If you are interested in producing your own homegrown incense, right in your backyard, then there are two particular plants that are absolutely ideal. The first is sweetgrass, or Hierochloe odorata. Sweetgrass primarily grows in Canada, however, you can also find it sprouting up in northern Europe. Sweetgrass possesses a vanilla-like scent, and is commonly used for making dried braids in addition to incense. The other plant that is very suitable for growing your own incense is white sage (Salvia apiana), which is also known as "bee sage" or "sacred sage". White sage thrives mainly in a small portion of southern California on the coast and also in northwestern Mexico.

White sage is used as a purification incense. It was used by Native Americans in a process called smudging, where the smoke from the burnt white sage leaves is spread about the body with a bird feather or wing. In addition, white sage also possesses medicinal value (clearing the sinuses, stomach tonic, etc.) and typically the leaves are burned in order to produce the incense through the use of bundled leaves called smudge sticks.

The nice thing about both these herbs, is that they can be conveniently and efficiently grown in your own backyard with a little specialized care. The first thing to do is to must make sure that the soil is continually replenished with nutritional elements that these plants need, like phosphorous, nitrogen, and calcium. This is important because each time that you harvest the leaves of your plants, minerals are removed that are not effectively replenished solely by chemical fertilizers. Rather, an all-natural fertilizer such as bone meal or blood meal is appropriate in order to replace a wide variety of soil nutrients that sweetgrass and white sage require, without affecting soil microbes that facilitate plant growth.

Sweetgrass stands (areas in which sweetgrass grows) are mostly created through the use of root plugs, because a large amount of sweetgrass seeds are incapable of reproduction. These root plugs should be grown in plastic pots that are not too deep or narrow and then, after being kept in a shady area and filling out the pot, they can be transferred to your garden. Make sure that the soil is rich in nutrients, especially trace elements and also that it is moist and not full of clay or poorly drained. It is also important that your sweetgrass plants have access to plenty of sunlight, and are fertilized at least twice during the growing season with a natural fertilizer.

As for white sage, it can also be initially planted in pots and then transferred. Starting with the seed is possible, however, white sage seed is difficult to grow unless in sandy soil with plenty of water daily. White sage is not as resistant to cold weather as sweetgrass, and so outside of its natural habitat it needs to be brought inside for the winter in pots or used as an annual instead of a perennial. White sage also needs excellent drainage, as it won't stand much excess water. All things considered, using an all-natural fertilizer is the best way to ensure that your sweetgrass and white sage will grow effectively outside of their natural growing areas. If you follow the guidelines for planting these herbs and avoid using chemical fertilizers that can easily burn the plants, then you'll have your own supply of incense right in your backyard!