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Spring is in the air, and with it come many fresh and beautiful scents. If you can’t be outdoors as often as you would like or if allergies get in the way of enjoying the clean fragrance notes, you can bring the season’s scents indoors.
Candles are a household staple, and they’re able to capture many extraordinary spring aromas. With such a wide selection of spring-inspired candles available, you may need some help finding your perfect seasonal scent. Whether you make or buy your candles, here are 20 of our favorite candle scents that help you feel like you’re outdoors in the garden.
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1. Tuberose Flowers
Tuberose flowers have a sweet and subtle aroma, a beautiful yet nuanced mix of florals, orange, and honey. This combination of smells awakens the urge to dive into spring cleaning so your house will look as fresh as it smells. We like the Diptyque Tubereuse Candle, which is made from a proprietary soy blend and burns for up to 60 hours.
2. Notes of Pear
The crisp, clean scent that embodies spring is usually a mixture of several fragrances. Bring that magical brew into your home with the REPLICA Springtime in a Park candle, a floral-scented paraffin candle with notes of pear, lily of the valley, and musk. When you light the candle, close your eyes and let the smell transport you to a warm and sunny park after a long winter.
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3. Botanical Gardens
Few things evoke spring quite like the smell of a botanical garden just as the flowers are coming into bloom. Why settle for the scent of just one type of flower when you can have an aromatic bouquet in a single candle? The Aromatique Smell of Spring Candle, with notes of hyacinth, jasmine, and rose along with a light touch of lily of the valley, captures the romance and aromas of a garden in springtime.
4. Honeysuckle
The bright yellow burst of honeysuckle flowers signals the return of spring. There are several types of honeysuckle native to the United States, and candles with this scent can help make any home seem more springlike. The smell of honeysuckle is sweet and subtle, like vanilla-infused jasmine. We like the WoodWick Honeysuckle Candle, enhanced with notes of jasmine for a richer scent. The innovative wick creates a pleasant crackling sound and a flame that burns for approximately 60 hours.
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5. Lilacs
The fresh smell of lilacs is ubiquitous in spring. Even when the bushes are well out of sight, you may still be able to catch their aroma on the breeze. Replicate the floral notes of lilac indoors with the Bath & Body Works Fresh Cut Lilacs Candle. This blend combines the clean scents of lilacs, greenery, and spring air for a soft floral fragrance that is not overwhelming.
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6. Art in the Park
Come springtime, outdoor markets, festivals, and artist events start popping up. No matter what other aromas come with these occasions (food trucks, art supplies, and the like), there is often a lovely bouquet in the background. Yankee Candles Art in the Park Candle is a soy-wax blend with scent notes of green apple, violet, waterlily, jasmine, rose, and ylang-ylang, a combination of aromas reminiscent of strolling through a fun spring festival.
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7. Daisies
A field of daisies reaching for the spring sunlight is a bright, cheerful image that epitomizes the season. Bring the smell of these flowers into your home and enjoy a natural, singular scent that is neither overpowering nor overly complex. The Mrs. Meyer’s Daisy Tin Candle is made from plant-derived soy wax and smells like a charming bouquet of fresh-cut daisies.
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8. An Intersection of Fruit and Floral
Springtime radiates many fragrant notes, from sweet to botanical, and if you like both, who says you have to choose one over the other? In fact, one of the best things about spring scents is how well they complement each other.
If you want to enjoy a larger spectrum of outdoor scents, Prince and Princess, a duo of candles from Regal Home Fragrance, are made of vegan soy wax, have wooded wicks, and are in unmarked, reusable vessels. The Prince candle smells like a field of wild berries, with notes of blackberry, apple, tangerine, fig, raspberry, lavender, and jasmine. The Princess candle provides a floral counterpoint with notes of jasmine, pear, green leaves, lilac, peony, violet, and tulip. The candles can be burned separately or together for a distinct scent.
9. Cucumber Mint
In certain areas, springtime signals the start of patio season and the consumption of crisp and cool drinks. Instead of making a pitcher of herb-infused cucumber water or cocktails, capture the light and refreshing scent of the ingredients in candle form. The DW Home Cucumber Mint Mojito gives off notes of cucumber, lemon basil, juniper, and mint. This stimulating combination is the perfect preparation for the renewal of spring.
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10. Wildflowers
Native flowers have an unrestrained beauty, especially ones that grow wild. Mother Nature is a florist in her own right, as she comes up with magical pairings for wildflowers. For a candle to mimic the integration of these scents, it must include the right balance of each floral note. The Wildflowers Candle by Homesick does just that. It’s a soy candle that combines the fragrance notes of jasmine, lavender, geranium, peony, and rose for a lovely bouquet that produces a delightful indoor scent.
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11. Fresh Cut Grass
When you consider the smells of springtime in the garden, cut grass has to be one of the top fragrances. Though the natural scent of cut grass boasts a simple beauty, you often have to tolerate a loud lawn mower to achieve the smell. A grass-scented option like the Fresh Cut Grass Candle from Gorilla Candles gives you all the olfactory pleasure without the noise or labor.
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12. Lavender
When the spring lavender awakens, the herb’s scent is a must for any kitchen. While lavender by itself is charming and timeless, the right fragrance additions offer a deeper scent profile and added freshness to your home. We like the Stonewall Kitchen French Lavender paraffin candle that includes scent notes of citrus, lavender, rosemary, sage, amber, and iris, which add brightness to the calming and understated scent of lavender.
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13. Rain and Moss
As they say, April showers bring May flowers, but those gentle rains also blanket the outdoors with a clean, distinctive scent after a downpour. Though it can be challenging to pinpoint the smell of the rain itself, it carries an earthy freshness that you cannot deny. Enjoy the scent of rainfall in your home without the precipitation by choosing a rain-scented candle, such as the Rain soy candle from BreatheInTheLight at Etsy, which smells like fresh rain and moss.
14. A Hike After a Rainfall
On its own, rain doesn’t smell like anything, but its moisture awakens the scent of the garden and surrounding flora. The smell of rain is really the effect that rain has on the landscape. It leaves a crisp and clean scent that makes you think of hiking trails at the beginning of the season. Combine that earthy scent with other spring aromas, and you have a fragrance that you will want all over the home. One of the best options that blends rain with other scents is the Tuscany Spring Rain Candle, with fragrance notes of ozonic florals, sandalwood, and amber.
15. Clean Laundry on a Clothesline
Though most have turned to washing machines and dryers for laundry, hanging a clothesline in the sunshine is still a great way to save energy. Whether or not you leave your clothes to dry in the sunlight, you can still imagine the smell of clean clothes on a line—fresh linens combined with subtle earthy hints.
If you want inspiration to start spring cleaning, the Bridgewater Candle Laundry Line is a soy wax candle that smells like fresh, clean laundry with hints of ozone, lily of the valley, musk, and soft woods.
16. Lemon and Mint
Lemon is a great natural cleaner, so it’s no wonder this citrus fruit makes people think of freshness and cleanliness. Combine lemon with energizing mint, and you get a fragrance that’s a perfect pairing of sunny backyard favorites.
Bring this clean, bright scent indoors with the Bath & Body Works Fresh Amalfi Lemon Candle. It uses fragrance notes of lemon leaves, spearmint, and cedarwood citrus to create the essence of springtime in wax form.
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17. Grapefruit
Grapefruit can be a polarizing scent and flavor; people tend to either love or hate it. Tangy and refreshing, grapefruit pairs very well with many springtime fragrances, such as other citrus fruits or florals.
An excellent example of a bright grapefruit blend, Mia’s Co No. 6 Grapefruit soy candle leads with orange, mandarin, and lemon fragrances, followed by grapefruit tinged with peach, vanilla, and red currant.
18. Fruit Salad at a Picnic
Springtime marks the kickoff of picnic season, and what is a picnic without a fruit salad? Capture the aroma of this tasty side dish with a candle that features scents of melons, berries, stone, and citrus fruit.
One fruity option we enjoy is the Colonial Candle Twisted Lime soy-based candle. Its fragrance notes of citrus, lemon, and melon add both sweetness and freshness to a home.
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19. Lavender and Citrus
Once backyards are well out of winter dormancy and the seasonal fruits and flowers begin to grow, gardens can achieve a compelling bouquet. The intersection of certain florals and fruits—particularly lavender and citrus—creates a scent profile that can mimic a beautiful garden.
If you live in a region that doesn’t have citrus trees, a candle is a great way to replicate these springtime aromas. The Milkhouse Citrus & Lavender soy-and-beeswax-blend candle smells of lavender and citrus with a touch of geranium, fruit, musk, and orange blossom to create a tart but fresh fragrance.
20. Lemonade at an Outdoor Market
In spring and summer, when lemon trees flower and begin bearing fruit, you may start seeing more lemonade stands or lemon-flavored baked goods at outdoor markets. Candles do a wonderful job of mimicking that tangy scent. For those who like a sweeter lemon fragrance in their home, look for a lemon-scented candle with added notes of vanilla, honey, or something similar.
One of our favorites is the Ardent Flame Lemon Sugar Cookie candle, made of soy wax. Its fragrance notes of lemon zest, vanilla, and sweet sugar will make your home smell like delicious spring refreshments.