Flowering plants are favorite among houseplants lovers due to their sweet smelling flowers. Not only do these scented flowers emit pleasant smells, but these fragrant flowers are also colorful, making the rooms in your house look vibrant. Nonetheless, not many colorful indoor plants can thrive in low light conditions. Some of these fragrant indoor plants need bright sun that is tricky to grow around indoor areas, knowing lack of light can inhibit these fragrant indoor plants development. And so, we think that it will be best to compile fragrant indoor plants for low light rooms to give you options about sweet smelling indoor plants.
Furthermore, not all of these indoor plants with fragrance for low light areas are flowering plants. Some of them belong to fragrant indoor herbs whose leaves you can pick to cook or make aromatherapy. And don’t worry! The indoor fragrant plants in our list are all low-maintenance fragrant houseplants. They will grow sweet smelling flowers and leaves without having to bother you with complicated growing conditions.
Interested in growing one of these best 14 sweet smelling indoor plants with scented flowers and leaves? Check them out below!
Table of Contents
- What are Fragrant Indoor Plants?
- Benefits of Fragrant Indoor Plants
- Factors To Consider When Choosing Fragrant Indoor Plants
- Best Fragrant Indoor Plants for Low Light
- 1. Basil (Ocimum Basilicum var. Minimum)
- 2. Gardenia (Gardenia Jasminoides ‘Leeone’)
- 3. Hoya (Hoya Carnosa)
- 4. English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
- 5. Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)
- 6. Lemon Thyme (Thymus Citriodorus)
- 7. Mint (Mentha)
- 8. Night-Scented Stock (​​Matthiola Longipetala)
- 9. Lady Of The Night Orchid (Brassavola Nodosa)
- 10. Golden Oregano (Origanum Vulgare ‘Aureum’)
- 11. Common Sage (Salvia Officinalis)
- 12. Sweet Bay (Laurus Nobilis)
- 13. Tea Rose Begonia (​​Begonia x Semperflorens-cultorum)
- 14. White Jasmine (Jasminum Polyanthum)
- Tips for Growing Fragrant Indoor Plants In Low Light
- Final Thoughts
- FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What are Fragrant Indoor Plants?
Perhaps, some of you think that indoor fragrant plants are those with fragrant flowers that can produce floral scents. However, that’s not the case. Basically, fragrant houseplants are those that have a pleasant smell, whether they belong to fragrant indoor herbs or flowering plants.
Some of these aromatic houseplants favor bright light to grow buds. Usually, you need to save a space under the south-facing window to ensure they receive adequate sun exposure. In addition, you can also expect low light loving fragrant indoor plants that can grow well under shade.
Such plants are ideal for north-facing areas in your home, like the living room, dining room, or even bathroom. But in this case, you better find fragrant indoor plants for bathrooms with no windows to maintain the low light conditions. Moreover, you should not have any concern about its maintenance as most of them are low maintenance fragrant houseplants.
If you are looking for low light friendly aromatic houseplants to fill up the dull corner in your home, you better scroll down to find out the best sweet smelling indoor plants for low light areas below!
Benefits of Fragrant Indoor Plants
Besides having aromatic fragrance, you can also have colorful indoor plants for low light conditions that can add cheerful vibes to any room you arrange these low light friendly aromatic houseplants.
Generally, these aromatic houseplants will emit floral, sweet, or citrusy smells depending on what kind of low light tolerant scented indoor plants you grow.
If you prefer to plant lavender, lemon thyme, mint, or rosemary, the smell of these low light loving fragrant indoor plants will help you release stress, anxiety, and boost your feeling of comfort. You can even produce essential oils from these fragrant houseplants which you may later use whenever you have a headache or feeling tired.
Furthermore, low light indoor plants that emit sweet scents can also train your sense of smell, making it more sensitive. Besides, they will clean the stuffy air with the pleasant fragrance that will improve your breathing. As the bonus, these low light tolerant scented indoor plants also spread natural perfume that will not make you dizzy.
Factors To Consider When Choosing Fragrant Indoor Plants
Having scented plants for low light and indoor air quality may be one of the best ways to decorate your indoor spaces with a bonus of pleasant aroma. Nonetheless, before you want to purchase seeds of indoor plants with fragrance for low light areas, we highly recommend you to consider some factors below. What are those?
1. Fragrant Indoor Plants Maintenance
Generally, low light indoor plants that emit sweet scents are low-maintenance. However, you must still take this factor into your consideration before growing one in your home. Some flowering indoor plants that smell nice and thrive in low light may shed their buds if they are not pollinated or lack watering.
In this case, you can conclude that these houseplants need additional care than those that only grow aromatic leaves, like herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, mint, and more). You must also remove the fallen buds to prevent bugs or insect infestation that can get you in trouble.
2. Size
Considering size into factors of choosing low light loving indoor plants that add fragrance to your home is crucial. It is related to the size of the pots that will take up some space in your house corners. Suppose you want to liven up your living room area. In that case, you can choose low light loving indoor plants with scent like lavender, white jasmine, or gardenia.
But, if you want to grow fragrant indoor plants for bathrooms with no windows, you better choose a smaller one to allow you to give proper maintenance. Besides, larger plants take up too much space, especially in the tiny bathroom. In addition, consider sweet-smelling indoor plants for dark rooms knowing there’s limited sun exposure to this area.
3. Toxicity
Many of us forget to include this toxicity factor before planting sweet-smelling indoor plants for low light areas. In fact, this is the most important thing to check! Imagine you grow low light indoor plants that make your home smell great in the corner of your dining room and suddenly your kids approach the flowers that, unfortunately, are toxic!
For that reason, you must ensure these fragrant indoor plants for low light spaces are non-toxic, pet-friendly, and kids friendly to guarantee everyone safety.
Best Fragrant Indoor Plants for Low Light
Having perfume around your house may be a good option to add lovely scents that are calming. However, this kind of smell usually is intense. Thus, some people find it bothersome instead of relaxing. Hence, many consider to grow low light loving indoor plants with scent that can give them a natural pleasant aroma.
Not only are these low light loving perfumed plants for indoors offer scents, but they also great decoration and may improve air quality indoors. Interested in growing them to spice up your dull corners? Find out the best fragrant plants for low light areas in the following section!
1. Basil (Ocimum Basilicum var. Minimum)
Despite not bearing flowers, Basil or Ocimum basilicum var. minimum is one of the most fragrant low light indoor plants that make your home smell great. It is because this herb contains eugenol, the volatile chemical that produces a fresh, slightly citric aroma.
With that being said, it is no wonder that basil is among the fragrant herbs that become favorite to spice up your meal flavors.
As one of the low light loving indoor plants with pleasing aromas, Basil will be awesome to grow in pots near your kitchen window. But make sure that the window is north-facing to protect basil from excessive sun exposure.
Moreover, you must provide at least one inch per week watering as it prefers moist soil to thrive. In addition, make sure your indoor temperature is between 50°F – 80°F to grow this summer herb healthily.
2. Gardenia (Gardenia Jasminoides ‘Leeone’)
Having layering petals like roses, you may think that Gardenia or Gardenia Jasminoides ‘Leeone’ is a white rose. Unlike the roses with sharp teeth along the stems, the Gardenia plant features glossy dark green foliage wrapping up the trunks.
Meanwhile, the fragrant white flowers are hidden among the dense leaves. They have a strong floral scent with a hint of sweetness, coconut, and green.
For that reason, Gardenia belongs to one of the most popular low light loving indoor plants with pleasing aromas. Similar to most beautiful indoor plants that smell good in low light, Gardenia still needs sun to thrive. You can grow them in pots and place them near your window around 4 hours in the morning. Also, it needs 65°F – 70°F to perform best.
In addition, offer at least one inch of watering per week to keep the soil evenly moist. Without these requirements, you may not see any bloom appear.
3. Hoya (Hoya Carnosa)
Hoya carnosa or more popular as Wax Flowers is one of the most fragrant indoor plants for shady spots. They have a pretty big head cluster of red flowers with star-shaped lighter tones in the center.
Not only are they stunning, these blooms emit intense, lovely aromas that are believed to smell like citrus, chocolate, or vanilla, depending on the varieties. Imagine how the rooms in your home smell if you grow hoya carnosa indoors!
Since they grow creeping on the support, you can try planting them in a hanging basket first. That way, the leaves will be dangling outside the pot, creating an attractive visual. Knowing it belongs to the aromatic indoor plants for low light conditions, do not put them in bright direct sunlight. Instead, offer a filtered one to prevent from burning leaves.
To allow the best growth, maintaining temperatures at 60°F – 85°F is necessary. As for watering, you only need to water them when the top layer of the soil is dry. You can also offer liquid fertilizer in the spring or summer when they are actively growing.
4. English Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
Who doesn’t know Lavender? This plant bears long clusters of purple flowers that usually grow in the field.
The Lavender farmers generally harvest the blooms in the spring and sell them to make a bucket or even essential oils. That’s because these flowers emit lovely scents of woodsy, green, herb, with a strong floral tone that people love. Fortunately, some Lavender can grow indoors. So, you can try one at home!
English Lavender is one of those fragrant indoor plants for rooms with little sunlight exposure. It has a great tolerance to shade and cloudy conditions, so you have no worries to grow this flower inside.
Nonetheless, it will be great if you find spots near windows to allow them to absorb the light required to grow for at least 6 hours per day, while maintaining temperatures around 50°F – 55°F. In addition, they need twice a week watering to maintain the soil moisture.
5. Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)
Are you wondering what aromatic indoor plants for low light conditions that will add a relaxing scent to your home? Look no further than Lemon Balm or Melissa officinalis!
This fragrant houseplant for low light features scented leaves that smell like lemon and mint combination, hence the name. People usually grow this herb in pots in the garden or indoor to harvest the leaves. They add the foliage to their teas to have the minty taste and relaxing feel.
To grow this one of the most fragrant indoor plants for shady spots, you will need to meet certain growing conditions. This plant loves full sun but tolerates shade. You can consider growing one pot in the north-facing window kitchen to have better access to the leaves whenever you need it.
Moreover, melissa officinalis favors temperatures approximately 65°F – 70°F to fully thrive. As for the watering, the soil must dry first before you water the plant again. Also, we do not recommend fertilization as it can reduce the pleasant fragrance.
6. Lemon Thyme (Thymus Citriodorus)
If you are looking for fragrant indoor plants for low light conditions that offer calming citrusy aroma, consider thymus citriodorus or Lemon Thyme.
This is one of the best low light tolerant indoor plants that smell good, especially the leaves, making it people’s favorite to add to their cuisines. Their leaves grow creeping on the soil surface, creating a dense mat if you grow it in your garden. Though it grows best in full sun, Lemon Thyme pretty tolerates shade.
However, we recommend not growing them in a deep shade area in your home. Instead, choose a spot with at least 6 hours of morning sun, like a north-facing window in your kitchen, living room, or dining room. After that, you can rotate the pots if you want.
In terms of growing season, it will be best to plant one in the spring to summer as it loves temperatures between 65°F – 85°F to fully bloom. It is also a drought-tolerant plant that can survive about three months without watering. With such features, Lemon Thyme is one of the top fragrant indoor houseplants for low light rooms worth planting!
7. Mint (Mentha)
We believe everyone loves mint! Mint or Mentha is one of the fragrant indoor plants that are easy to care for in low light. They have green aromatic leaves with strong minty, cool, and a bit zest citrusy undertones. With these characteristics, mint leaves are widely cultivated for herbs, teas, and essential oils to relieve stress.
Interestingly, they can grow outdoors and indoors. Once they are established, you gotta be careful as mint can be invasive.
Knowing it can give a sense of calm, many people plant them in pots indoors. If you want to grow these fragrant indoor plants for bedrooms with low light, you should prepare a spot with at least 3-4 hours of morning sun. For instance, around your windowsill.
Since it loves moist soil, you need to offer daily watering. In case of temperature, this one of the top fragrant houseplants for low light rooms favors around 65°F – 70°F to thrive. Therefore, indoor planting is the best method to grow all mint cultivars, especially in warm climates.
8. Night-Scented Stock (​​Matthiola Longipetala)
Matthiola longipetala or Night-Scented Stock is a flowering fragrant plant that produces vibrant pink clusters of flowers. Considering this lovely appeal, people grow this one of the scented indoor plants for low light spaces in their cottage gardens.
In addition to their beautiful blooms, Night-Scented Stock flowers emit pleasant smells, having a mixture of floral, vanilla, and spice. This aroma will be much more intense at night, hence the name, when it attracts pollinators to visit the petals.
Besides growing them in the garden, Night-Scented Stock flowers are also popular among indoor plant lovers. In fact, you may grow these fragrant indoor plants for offices with low light. All you need to do is to grow them in pots and arrange them under your office windowsill.
Make sure you water them regularly, especially in their growth stage. As they bloom best at night, they favor cool temperatures around 55°F – 65°F.
9. Lady Of The Night Orchid (Brassavola Nodosa)
Orchids are popular as low light tolerant indoor plants that smell good and have stunning, sometimes weird, flowers. In their native habitats, some of them grow well on the forest floor under the dense canopy, while others are attached to the trees. One of these fragrant indoor plants that are easy to care for in low light is Lady Of The Night orchid. It bears white flowers that look like a lady dancing. Not only that, it also emits strong citrus and a hint of sweet aroma.
Suppose you are interested in growing one. In that case you must prepare for its growing conditions. Even though it may thrive in a low light condition, it will be best to offer them at least 6 hours of sunlight. Don’t hang the pot in the room with deep shade!
We recommend hanging the basket near your kitchen windows. In addition, it requires temperatures about 65°F – 80°F to bloom best. Also, water the plant when the soil surface gets a bit dry.
10. Golden Oregano (Origanum Vulgare ‘Aureum’)
Whoever loves pasta or garlic bread will be familiar with oregano. They are one of the most popular herbs worldwide that will be tasty to add to any western cuisines. Their leaves produce strong aroma with pungent, green, hay, musty, and minty notes.
Even though most oregano do not belong to the fragrant indoor plants that can grow well in low light, there is one cultivar you can try planting in your house. It is golden oregano or origanum vulgare ‘aureum’.
Golden Oregano features perfumed golden-colored leaves that look so bright with clusters of purple white flowers. If you want to grow this one of the low light indoor plants that have a nice smell, prepare partial shade areas. It can be north-facing or underneath your windows.
Moreover, this fragrant herb also requires one inch per week watering to keep the soil moist. Regarding temperature, Golden Oregano is pretty tolerant to cold. Nonetheless, it thrives best in 60°F – 80°F temperatures.
11. Common Sage (Salvia Officinalis)
Perhaps, not many people realize that common sage or salvia officinalis are fragrant indoor plants that can grow well in low light. They bear bright, long clusters of purple flowers with green foliage as the stunning background.
Just like most sage plants, common Sage leaves have earthy and herbaceous aroma, while the flowers are more spicy. Folks use them as natural remedies, like lowering cholesterol and curing sore throats.
Given the medium growth and size, they do not belong to the fragrant indoor plants for bedrooms with low light. Instead, you better grow one in an 8 to 10 inches container with fertile, moist, but well-drained soils.
You can water them once the top soil is dry. Once the plant is established, common sage can tolerate a quick frost. But for an optimal growth, the temperatures should be kept around 60°F – 70°F.
12. Sweet Bay (Laurus Nobilis)
Unlike other low light indoor plants that have a nice smell we have discussed earlier, Laurus nobilis or Sweet Bay seems to resemble a tall shrub. It has a dense, dark green foliage that forms a pyramid. People usually grow one in their garden if they want to have a big Sweet Bay.
Nonetheless, this plant can also grow in pots. Considering the size, it may be one of the most ideal fragrant indoor plants for offices with low light growing conditions.
Furthermore, the leaves smell like balsam with a tone of spice. It will get stronger when you crush them. In case you want to grow one to offer greenery indoors, you need to keep the temperatures between 65°F – 75°F.
During its growth, Sweet Bay will require regular watering, once per three days. This watering is also necessary to maintain soil humidity. To protect them from frost and winds, you better arrange one near west or south-facing walls.
13. Tea Rose Begonia (​​Begonia x Semperflorens-cultorum)
We can confidently say that Tea Rose Begonia is one of the most beautiful fragrant indoor plants for low light areas you can consider growing. They have exquisite soft pink flowers with broad dark green leaves and hot pink stems.
Besides their amazing appeal, the blooms emit lovely floral scents with sweet undertones. Since they grow small, you can have them in mini pots and hang them or arrange ones in your living room.
Lucky for you, Tea Rose Begonia is not tricky to grow. It is happy under filtered sun, shade, and copes well with winter sun. Moreover, it also prefers moist but well-drained soils. Thus, make sure you choose pots with drainage holes.
Offer once a week deep watering to keep the soil evenly moist. In addition, you must maintain indoor temperatures between 60-85°F to ensure the best blooms.
14. White Jasmine (Jasminum Polyanthum)
For those who love delicate flowers with intense floral fragrance, Jasminum polyanthum or White Jasmine may be your new favorite! They have lovely star-shaped, white blooms that grow in clusters. The buds are soft pink, creating a stunning visual whenever you grow one indoors.
Meanwhile, the leaves are deep green that grow dense as the background. As amazing as the appeal, the blooms of White Jasmine emit rich sweet floral scents that will get more intense at night.
With such features, we can say that it is one of the most fragrant indoor plants for low light you can have in your home. But before that, it is important to know its growing conditions. You can plant it in the containers in the fall, when temperature starts to drop.
Choose a sheltered spot from bright sun to grow this plant indoors. Also, keep the temperatures approximately 60°F – 75°F. In addition, water White Jasmine once the top soil dries in the summer. Reduce watering in the fall, winter, and spring.
Tips for Growing Fragrant Indoor Plants In Low Light
By reaching this section, we assume you have familiarized yourself with how to offer proper care for the best fragrant plants for low light areas we have discussed above. Now, we would like to offer you some tips for growing scented plants for low light and indoor air quality.
Therefore, you can have healthy plants that flourish through the seasons. Let’s dive in!
1. Water Properly
Like other plants, sweet-smelling indoor plants for dark rooms also need to be drunk. Depending on the plant and the season, usually they will require occasional watering, for instance, once in a week.
You may reduce the frequency in the winter when most fragrant houseplants for dim light spaces are dormant. Without adequate water, these low light houseplants with sweet fragrances may stop flowering, and thus, no more natural pleasant scents to emit.
2. Rotate Your Plants
Even though these low light loving perfumed plants for indoors can cope with limited sun exposure, they still need a bit of it to thrive. Especially to conduct photosynthesis, a process where they produce food.
ou can help them fulfill their needs by rotating these plants occasionally to ensure they get the sunlight. In addition, you may offer LED lights in the winter where the sun doesn’t shine that much.
3. Limit Fertilization
You may wonder whether or not the indoor plants that smell nice and thrive in low light require fertilization? Well, the answer is yes. But, only in a limited amount, especially when they are about to go dormant in the winter. Fertilizing your indoor plants is good to add more nutrients.
However, too much can lead to fertilizer burn that may kill the roots and eventually the plant. We recommend only fertilizer aromatic plants in their active growing phase to boost their growth.
Final Thoughts
Fragrant indoor plants for low light conditions are those that can emit lovely scents and grow well despite a lack of sun exposure. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need light at all.
Depending on the plants and varieties, they will need around 3 to 6 hours of low to medium light intensity to conduct photosynthesis and thus produce flowers and fragrances. In this case, we recommend arranging these fragrant indoor plants for low light areas specifically near the south or west facing walls.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What plants smell all year round?
There are some aromatic plants and shrubs that emit pleasant aromas all year round. Among them are magnolia, daphne mezereum, sarcococca, lilac syringa, and philadelphus. All of them can grow outdoors in your garden or backyard and generally love sun exposure.
Nonetheless, if you want to have fragrant indoor plants for rooms with little sunlight that smell great throughout the year, you can choose lavender.
What plant smells good at night?
If you want to enjoy your summer night relaxing, you can grow some of the best fragrant flowers that emit a good aroma at night. Some of them are Angel’s trumpet, Tobacco plant, Petunia, Wisteria, Regal Lily, and Summer Phlox.
In case you are looking for low light houseplants with sweet fragrances at night, you can grow gardenia or jasmine.
Why does jasmine only smell at night?
Jasmine is one of the most fragrant houseplants for dim light. They will mostly emit intense pleasant aromas at night. It is because the drop temperatures will trigger the bloom to open more, offering your home with natural scents of floral and sweet mixtures. Their blooms will also showcase their star-shaped petals that look exquisite to look at.
Which variety of jasmine is the most fragrant?
Although Jasmine generally has a lovely aroma with floral and sweet combination, the common Jasmine is the most fragrant variety. They can grow densely in your garden as long as you provide a space with bright sunlight.
Luckily, you can grow Jasmine indoor if you know the right variety. We recommend Jasminum polyanthum or White Jasmine as one of the best low light loving indoor plants that add fragrance to your home. You can grow them in a hanging basket for a stunning visual.
How long do night scented stocks last?
Night-Scented Stock or Matthiola longipetala is one of the beautiful indoor plants that smell good in low light. They will flourish and smell strong at night to attract nocturnal pollinators to pollinate their flowers.
You can plant them indoors before transferring the flowers to the pot and grow in your garden. Sadly, the flowers will only last three weeks between June to September.
