With the warm weather setting in and the sunlight streaming through your home, it's only right that you add that much-needed finishing touch of a floral fragrance to your space. Not only does a fresh floral bouquet spark so much joy but the smell that it offers is incomparable. You can place them on a shelf in your living room, by your dining area as a part of your tablescape, or even by your bedside for a spring-scented environment.
The best part about a natural floral bouquet is that you can get all of the great fragrances without all of the terrible toxic additives that come in most commercial room sprays and candles. And of course, unlike other fragranced mediums, cut flowers can be styled beautifully to add to the visual appeal of your living space.
Curious about which flowers bring the best spring scents? We spoke to a couple of florists to find out which blooms we should be using to fragrance our space with a fresh spring aroma and make our home smell amazing. Here are six to add to a vase for the ultimate seasonal scent experience.
1. Peonies
When we think of spring-themed flowers, peonies are always the first to come to mind. Aside from their pretty petalled blooms, they also happen to emanate a dreamy sweet fragrance. Meredith Bishop, founder of Bloom & Bounty, tells us that peonies are perennial flowers that carry a delicate aroma.
'Blooming in late spring, these blossoms should be cut blossoms when the buds are in the marshmallow stage,' she says. 'This simply means that when you squeeze them they respond as a marshmallow would.' Meredith informs us that freshly cut peonies will continue to open slowly and can last for over a week when harvested in the right stage. These flowers are known for their strong scents and would work well in large home spaces like a living room.
2. Tulips
Co-founder of Minnow and Wolf, Hannah Bryce, tells us that tulips are gorgeous spring bloomers that carry a delightful floral scent. 'I grew flaming margarita tulips last year on my flower farm and had no idea they would smell so good,' she says. 'The creamy-white flamed magenta to pinky red tulips make a brilliant cut flower as they take on a mind of their own in a vase and last for days.'
To care for tulips, Hannah recommends keeping the water fresh to allow the tulips to continue growing in the vase. So the next time you pass a bright bouquet of healthy tulips in the grocery store, consider grabbing them for a honey-scented home.
3. Lilac
We think that lilac flowers are an underrated spring pick, which is unfortunate considering they'll leave your house smelling like a mystical garden. They also make one of the best flowering bushes for privacy, so they're a great choice for overlooked backyards.
Florist Adena Einfrank tells us that lilacs are highly fragrant with a sweet, heady aroma that can fill the air. 'They typically bloom in clusters of tiny, tubular flowers ranging in color from pale lilac to deep violet, and their pretty flowers appear on large bushes with heart-shaped, lush green leaves,' she says.
If you have lilacs blossoming in your spring flower garden, Meredith suggests cutting them early in the morning when the plant is fully hydrated. 'It's best to snip the stem at an angle, and crush or cut up an inch of the end of the stem,' she says. 'This will allow the plant to hydrate more easily which will extend the vase life of these purple flowers.'
4. Apple Blossom
Blossom is an iconic spring flower trend, and apple blossom is underrated. A sizable arrangement of these magnificent flowers can truly transform a space. Apart from their adorably blush pink flowers, apple blossoms bear a saccharine scent that is bound to make your home smell heavenly. Hannah tells us that she loves to cut branches of these beautiful plants and display them around her home.
'If you have a large entrance hall, apple blossom branches will really pack a punch as you enter the room,' she says. 'Try cutting the branches before all the blossom opens to ensure longevity.' These spring flowering branches also make for picture-perfect floral arrangements so you can get creative and mix them in with filler foliage for a charming bouquet.
5. Sweet Peas
Sweet peas may be the crowning spring flower this year. Aside from going viral for making whimsical backyard floral tents, these flowers also happen to work well inside a home.
According to Hannah, nothing beats the smell of an intensely scented sweet pea. 'I love to fill the house with bunches of sweet peas throughout the summer,' she notes. 'I add them to my desk, bathroom, coffee table, and entrance hall and always have a huge jug of them in the house.' Hannah even claims that they are better than any artificial room spray or candle. 'They are a cut and come again flower so if you grow them in the garden the more you pick, the more they grow,' she says.
Appearing to be a favorite among florists, Meredith also suggests adding sweet peas to your cut flower garden. 'Sweet Peas are one of the most nostalgic and heavenly-scented cut flowers available,' she says. 'If you want to ensure the most abundant scent, it's important to the cut stems when all but the top blossom have fully opened.'
6. Hyacinth
Hyacinths are a popular cut flower that commonly decorate homes around the warmer spring months. Adena tells us that these make a popular indoor flower as they can grow in pots and are known for their intense and rich floral scents. 'They grow from bulbous bases and produce dense spikes of star-shaped flowers in vibrant shades of blue, pink, red, white, and yellow,' she explains.'Hyacinth is not only known for their flowers but also their glossy, sword-shaped, striking green leaves that add to the visual appeal of the plant.' You can pair varying shades of these blooms with their leaves to make elegant home bouquets.
Cut flowers can be an indulgence if you don't grow your own but they're a great pick-me-up and their lovely scents can elevate any living space. We suggest calling on your inner florist and getting creative with your floral arrangements this season. Instead of introducing artificial floral scents to your home, why not go for the real thing? Trust us, there's nothing like it.
