Not Jasmine, Not Roses: The Old-Fashioned White Flower For Your Garden That Smells Like Apples

If you're looking to build a sensory garden that smells as good as it looks, fragrant flowers like jasmine and roses may be the very first to come to mind. While these classic good-smelling flowers can help elevate their space, they're not the only options available. Instead, you could also look toward an old-fashioned white flower, whose eye-catching small blooms surprisingly smell like apples: apple geranium.

Apple geranium (Pelargonium odoratissiumum) goes by many names, including nutmeg geranium, sweet-scented pelargonium, and apple-rose-scented geranium. This aromatic plant blooms in the spring and summer, but its finely furred foliage is evergreen, which means you can enjoy apple geranium as a year-round feature in your yard. Even better, it also grows well indoors, giving you more options in how you stylize and cultivate this plant. Apple geranium is easy to grow as well, making it a good plant for beginner gardeners. It's adaptable and durable, and holds up well to drought conditions once it's an established part of your garden.

Keep in mind that this plant is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, so you may wish to choose a pet-friendly fragrant flower if you're sharing outdoor space with any furry family members. This perennial is hardy in USDA growing zones 8 to 11.

Because you can also grow apple geranium inside, you have a bit more flexibility in USDA growing zones, beyond its hardiness zones of 8 to 11. If you live in a region where winters are too cold for this apple-scented flower, you can simply overwinter it in a container and an indoor location.

As far as sunlight, apple geranium isn't picky. You can grow it in full sun and partial shade, which means that most locations sans north-facing spots or beneath trees and structures will be suitable. Full sun is typically best for this flower, but if you live in the upper range of its temperature zones, adding some shade during the hottest part of the day may be helpful, like through an east-facing location.

When it comes to soil, apple geranium prefers good ventilation and drainage through sand- or loam-based mediums. It also grows best when you stray away from alkaline pH levels to offer it an area that's acidic or neutral. With these specifics, you may consider an easy DIY soil mix, especially if planting your apple geranium in a container. Lastly, deadheading is key to helping this plant thrive and look its best. That said, you'll want to remove any leaves that turn yellow.