Enhance the fragrance of your poolside - Discover 5 professional recommendations for a more captivating ambiance
Aromatic Poolside Gardening: Fragrant Plants to Enhance Your Outdoor Space
Transform your pool area into a fragrant haven with these carefully selected plants. From ground covers to container plants and evergreens, each offering unique care needs to maintain their fragrance and health.
Ground Covers
- Lesser Calamint (Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta ‘White Cloud’): Highly fragrant with long-blooming, small white flowers that spill over edges and soften pool surrounds. Prefers full sun, well-drained soil, and moderate watering, avoiding overwatering to maintain fragrance.
- Creeping Thyme: An evergreen ground cover that is aromatic and drought-tolerant, thriving in sunny, well-drained conditions. Regular trimming encourages denser growth and sustained fragrance.
Container Plants
- Lavender: Famous for its calming scent and attractive purple flowers. Grows well in containers with full sun exposure and should be watered moderately, allowing the soil to dry between waterings to prevent root rot and preserve oils that produce fragrance.
- Heliotrope: Produces clusters of vanilla-scented purple flowers, thrives in full sun to partial shade. Container-grown heliotrope benefits from consistent moisture but well-drained soil. It can be brought indoors during cold periods to extend its bloom.
- Rosemary: Aromatic and edible, rosemary likes full sun and well-drained soil. It tolerates occasional splashing water by the pool but should be allowed to dry between waterings for healthy fragrant foliage.
Evergreens
- Daphne varieties: Known for their strong fragrance and evergreen habit. They prefer partial shade, well-drained soil, and protection from harsh conditions. Minimal pruning helps maintain bloom and scent.
- Creeping Mahonia and Evergreen Candytuft: Both offer evergreen coverage and pleasant scents. They require well-drained soil and minimal watering once established, with some trimming to keep shape and encourage flowering.
Other Notable Fragrant Shrubs
- Gardenia: Produces large, white, highly fragrant blooms, ideal near pools for pleasant scent during day and night. They require acidic, well-drained soil, high humidity, and partial shade to thrive.
- Lantana: A summer-blooming, colorful shrub with a spicy, sweet scent. It thrives in full sun and dry conditions but should be planted away from pool edges to avoid thorn injuries.
Care Tips to Maintain Fragrance and Health
- Sunlight: Most fragrant plants prefer full sun to partial shade, which promotes healthy growth and maximum oil production for scent.
- Watering: Avoid overwatering; many aromatic plants like lavender and rosemary prefer slightly dry conditions. Let soil dry between watering to prevent root rot and loss of fragrance. Ground covers like calamint and creeping thyme need moderate water but well-drained soil.
- Soil: Well-drained soil is essential to prevent fungal diseases that can dull scents. Amending soil with organic matter can enhance conditions for many fragrant plants.
- Pruning: Regular deadheading and trimming encourage continuous blooming and fragrance production. Removing spent flowers prevents resource diversion and promotes new growth.
- Protection: Some fragrant evergreens like Daphne benefit from light shelter and mulch to protect roots from cold or extreme heat.
In addition, lesser calamint is exceptionally fragrant, a magnet for bees and other pollinators. Citrus trees with sweetly-scented flowers can work well in pots alongside pools. Heliotrope can be brought indoors as a high-light houseplant during winter. A thick layer of mulch can help protect shallow roots of evergreen plants. Heliotrope, with rich purple flowers and a vanilla-like scent, is one of Justin's favorite summer annuals.
By combining these fragrant plants, you can create a beautifully scented poolside landscape that will delight your senses and provide a perfect backdrop for your pool parties. Proper care and attention will ensure their fragrance and vigor remain strong throughout the seasons.
- To further enrich your home-and-garden lifestyle, consider incorporating aromatic plants like Creeping Thyme, Lavender, and Lantana into your gardening pursuits, as they not only provide delightful scents but also thrive in the sunny and well-drained conditions common in home-and-garden spaces.
- Expanding your lifestyle beyond the home, investigate the world of fragrant evergreens such as Daphne varieties and Creeping Mahonia, suitable for garden and container use, ensuring a delightful aroma in your garden area even during winter.
