Home Aromatherapy in the Garden

Home aromatherapy in the garden can be accomplished by planting aromatic herbs and flowers. Home aromatherapy and the use of herbs are considered the spice of life, they are very useful plants, and their fragrant aromas perk up our senses. Many of them will add substantial flavor to whatever you are cooking. A wonderful way to grow these aromatic flowers and herbs is in good-size containers that can be lifted to eye and nose level. This will make them easy to tend to, appreciate their aromas, and to harvest when we need them. Besides the herbs for cooking, you may like to grow some herbs that are traditionally valued and used for medicinal purposes.

Most of the herbs like plenty of sun and moderate watering, but the mints like to have moist soil and will tolerate some shade. So for best results choose a sunny spot and fill a sturdy wood planter with drainage holes with well-drained sandy loam and you are ready to plant. In order to maintain the taste and aroma of your herbs you want to keep mulching and fertilizing to a minimum. It is better to give up a lush growth than aroma and taste. Growing herbs in containers helps to foil the weeds and it takes less water over ground planting. When you fill those pots, always leave room for watering about an inch from the soil surface and the rim of the container. You also want to check the planter regularly for dryness; most plants will need about an inch of water a week.

An aromatherapy planter can be a 37 inch or larger square raised bed that contains a row of peppermint, a row of English lavender, a miniature rose in the center behind the first two rows, two sprigs of eucalyptus, one on each side of the rose and two Spanish lavender sprigs at the backside of the rose bush. Just by walking by or bending over the planter on any summer day can uplift your spirits probably more than you realize. The scents that are released from the eucalyptus, lavender, mint, and roses are the basis for oils used in aromatherapy. Make sure you allow the top inch of the soil to dry between the watering.  

Peppermint, which is also called candymint, has that refreshing spicy scent and makes a soothing tea. It can grow to about 2 feet tall, prefers to have some shade, has white flowers that are spiky and will spread fast. Lavender is an enchanting Mediterranean herb that has an intensely sweet and invigorating odor. The aromatic flowers and leaves are generally used in soaps and perfumes. It is able to tolerate some shade and can grow to 18-36 inches tall and will spread about two feet. Lavender also needs to have good air circulation and loves to have a bit of lime in the soil. Eucalyptus is from the familiar gum trees of Australia, smells like apple, honey, and lemon with a bit of camphor; every part of the plant is aromatic, the essential oils are antiseptic and is also an ingredient that is used in cold remedies. This is a tree in the wild that can also be pruned to just a few feet. These are the fragrant herbs that are used in the above planter.

Your garden can offer many opportunities to enhance your sense of smell, to calm or energize your spirits, and to visit some memories. If you plant a vast array of these fragrant plants, especially those that are known to have aromatherapeutic effects you can have some new aromas with the changes of the seasons. One good way to design an aromatherapy garden is to create an outdoor garden room. A partially enclosed space encourages the volatilizing oils to linger in the air. This type of garden has a sense of intimacy that can be difficult to accomplish in a garden that is more open.

There are other ways to have aromatherapy in your garden such as using gravel, rocks, stepping stones, or flagstones in your pathway or walkway and allow plenty of space between so you can plant some low-growing herbs such as thyme; you can curve the back portion of some of your garden beds to plant some of the fragrant herbs that grow tall such as the mints and lavender. By planting in containers will enable you to have fragrant plants in your garden but in the winter they can be moved indoors for more enjoyment.

When you have home aromatherapy in the garden you not only enjoy them outdoors but when you harvest them you now bring them indoors for that pleasant aroma. Some of the plants you can use for home aromatherapy in the garden are: Sweet basil, Bayberry, Bay laurel, Bee balm, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Gardenia, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemongrass, Marjoram, Myrtle, Mints, Roses, Scented Geraniums, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Violet. Just envision yourself sitting in your garden furniture, with your eyes closed, taking in the fragrance of some of the most aromatic plants!