Rose Geranium

Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is a scented-leaf pelargonium grown not for showy blooms but for its deeply rose-fragrant, deeply lobed leaves — a favorite for flavoring sugar, baked goods, and homemade rose water without needing actual roses. It's a tender perennial usually grown as an annual or houseplant outside mild climates.

Growing Rose Geranium

Rose geranium is only hardy in frost-free climates, so gardeners elsewhere typically grow it in a pot that can overwinter indoors on a sunny windowsill. It prefers well-drained soil and doesn't like to sit wet, much like other pelargoniums, and its fragrant leaves release scent readily just from being brushed against while watering or tending nearby plants.

Culinary Uses

A rose geranium leaf tucked into a jar of sugar infuses it with rose fragrance over a week or two, and leaves layered into cake pans are a traditional way to scent a pound cake as it bakes. The leaves themselves are typically removed before eating rather than consumed directly, since their flavor is intensely concentrated.