Which Plants for a Healing Garden

By Dr Danica-Lea Larcombe, Certified Natural Perfumer and Healing Garden Expert

Aromatic plants come from a variety of plant families, and it is important to know the difference between shrubs, herbs, roses, climbers and ground cover and also their fragrant parts.   Some plants are known for their scented foliage while others rely on their flowers. Plants such as lavender have both.
For this article I will cover fragrant flowers.  

Shrubs with scented flowers
Many aromatic shrubs are Mediterranean, growing best in full sun and being able to tolerate drought conditions.  When the oils in the foliage are released in hot weather, the leaves give off scent.  You may brush past one of these shrubs for the scent to be released, or you may notice the scent when handling the leaves.  An example of this is the lavender plant.  Mediterranean plants need soil that is well drained and light. 

Climbing plants with scented flowers
You will be fortunate if you can remember a wall of sweet peas growing in your childhood garden.  The scented flowers on mass give off an intoxicating fragrance that is forever etched in your memory.  I challenge you to invoke that fragrance right now!  And then there is honeysuckle and sweet jasmine…
The beauty of growing climbers with scented flowers is that you invoke these memories for yourself and others by the sheer power of mass aromatic wonder.

Jasmine Sambac

​
Ground cover plants with scented flowers
Aromatic ground cover plants can give off an aromatic scent when their leaves are brushed against or lightly crushed underfoot at the edge of a border, or they can offer scented flowers in garden beds and borders. Ground cover plants spread over bare soil, shading out weeds and providing a visual link between plants or different areas of the garden..

​If you would like to know more I would love you to join my six-week course to learn Healing Gardening and why not... decide to 'Become a Certified Healing Gardener'.

More info on the course