It is hard to imagine a time when taking in the fragrance of spring was more inviting than taking in the latest movie. Enjoying the heady aromas of flowers bursting forth after a dark and dismal winter used to be high entertainment. Fragrant plants add an extra dimension to gardening; a dimension that is often overlooked.

Licorice Mint: (Agastache foeniculm)

Not a mint and not true licorice, this plant, also known as Anise Hyssop, adds the aroma of licorice candy to the garden. Licorice Mint is also a great culinary herb that can be used in cooking or dried for tea. Try steeping some in the milk used to freeze ice cream.

 Shear Licorice Mint back to the ground after bloom, usually in mid spring, and it will return as a short green hedge for the rest of the growing season. Or, leave it tall to feed small birds and scatter seed for a crop of volunteer seedlings next spring. Either way it will continue to add its fragrance to the garden until frost when it will die back to the ground. Make sure to mark where it is so it doesn’t get removed before it reemerges in the spring.

The ' Chocolate Fragrance Award' goes to the Chocolate Scented Daisy, a quarter-size yellow daisy with striking red striped undersides and Chocolate-colored stamens. An open, airy plant about two feet in diameter and about 18 inches tall, this makes an excellent edging plant or front of the border plant. Or plant it in a container that can be conveniently placed. 

The cocoa scent does waft through the air or it can be smelled directly from the flower. The scent is in the stamens which drop with temperatures above 90. The flowers are delicate and do not last long if picked. As the petals drop an interesting seed pod is left behind. These can be used for dried crafts if picked just when the flower head has turned brown. Or if the seeds are left to mature, they can be easily collected for planting Chocolate Scented Daisy next spring. 

Roman Chamomile: (Chamaemelum nobile)

Roman Chamomile is one of those small plants that packs a big aromatic punch. Smelling like a Jolly Rancher sour apple candy, it makes an odiferous bright green ground cover in cool summer climes. Often used in England to fill in cracks between pavers, as a path cover or perhaps as a soft bench cover, it is sometimes referred to as English Chamomile. 

Roman Chamomile can be used to make a fragrant pathway or a nice aromatic surprise tucked among other garden plants. If it pushes against other plants it can get up to a foot high with bloom. It can also be mowed to the ground to keep it flat. The flowers are few but can be used for tea.

Grosso Lavender: (Lavandula x intermedia)

One of many fragrant and ornamental Lavender hybrids, Grosso Lavender's dark purple flowers and heavenly clean pine scent are most welcome on warm summer afternoons. Grosso Lavender flower wands are great for fresh herbal crafting. 

The flowers and leaves of this lavender may be used in any recipe calling for lavender, such as Herbes de Provence. Prune after bloom into the leaves about a third of the way down. Shape into a nice oval ball for maximum flower wands the next spring. Never prune into woody stems with no visible growth. This can lead to the demise of the plant. Grosso Lavender likes good drainage and full sun. In humid climates, it is very helpful to raise it off the ground or grow in a container.

Lemon Balm: (Melissa officinalis)

An important medicinal herb, Lemon Balm, grows rapidly and makes a heavenly fragrant ground cover if mowed regularly. It can be grown in both full sun and part shade and is not fussy about soil. The flowers are insignificant and can spread the seed helping Lemon Balm to naturalize over a large area.

 Dry the leaves for a healthy tea. While Lemon Balm smells great, the flavor of Lemon is not predominant when the herb is used for cooking. It smells great in the garden and can be contained in a large wide container. 

The rich aroma of Cinnamon is the reward for growing Catmint. Both of these are gorgeous additions to any garden. Nepeta grandiflora blooms first and is usually included in early collections while Nepeta siberica blooms later in summer and is usually included in later orders. 

Cut both back to an inch or two after bloom. This prompts new growth and a second flowering. This plant is frequented by beneficial insects and butterflies. It is often used as an underplanting for pink or white roses.

Additional Plants for the Fragrant Herb Garden Zone 5: Chives, Lovage, Tansy, Most Mints, Bee Balms, Catnip, All Buddelia davidiis, Calamintha, Lavandula angustifolias and Lavandula x intermedias, Rue, All Salvia officinalis, Winter Savory, Costmary, Feverfew, Cat Thyme, French Tarragon, Wormwood, Southernwood, Bronze Fennel. Ground Cover Thymes: Lavender, Lemon Frost, Caraway, Lime and Mint, Upright Thymes: Pennsylvania Dutch Tea Thyme, Italian Oregano Thyme, Orange Balsam Thyme, Silver, Lemon and English Thymes.

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