Peace lilies grow beautiful, glossy oval-shaped leaves. The leaves themselves have little to no scent. However, periodically peace lilies bloom, and these blooms have a light, sweet fragrance.
Besides this light, sweet scent, peace lilies can also help your home aroma due to their air purifying qualities.
Finally, if your peace lily smells terrible, it is a sign something is wrong with the plant, and you should take action.
Read on to learn more about peace lilies and their aroma!
Do Peace Lilies Have A Scent?
Whether a plant has a scent is personal to you, as you may have a powerful sense of smell or a very weak one. It makes sense then that if you ask around, it will vary whether people feel that peace lilies have a scent. This is especially true since it is not really a strong scent.
The peace lily leaves are not considered to have a scent. However, if you treat your plant right, it will bloom, and these spathes have a mild fragrance. The scent is most potent when the bloom is fresh and then dissipates.
If you want to describe the aroma, it is light and a little sweet!
Some Varieties Might Be More Fragrant Than Others
One thing to remember is that peace lilies come in many varieties. Some might be more fragrant than others.
In general, hybrid or variegated varieties tend to be more fragrant. For example, you will find descriptions of a relatively strong aroma from the Domino Peace Lily.
You would also expect larger peace lily species to have a more pungent scent than the smaller, dwarf varieties. Although none of these are hard-set rules and you can expect some variation.
How Peace Lilies Can Help Your Home Fragrance
If you want your home to have a pleasant aroma, you want not only fragrant flowers but also clean air. Pollutants and toxins tend to have an unpleasant smell, so removing them will not only be healthier for you and your family it will also improve your home fragrance.
Peace lilies are excellent air-purifying plants. In several studies – including a famous one by NASA – they have been found to remove benzene, formaldehyde, and other volatile organic pollutants.
Benzene is one of the elementary petrochemicals, and the smell around gas stations is largely due to this chemical compound. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my home smelling like a gas station.
That’s why top-rated air-purifying plants – such as the peace lily – are a great choice to improve your home fragrance.
Why Does My Peace Lily Smell Bad?
If your peace lily produces an unpleasant, rotten smell, it is a surefire sign something is wrong. The problem might be under or above the soil.
Most likely, the problem is underground. The roots and/or organic matter in the soil are rotting! You can remove the pot and inspect the roots. If they look mushy and unhealthy, your plant has root rot.
To fix it, follow our guide here. In short, you need to remove the damaged roots, keep the healthy ones, and then do a thorough repot.
If the problem is above the soil, it could be that too much direct sunlight has scorched the leaves, and they are now rotting. It could also be that you accidentally exposed the plant to freezing temperatures and the plant got frosted. This can also cause the foliage to decay and produce an unpleasant odor.
The fix is then to prune the affected leaves. Afterward, remember to keep the plant out of direct sunlight and at comfortable temperatures.
Final Words
While peace lily leaves don’t really have a scent, peace lilies do produce a light, sweet scent when they bloom.
Peace lilies also remove pollutants – such as benzene – from the air, which will help your home fragrance.
If your plant is starting to smell bad, it is a sign something is wrong, and you need to change your peace lily care routine.