Lavender

Lavendula angustifolia, commonly known as lavender, has a delightful scent that you can smell upon crushing the flowers. To scent rooms or bedding, crush the dried flowers just before needed to release the essential oils. Dried nosegays were used to ward off the plague, and the leaves and flowers were strewn on the floor to repell insects and mask unwanted odors in old London. The Romans evidently used lavender in their bathwater; the word is derived from the latin word "lava" to wash.