Fragrant Houseplants (10 Fragrant Plants For Your Home)

Houseplants can make your house look beautiful, but some of them can also make your house smell great. If you choose a variety of these plants, you can have a unique scent for every room.

So, what are some fragrant houseplants? Some fragrant houseplants include: Basil, Bay Laurel, Black Ginger, Bonsai Mint, Cuban Oregano, English Thyme, French Marigold, Marguerite Daisy, Meyer Lemon, and Rhododendron. Some of these plants also have attractive flowers or foliage for you to enjoy.

Of course, some of these plants will produce herbs that you can use in cooking. They also vary in what they need for care.

In this article, we’ll talk about 10 fragrant houseplants, along with what they need for light, water, temperature, and other important factors.

Let’s get started.

10 Fragrant Houseplants

There are plenty of fragrant houseplants to choose from, but here are 10 to start with:

Basil
Bay Laurel
Black Ginger
Bonsai Mint
Cuban Oregano
English Thyme
French Marigold
Marguerite Daisy
Meyer Lemon
Rhododendron

Let’s begin with Basil.

Basil

Basil (Ocimum bacilicum) is an annual herb (perennial in warm climates) that has fragrant green leaves.

Basil needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Basil needs full sun. It prefers somewhat acidic to somewhat alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 8.5).

Basil cannot tolerate frost. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 5a (as cold as -20 degrees Fahrenheit or –12 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 18 inches.

You can propagate Basil by stem cuttings or seeds.

You can learn more about Basil from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Basil from GrowJoy.

Bay Laurel

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree that produces showy, tiny (less than 1 inch) green and yellow flowers in spring or early summer. This fragrant houseplant can tolerate dry weather.

Bay Laurel needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Bay Laurel prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial or full shade. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 9.0).

Bay Laurel can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 8a (as cold as 10 degrees Fahrenheit or –12 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 10 to 40 feet, with a width of 10 to 30 feet.

You can propagate Bay Laurel by offsets, root cuttings, tip cuttings, or seed.

You can learn more about Bay Laurel from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Bay Laurel from Forest Farm.

Black Ginger

Black Ginger (Zingiber malaysianum) is a perennial herb that has fragrant leaves. It produces tiny (less than 1 inch) white flowers in spring or summer.

Black Ginger needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Black Ginger prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.3).

Black Ginger can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or –7 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet, with a width of 1 to 2 feet.

You can propagate Black Ginger by rhizome division.

You can learn more about Black Ginger from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Black Ginger from Aloha Tropicals.

Bonsai Mint

Bonsai Mint (Plectranthus ernstii) is a perennial herb that has fragrant evergreen leaves. It produces tiny (less than 1 inch) white or lavender flowers in fall.

Bonsai Mint needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Bonsai Mint prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.0 to 8.0).

Bonsai Mint can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 8 to 12 inches.

You can propagate Bonsai Mint by stem cuttings.

You can learn more about Bonsai Mint from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Bonsai Mint from Urban Sprout Store.

Cuban Oregano

Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus parviflorus) is a perennial herb that has fragrant green leaves with some white coloring. It also tolerates humidity.

Cuban Oregano needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Cuban Oregano prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8).

Cuban Oregano can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or –7 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches.

You can propagate Cuban Oregano by stem cuttings.

You can learn more about Cuban Oregano from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Cuban Oregano from Caribbean Garden Seed.

English Thyme

English Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is an evergreen herb that does well as a houseplant for dry climates. This fragrant houseplant has leaves that can be used for seasoning in your cooking.

English Thyme needs a dry environment with moderate to low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

English Thyme is a plant that likes full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or -34 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches.

You can propagate English Thyme by stem cuttings.

You can learn more about English Thyme from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find English Thyme from Mountain Valley Growers.

French Marigold

French Marigold (Tagetes erecta) is an annual plant that has showy, fragrant flowers that are coral red to pink. It blooms in late spring, summer, or fall.

French Marigold needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

French Marigold prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8).

French Marigold can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches, with a width of 8 to 18 inches.

You can propagate French Marigold by seeds.

You can learn more about French Marigold from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find French Marigold from GrowJoy.

Marguerite Daisy

Marguerite Daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens) is a perennial plant that has showy, fragrant flowers (2 to 3 inches) that are white, pink, or yellow. It may bloom year round.

Marguerite Daisy needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Marguerite Daisy needs full sun. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8).

Marguerite Daisy can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 18 to 36 inches, with a width of 12 to 36 inches.

You can propagate Marguerite Daisy by stem cuttings.

You can learn more about Marguerite Daisy from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Marguerite Daisy from GrowJoy.

Meyer Lemon

Meyer Lemon (Citrus meyeri) is a houseplant that produces 1 to 2 inch white flowers from late winter to spring. This fragrant houseplant is perennial, and it has fragrant evergreen leaves.

Meyer Lemon needs moderate moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Meyer Lemon likes full sun and tolerates humidity. It prefers a slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.3).

Meyer Lemon prefers warm temperatures. As an outdoor plant it is hardy to Zone 9a (temperatures as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or -7 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 10 to 15 feet with a width of 6 to 10 feet (a smaller container will limit its growth).

You can propagate Meyer Lemon by stem cuttings.

You can learn about when lemon trees bear fruit in my article here.

You can learn more about Meyer Lemon from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Meyer Lemons from Stark Brothers.

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a perennial evergreen shrub that produces showy flowers (purple, blue or other colors) in spring or early summer. This fragrant houseplant can tolerate somewhat wet soil.