When perusing online seed shops this winter for plants to add to the garden, consider buying some aromatic native specimens to boost the restorative capacity of nature in your own backyard.
Studies have shown that spending time in nature is an antidote for stress: It can lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and improve mood. Carefully chosen native California plants add an earthy, herby aroma to their visual beauty, enhancing the positive impact of the outdoors.
In addition, native plants help save water, reduce maintenance and pesticide use, and invite beneficial pollinators. Whether your garden is in containers or a yard, native plants will deliver the healing power of nature and help protect the state's biodiversity.
The California Native Plant Society offered a presentation on aromatic native plants that is now available on YouTube. In it, Santa Clara County native plant enthusiast Arvind Kumar suggested a selection flowers and shrubs that can add lovely fragrances to outdoor spaces. Kumar named:
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Hummingbird sage is easy to grow. It's an herbaceous perennial with very large, fragrant resinous leaves. The name is well chosen because the pink flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds in nature and in gardens. |
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Wood mint is an herbaceous perennial with a very sweet, delicious fragrance. The flowers appear toward the end of the stem with 1 to 5 dense clusters spaced separately. |
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Sacred datura, a short-lived perennial that's a standout plant in summertime. The large trumpet-like flowers have a subtle fragrance, and the leaves have a peanut buttery smell. This plant is poisonous and has psychoactive properties. |
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Yarrow is a sun-loving perennial that's native to temperate zones. Its leaves emit a unique fragrance when crushed or walked upon and it will gradually expand by runners if it likes the location. |
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Pink-flowering currant is known for its beautiful pendant flowers and pleasing spicy scent. If you bring bouquet into the house, you bring that fragrance inside. |
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Purple, black and white sage are easy to grow and all have distinct fragrances. Purple sage leaves are green and aromatic year-round. Highly aromatic black sage (pictured at the left) has a stronger scent when the weather warms. White sage is known for its importance to Native American culture. |
These suggestions are just a sampling of California native plants that can be added to gardens or grown in patio or balcony pots to offer soothing scents and appeal to local pollinators and birds. The Sequoia Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, which serves Fresno, Kings and Madera counties, has a list of native plants that do well in the Central Valley with helpful information about their size, water needs, deer resistance and blossoms. However, this list does not include whether the plants are aromatic, so selecting from the list will require some trial and error.
Resources:
California Native Plant Society, Sequoia Chapter
Sequoia Chapter Native Plant List (pdf)
Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health, Yale Environment 360