BEAUTIFULLY SCENTED PLANTS FOR THE KITCHEN
Smell is perhaps the strongest of our five senses. Aromas can alter our mood and bring out the scent-timental feelings in the most stoic of people. If only we could keep our homes smelling like freshly baked bread and clean laundry, we might feel more relaxed and content. Adding beautifully scented plants to your kitchen adds style as well as a pleasant aroma.
DIY Kitchen Garden
You don’t need a green thumb to turn your kitchen into a green, scented oasis. The only requirement? A window sill or sunny spot and a little bit of seed money. You can add a scented garden to your kitchen for as little as $50. Not bad when you consider the cost of having a landscaper in Orlando plant an outdoor flower bed can reach $1,300. Placing florals and potted herbs in your kitchen are trending these days. See our blog about how to create a cozy BOHO chic home.
Herbs
You’ll find starter plants for herbs in nurseries, or you can grow them from seeds, which you’ll also find in nurseries and online. The benefit of having these plants in the kitchen? They smell great, and you’ve got spices at your fingertips when you’re cooking.
Just tear off a few mature sprigs, and use kitchen scissors to cut them up. You’ll find this easier than chopping with a knife on a cutting board. You’ll notice the chopping or snipping releases the essential oils in the plants to make your kitchen smell like a Tuscan vacation.
● Rosemary
● Mint
● Lemon Balm
● Lavender
● Cilantro
● Sage
Over time, some herbs lose their fragrance. A little rub between the fingers, or brush of the hand will send the aromas outward again (and make your hands smell nice, too). Remember to prune back the herbs as they grow to keep them from looking leggy. If you have no use for the herbs right away, tie them in kitchen twine and hang them upside down to dry. Dried herbs make lovely decorations, and can also be used to season food or be ground into a tea.
Lilies
Grocery stores and floral shops overflow every spring with several varieties of lilies. Stargazers, with their large pink speckled petals, are both eye-catchers and powerful room deodorizers. The so-called Oriental lilies are famous for their perfumed scents and showy blooms. Others you might like to bring home include:
● Peace lilies: low maintenance plants that help purify the air in your home
● Madonna lilies: produce fragrant white petals with a yellow base
● Easter lilies: can be easily raised from seed and do best indoors
● Lollipop lilies: look good enough to eat, but they are a toxic flower, especially for pets
Miniature Roses
The scentsational and sweet chariot are the most fragrant of these hardy pint-sized plants. Both have touches of mauve and will fill a small room with a sweet smell, but there are half a dozen other fragrant minis in different colors to choose from. The cool thing about these roses is that you can transplant them outside, and they usually do well, returning year after year and growing larger over time.
Cut Flower Arrangements
Cut flowers are an excellent way to add pleasing pungency and delightful decoration to your home, but they don’t last long. The ever-changing arrangements provide a cheerful, lively element you and others will appreciate, but you’ll spend more having to replenish your centerpiece every week.
Save money with the gift that keeps on giving, an aromatic houseplant of two that will elevate your mood year-round.
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