Walking into the garden is like an invitation for me–to come out of the mind and into all the senses. To have a time-out from the stresses and burdens of the day. To get into the body, into the senses. To listen intently to birdsong, to study a ladybug, or feel the fuzzy softness of a mullein leaf. To remember nature–that we are nature. On a stroll, I take a leaf of lemon verbena for a refreshing sniff. Feel the sun on the back or the breeze about the ears. Pause for a deep breath and let all those cares and thoughts dissolve–if only for a few moments–into the full sensory reception of the garden, of nature. Perhaps it is a kind of meditation. A friend of mine who is a meditation teacher often recommends coming out of the mind and into the senses as a grounding practice during guided meditations.

Aromatic plants draw me in wherever I am. Even when walking through human-centered cityscapes, there is usually a rosemary or a little huddle of scented flowers to stop and smell. I appreciate them as they can be tough survivors of exhaust fumes, high concentrations of dog pee or heavy foot traffic. To country-mouse me, they are like critical nature outposts amidst the steel and concrete. A little whiff of rosemary in that environment reconnects me with the natural world.

Scented plants are dispersed throughout my garden. As I take friends on a tour, I often stop and pick a leaf of one of the aromatics, rubbing it between my fingers to release the aroma for them.

Everyone has their preferences and dislikes as regards scent of course. Who knows why? Perhaps it is merely random preference. Or, perhaps there are undiscovered scientific reasons? Perhaps it’s akin to the chemistry we have with human friends, or a kind of mysterious alchemy of what is healing for us?

For whatever unknown reason, I simply like having certain plants around me, including specific scented ones.

Here are some of my favorite scented plants that grow well in my garden’s climate zone.

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Scented Shrubbery

Presented loosely in order of decreasing size, except the first:

Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii)

I’m putting this one first as it’s my top favorite. My ideal would be to have an entire swath of it somewhere. And, space for a cot or hammock in the middle to be enveloped by its aroma. Wonderfully, Cleveland sage is a California native plant and so needs little to no irrigation after established. The whorls are at intervals up the stem, which evokes some futuristic building design out of “The Jetsons” for me. I have not noticed gopher damage to this plant, but if anyone has, let me know. Habitat for hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. Deer resistant.

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Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora)

A small tree or shrub with lovely thin aromatic leaves. The scent of these is so refreshing. During heatwaves, I pick a little sprig of lemon verbena, and put it in my glass of cold water to flavor it.

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Pittosporum

Over the decades, as the ever-present afternoon fog dried up with the changing climate, I trended away from more moisture-loving hedge plants like escallonia, which was my go-to then. We’ve had good luck with pittosporum—I like the black stem variety (Pittosporum tenuifolium).

Though I’ve seen it written that pittosporum need the same water schedule or more than escallonia, that doesn’t seem true in our spot. This evergreen hedge plant thrives at our place with just drip irrigation once established, is easy to prune, can be grown tall or kept shorter, birds like to nest in it and so far it seems disease resistant. And, surprise, it has tiny little black flowers that delight me with floral perfume when in bloom! I haven’t noticed gophers being very interested in this plant either, although I always use gopher baskets when planting.

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Rockrose (Cistus…)

My favorite scented rockrose is the white-flowered one Cistus ladanifer ‘Blanche’. The leaves are very resinous and sticky, exuding an amber-like aroma of which, in perfumery, I believe is termed a base note. The Crimson Spot Cistus ladanifer (white blossom with five crimson spots) also has the same resinous aroma, if I remember correctly.

Rockroses do not like heavy pruning. So manage it minimally and don’t cut back into bare wood unless you are taking out an entire twig to the trunk. They also need good drainage. I don’t find them long-lived–our early ones lived maybe 15 years max. Also, the trunks and roots are very dense and hard to saw when they need to come out. Keep in mind that any resinous plants MAY be more flammable. I’ve been trying to move all such plants out of the defensible wildfire zone around the house. Drought and deer tolerant.

Another rockrose that I love for its scent is Cistus ‘Sunset’. Though the hot pink flower color is rather garish, it holds up well under the intense sunlight here, where it exudes a warm honey aroma in the heat. The leaves are fuzzy and do not feel sticky with resin like the ladanifer. But, how many times have I walked by on a hot day and suddenly wondered if there was a wild beehive close by? This is a ground cover rockrose and it will slowly spread. So keep that in mind. The centers can get leggy as they mature. Drought and deer resistant. Gophers don’t eat them.

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Heirloom / Old Garden roses

A rose without a scent is rarely worth having in my book. So I prefer the heirloom / Old Garden roses—those that predate hybridization. Or, the scented Austin roses. Old Garden roses tend to be thorny and bloom only once a year, in spring. But, they are so worth it. I mostly keep these mixed in with other shrubby plants so that when they are no longer blooming, they just blend in with the rest of the garden. See my post about them here.

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Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)

One of my top favorites. It’s a native plant, has pretty dangling flowers like chandelier earrings, and the leaves carry an exotic aroma. I have one at my entrance gate for greetings while coming or going. Does best in light shade in our place, but somewhat versatile.

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Rosemary

Rosemary is a tough plant found in many gardens here. It thrives in sunny conditions, sandy poor soil, little water and good drainage. Gophers don’t bother it much, nor deer. I use it as the evergreen “bones” of the garden where it provides winter greenery, and a food source for honeybees.

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Mexican marigold (Tagetes lemmonii)

This one surely won’t appeal to everyone, as the scent is very particular and strong. But I find it healing and prefer to have one growing right outside my door. Very tough, evergreen, low water and enjoyed by butterflies. It is said to repel mosquitoes. There is an interesting history to the discovery of this plant recorded here on the San Marcos Growers page.

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Lavender

This is one fantasy we managed to create back in the day–a small field of lavender. After studying the many types, I settled on the cultivar ‘Grosso’ because the blossoms form tight columnar heads on long stems. The buds also hold well on the stem for drying into bunches. It has an aroma that tends more towards the camphorous end of the lavender scent profile. If I understand correctly, this is deemed a traditional French lavender scent profile, whereas the sweeter L. angustifolias are more traditionally English. Gophers don’t bother lavender at our place, but another gardener reported that they nibbled theirs. Drought tolerant. They love our sandy dry soil with good drainage. And the honeybees and bumblebees go wild for the blossoms.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Popular with pollinators and butterflies. Not eaten by deer. Very aromatic leaves that can be made into a tea. See photo in intro. Read more about it over at the SoCo Master Gardeners here.

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Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)

Fruity and fresh, like a tropical fruit salad, as you might imagine, and the leaves and flowers are indeed edible. Surprisingly long-lived in our garden. I like to keep one planted in the corner of a raised veg bed, so that when I brush against it while weeding or harvesting, I’m met with that delicious smell. Gophers don’t bother ours that are in the ground. Fingers crossed. Bees and hummingbirds enjoy it. Perky red or pink flowers.

Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum)

A small evergreen whose lemony-medicinal scent I’m attracted to. Feathery, gray-green foliage (Brits: you use the term glaucous for this color in plants, yes?) and reasonably drought and gopher tolerant. I have a few planted at the edge of a raised bed, as ground cover under a rose.

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Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)

There are many scented geraniums (pelargoniums), but this is my personal favorite. I like it amidst my potted flowers and bulbs as aromatic greenery. I sometimes take a leaf with me around the garden or even on an errand. The fuzzy leaves are a tactile pleasure. In the spring, when the treasured Old Garden roses are blooming and a bouquet is calling me, I snip several sprigs of rose geranium first. Then, I add the thorny stems of the cut roses to the middle of the bouquet. The soft foliage of rose geranium acts as a barrier to the formidable thorns of the roses. And, the scent adds to the bouquet profile. As greenery, it frames and fills the arrangement like florists use ferns or myrtle.

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Bulbs

Freesias

Exquisite fragrance. It is said that gophers don’t eat these. But, I’m usually too wary to tempt fate with bulbs other than daffodils. So, I plant freesias in ceramic planters with other flowers like dahlias. They seems to do quite well here and return year after year without issue.

Crocus sativa (saffron)

Too short-lived to be included here, really, but the scent is so heavenly. Plus it’s fun to watch the bees going absolutely nuts for the blossoms. After my initial planting a few years ago, the crocus faltered. But, this year they are re-emerging, just when I was about to replant. For tips on growing saffron crocus, or for bulbs or saffron, see the resources offered by Peace and Plenty Farm. Caution: gophers will eat crocus! Mine are in planters up off the ground.

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Bearded iris

A subtle, timeless perfume that is not possible to capture in an essential oil, I don’t believe. There is orris oil, which apparently is made with difficulty from iris roots, and is very expensive. Happily, we can enjoy that delicate fragrance at less expense by just planting some iris. I like to look inside the bearded iris bloom and imagine being a little bug relaxing in there on a warm day–with the overarching standards as my petal-pergola. An enchanting palace! (My imagination must have gotten stuck at the kid-level developmental stage.)

Bearded iris are drought-tolerant and like well- drained soil. In the early days of planting iris in our garden, it seemed that gophers were nibbling them so I moved them to a raised bed with gopher wire underneath. Yet, a few survived unprotected and have spread, so I’m no longer sure. Maybe gophers eat them sometimes but not always. Any of you locals in gopher territory want to share your experience? Do gophers eat your iris, yes or no? Occasionally?

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Vines

Wisteria brachybotrys (W. venusta) ‘Shiro Kapitan’

Magical, mystical, transportive, romantic, sensuous. This is me trying to describe the fragrance of the treasured white wisteria in our garden. With its beacon call of perfume, I join the festival of shiny black carpenter bees swarming around the fat white blossoms.

Though it’s been decades since we planted it, I’m pretty sure this is the Silky Wisteria ‘Shiro Kapitan’ but back then it may have just been labeled “white venusta”. Its growth habit is of slightly shorter vines than the W. floribunda or W. sinensis, if I’m not mistaken. This wisteria has pale green new leaves — very pleasing to my eye. Wisteria is drought-tolerant and though gophers don’t favor it, something, possibly gophers, killed one of our wisterias several years ago. If any of you seasoned wisteria gardeners want to chime in with other tips, feel free in the comments.

Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum)

I should move this plant to the B-list for reasons I shall explain, but the fragrance is indeed wonderful.

When I first started gardening in California more decades ago than I care to admit, I was infatuated with pink jasmine. The tropical fragrance swept me away. Perhaps because of that tropical association, I assumed the plant would be marginal here and require coaxing and cosseting. So, we tended it with care, cautious of what we considered was a delicate plant. Many years later, though the scent still enchants me and the sweet little leaves and pink-white flowers speak to innocence itself, I now regard this plant as having secret, kudzu-like aspirations.

It roots where it touches the ground and they are mighty and vigorous. I’ve tripped on them many a time without the vines snapping. In fact, I wonder if they are ever used to make rope or basketry? Free cuttings at our place if you want to try, but you have to collect them yourself. Though it is said to be drought-tolerant, it happily doesn’t seem to invade the bone-dry summer fields. In any case, be forewarned and prepared for active maintenance if you add this to your scented garden.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

Honeysuckle also has a reputation for over-zealousness. However, not all are invasive. Ours is very old so I don’t have the ID but is probably Lonicera periclymenum. It’s on drip irrigation but the predominantly dry soil and gopher interest probably reduces its vigor further. Use a gopher basket if you plant one. The aroma is lovely and so are the many-hued flowers. Butterflies and hummingbirds often visit.

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Remember the scented wonders of the everyday garden patch, like basil, or culinary sage, or sweet peas!

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B-list Aromatics

Here are a few more scented plant options to consider, but are not currently on my A-list. Some just haven’t taken off yet, but hopefully will. Others I feel like need more water to thrive than I feel okay giving them, especially in a drought.

Daphne Exquisitely scented. I had one for many years but haven’t replaced it yet. I feel like it’s too dry here for it to be truly happy.

Gardenia I can’t seem to keep one alive at our spot, but if you live in a more coastal microclimate, you may have more luck.

Mock Orange (Philadephus lewisii) Native. I have some growing but they haven’t really taken off yet. Fingers crossed. The citrus actually do better and they provide a similar olfactory pleasure.

Spice bush (Calycanthus occidentalis) Native. I keep hoping these will take off in our garden and effuse it with exotic aroma, but not yet.

Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) We have several but I don’t feel like they thrive here.

California Lilac (Ceonothus) Native. These are said to be fragrant and we love growing them for the pollinators but I keep them out in the further parts of the garden where I don’t walk by their flowers every day. I keep them further out because some can be short-lived. The wood is very dense and when a dead trunk needs to be removed, it is extremely difficult for me to saw.

Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) Native. I love the medicinal aroma of this perennial. And, it does well here–too well! It can spread and take over everything nearby. Gets weedy looking in late season. So, I’m attempting to move it to a spot where it can have more space and be truly wild.

Various flower bulbs offer scented options, like tiger lilies, but because gophers eat most bulbs here, I don’t plant many. Daffodils are not eaten by gophers, but they sometimes push them to the surface or move them elsewhere.

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Even in writing this post of favorite scented plants and their ability to entice us out of our concerns and into our senses and nature itself, I got bogged down in the details and had to take refreshing moments in the garden. Because, writing about the healing powers of the garden is not the same as actually experiencing it. But I love sharing the wonders of the garden and the joy it brings. I like to be helpful and share what has worked well and what hasn’t, in case it may be useful to someone. I hope you have enjoyed this post. Surprisingly, writing a garden blog often ends up being helpful to myself too–as a journal or a resource to come back to.

Before we end, a quick butterfly update and a peek at the October garden:

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2024 Butterfly observations in our garden

Despite our increasing efforts at providing more habitat for butterflies, we didn’t see as many this year– with the exception of the largest ever pipevine swallowtail population. Last year’s monarch population was large–we spotted 15 or more monarchs daily for quite awhile. This year, almost none. No more than one or two at a time and very late to arrive. Though we’ve also seen other butterflies this year–tiger swallowtails, gulf fritillaries, painted ladies–not as many as last year.

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I’ll try to update this list of favorite aromatic plants over time for those garnering ideas for their own scented gardens. I’d love to hear what your favorite fragrant plants are, even in other climate zones, or any comments you have! Please share in the comments. Happy gardening everyone!

Come wander through the rest of the garden at The-Compulsive-Gardener.com — a chat over the garden fence | Gardening blog from Northern California

Please consider going Peat-free in your garden! Read why that is vitally important here.

And Debbie P–I finally added your peat-free soil recommendation to the Resources page! If you read this, I want to get your advice about something. Please write me on my contact page. Thanks! 🙂