For all my adult life I’ve wrestled over which is stronger – my longing to create a perfumed garden or my longing to create a healing garden. Fortunately the two can be easily and joyously combined, as it is the aromatic oils in many plants that provide the healing.
The wonderful thing about growing herbs is that most are really hardy and easy to grow, even in a tiny space. While they do much better and grow bigger in the open garden, most also thrive in pots on the balcony or the windowsill. Many of my herbs grow in pots right outside the kitchen so I can duck out and pick a handful while I’m cooking.
There are SO many aromatic healing herbs you could include in your perfumed healing garden and it was difficult to narrow them down for this list. So I’ve only selected healing herbs that are easy to grow, are useful healers and also contribute a glorious or intrigueing fragrance in an aromatic garden.
Here are a few of my favourite plants from my own Perfumed Healing Garden to guide you in selecting herbs as you create your own:
Best Aromatic Plants For Healing
Discover the best perfumed healing plants to grow in your garden
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BASIL
People don’t usually think of basil as a healing herb and yet traditionally, it was called the “king of herbs”. It is used medicinally as a natural anti-inflammatory and is thought to have mild antiseptic functions. Some healing uses are for flatulence, lack off appetite, nausea and cuts and scrapes.
Apart from the perennial version, basil is short-lived. Expect to sow new seed every Spring. It likes full sun but wilts under the full force of the hot afternoon sun, although it revives quickly with a good watering. Protect it by planting other plants around as it can snap under strong winds. Pick the leaves regularly as this helps the plant to mature. Culling the seed heads helps prolong its life a little
LEMON BALM
Lemon balm is a member of the mint family and extremely easy to grow, in fact it can sometimes get out of hand. Considered a calming herb, it was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain and discomfort from indigestion. Even before the Middle Ages, lemon balm was steeped in wine to lift the spirits, help heal wounds and treat venomous insect bites and stings.
Lemon balm can grow vigourously in the right conditions so trim it regularly to keep it in check. It prefers a rich moist soil and partial shade although it can tolerate some direct sunlight.
As with many other herbs in a healing garden, lemon balm promotes relaxation and a sense of calm. It is a joy and so easy to grow!
FEVERFEW
As its name suggests feverfew was used way back in ancient Greece and Rome to drive out fevers. But it was also used to speed up the birth process and regulate menstruation. Now much research backs its use as an excellent migraine healer to both prevent and reduce the intensity. Feverfew is a potent anti-inflammatory and so may help with many problems related to inflammation, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia.
Feverfew tincture (herbs steeped in alcohol for about a month) is good applied topically for insect bites so growing it through your garden could help to discourage biting insects from visiting so often.
Another herb that’s happier in partial shade, feverfew handles dry conditions well so does best in well-drained soils. With its small daisy flowers, feverfew is a pretty addition to the healing garden.
LAVENDER
Lavender is an old favourite for every perfumed healing garden with its well-known properties for soothing, calming and relaxing the mind and inducing sleep. It’s a great plant for a warm, dry climate as these conditions suit it perfectly. Very hardy, it’s not fussy about soils and will thrive in poorer rocky patches as long as it’s sunny. It even loves the hot afternoon sun!
THYME
There are so many varieties of thyme that it’s easy to mix and match for a variety of perfumes. Common thyme is loaded with vitamins which makes it a great immunity booster. Thyme is a wonderful anti-inflammatory herb and is generally used by herbalists to treat respiratory conditions – colds and flu. But it’s also a great preventative medicinal herb and can fight off colds. With disinfectant properties it is useful to wash skin infections or as a throat rinse.
Thyme brews into a healthy tea to treat respiratory infections or support the immune system. And of course you know it as a staple in the kitchen.
Very hardy and not fussy about soil or water, they’re easy to grow by the edge of a path where they give off their scent as your foot brushes against them. And they’re perfectly at home in pots.
VERBENA
Lemon verbena was first used by the Incas. With a fresh lemon flavour and aroma it makes a great soothing tea for the digestive system. It will also help alleviate colds and break a fever. A great anti-inflammatory, lemon verbena relieves joint pain, and helps with muscle repair after exercise.
It’s most commonly taken as a tea, and a cup is ideal to calm the mind and nervous system before sleep. In herbal lore lemon verbena signifies romance.
They love a warm, sheltered spot in well drained soil. Plant close to the path so the wonderful lemon scent wraps around you as you pass by.
ROSE
The rose is my favourite plant for the perfumed healing garden. Cultivated since antiquity, it is known as the “queen of flowers” for its beauty and glorious fragrance. In addition the rose is well known for its many beneficial medicinal and magical properties including stress relief, insomnia and boosting creativity. It is said that hanging roses through out a room or home will help keep beauty, peace, and creativity within a partnership
Both the flower petals and the rosehips have healing properties.
Rose petals are mildly sedative and make a good heart tonic. Their antiseptic properties make them excellent for wounds. Internally they’re good for sore throats or ulcers. They can help lower body temperature, relieve spasms and cramps, and even help regulate a delayed menstrual cycle. Plus they help soothe and calm the nervous system. It is said that drinking a cup of rose petal tea before sleep can help induce prophetic dreams. Rosewater distilled from the petals is tonic to the skin.
Rosehip oil is extremely rich in essential fatty acids (omega 3, 6 & 9) and loaded with antioxidants. This makes it brilliant for your skin to reduce and slow the signs of sun damage and aging, reduce scars and wrinkles, fade pigmentation and improve elasticity and tone.
To make your own rosehip oil warm the rose hips with oil in a slow cooker until the oil is infused. Or for a no-heat version, dry the rose hips and mix them with the oil.
Rosehips are extremely high in vitamin C and contain other vitamins, and they make wonderful tea. They’re great during the cold and flu season. Plus they contain iron for anemia.
Roses need sun, six hours a day, and deep watering to grow well. Water daily in warm weather.
SAGE
In ancient Egypt sage was used to boost fertility but through the ages it was more commonly used as a remedy for throat and mouth inflammation. Nowadays it’s still regarded as a potent treatment for problems caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. Sage is an excellent anti-inflammatory especially for arthritis, gut and the cardio-vascular system. It enhances memory and cognitive processes
Native American people consider sage a sacred herb and white sage is burned for purification and protection, as well as birth and death ceremonies.
It can be used as a tincture, a tea or an essential oil.
Sage loves full sun but hates having wet feet or humidity in the summer. It does better in pots in humid areas. This is a plant for a well-drained corner.
CALENDULA
Who can resist this cheerful and gorgeous flower pooping its head out between other plants in the garden. The bees love it and it makes me smile.
Calendula is an awesome skin healer and strengthener and perfect to infuse in a carrier oil before adding to skin products. Applied to wounds it helps maintain the integrity of the edges leading to faster healing. The sunshine-y calendula flowers are edible and really brighten up a summer salad.
Undemanding flowers, they’re equally happy in full sun or half-sun as long as the soil is well-drained. They love growing amongst the other plants in your garden.
CORIANDER (CILANTRO)
Some people just hate coriander. But for everyone else it is a powerful healer whose use dates back to ancient Greece and Rome.
Very useful for digestive complaints, the leaves promote digestion and strengthen the stomach and spleen. However, the seeds calm the digestion, soothing the stomach, reducing nausea, intestinal cramping and constipation. They also support beneficial gut flora. Coriander assists with the heavy metal detox of mercury, lead, aluminium and others by neutralising their electrical charge so they can be flushed from the body (chelation). And it supports heart health.
Coriander likes lots of sun in a well-drained soil with a steady supply of water and fertiliser. Compared to other herbs it’s a little needier, but worth the effort! Leave the seeds where they fall for a new crop in Spring.
CHAMOMILE
You know of chamomile as an excellent relaxant and mild sedative, but in the garden its divine honey scent is a joy. Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory which helps with pain relief for many different problems including arthritis and teething.
It’s a great plant for sunny spots in a cooler climate with poorer soil and doesn’t need much care to gently spread across the ground between other plants. It will also grow in partial afternoon shade.
ROSEMARY
Rosemary for remembrance! With a pungent woody scent, rosemary, the signature plant of Remembrance Day, is in fact a wonderful memory enhancer. When I’m struggling with juggling too many things in my work I often bring a sprig in to my desk, where I can give it a gentle rub periodically to stimulate my brain. Rosemary is a stimulant which helps with circulation and low blood pressure. (Take care using it if you have high blood pressure).
I grow rosemary in a large pot on the balcony within easy reach of the kitchen. It prefers poor, dry, rocky soils where not much else grows in the garden, and hot dry climates. Rosemary is tough and the hotter and drier the conditions, the stronger the aroma and flavour.
Prepare Your Healing Herbs
Herbs from your garden can be used fresh from the plant in tea or in food for healing. Simply gather a handful and put them into a closed strainer ball and into a cup. Pour over freshly boiled water. Cover the cup to retain the heat and leave to steep. Strain and add sweetener if desired.
However, to store them for later use you’ll need to harvest and dry them first.
- Harvest herbs mid-morning after the dew has evaporated. Do not water them before picking or wash them after.
- Gather a few stems in a bunch and tie them together. Then hang them upside down in a warm dry place for a few weeks to dry.
- When they are crispy store them in paper bags in a cool dry location. Darkness will help preserve them longer.
- In good storage conditions volatile herbs last about six months.
DIY Herbal Healing
Calming herbs such as lavender or lemon balm can also be used in an aromatic pillow to bring their relaxing power to your bed.
A few cups of strong herbal tea added to your bathwater can turn it into a blissful healing experience.
Creating infused oils with your herbs is a beautiful way to create your own signature lotions balms, and skin care products as well as cooing oils. These are not as potent as essential oils but this makes them safer to use. They’re made by steeping the herbs in a carrier oil such as almond or olive oil for 6 weeks, and they do not need to be further diluted.
Both flowers and leaves can be used to make flower water. Spritz the water on your skin or use around the home as a linen spray or room refresher.
Collect your plant material and wash them to get rid of pests. Then place them in a large pot with a steamer insert and cover with distilled water.
Place the steamer insert on top of the water and plants and another dish to catch the water inside the steamer. Make sure the bowl is not sitting in the water and that steam can rise up around it from the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot with either a plate or the lid turned upside down. Place a sealed bag of ice on top of the plate. Bring the water to a simmer and check it every 15 minutes.
As the steam rises from the plants it hits the cold lid and forms condensation which then drops down into the collection bowl. You should have about 120ml after an hour. Store in the fridge.
You can mix up different plants for a floral, herbal or mixed combo.
Chemical Free Remedies
Many commercial herb crops are sprayed with toxic chemicals. When you grow a healing garden you have the satisfaction that comes from growing your own chemical free herbs to use for both your health and in your cooking.
When it’s also gloriously perfumed you create a beautiful gift for your senses from the abundant bounty of nature.
Plant your garden along walkways and paths and thank your healing herbs for their bountiful gifts as you brush past them – their sensual fragrance, their powerful healing properties, and their ability to unleash your creativity in producing fragrant healing herbal products for those you love.
My only sadness in writing this article about something I love so much, is that although I can show you the beauty of these plants through the video, I can’t give you the experience of their wonderful heady scents. For that you’ll have to grow your own.
