The Fragrant Garden
Scent is so important in the garden.
Scent helps us connect with the garden on both an emotional and physical level.
Plants often evoke memories, and scent is a significant trigger for these memories.
For example, I remember my grandad growing sweetpeas (lathyrus odoratus) up an arch, so when I got my first garden, the first thing I did was grow sweetpeas up my arbour, bringing in a lovely sensory experience and the benefit of lots of cut flowers for the house too.
Fragrance is personal
What we like differs from person to person.
For example, one of my favourite scented plants is Salvia ‘Nachtvilinder’, but a colleague I worked with hated it.
I don’t like the smell of honey, so Saracocca confusa is not my favourite winter-scented shrub!
Give me a Daphne any time.
Daphne ‘Jacqueline Postill’
Wake up and smell the roses
We all know this common saying that encourages us to appreciate the beauty and simple pleasures in life.
Roses are one of the most infamous plants for scents, but not all modern roses are scented, so do your research when choosing a rose.
Visit a garden centre when they are in flower, so you can smell them and see the blooms. Don’t forget to check out the label too, so you know what type of rose you are buying and what their eventual size will become.
For example, ramblers can be huge; they are designed to grow up a tree, so take care when choosing to get the right rose for the right place.
You can always postpone the purchase until winter and buy a bare-root rose.
Winter is a good time to plant roses, and bare-root plants are often cheaper than a potted rose.
This Specialist Rose Grower (external link) contains great information describing the different scents.
Roses have three scent categories:
- Old Rose
- Tea
- Musk
Enjoy researching your favourite scent.
The saying “Wake up and smell the roses” is a reminder to take notice of the world around us, so when you are pottering in your garden, you may notice the scent is not all about flowers.
You get some fabulous fragrant foliage, like the hard-working geranium macrorrhizum which makes a good ground cover plant, or the summer-flowering agastache blackadder with its tall blue spikes.
The leaves have a lovely fragrance with a purple underside.
Salvias have to be one of my favourites for scent, just brushing the foliage when weeding makes the task a joy as you get beautiful wafts of scent to reward your hard work.
Scent for all seasons
A well-designed planting scheme will have seasonal interest in shape, form and colour and should plan for scent for all the seasons.
Winter
Saracocca confusa – often called Christmas box, Daphne odorata or Osmanthus delvayi are really good shrubs for scent, even Galanthus nivalus (snow drops) have a gentle scent you can enjoy, if you can get down close to enjoy it.
Spring
Narcissus(daffodils) many have lovely scent e.g. ‘Artic bells’.
Hyacinth or Convallaria majalis(Lily of the valley) are good choices and Phlox ‘Clouds of Perfume’ – well the name says it all.
Late spring and early summer the garden really starts to take off and there are lots of scented plants to choose from and this is when Paeonies really come into their own.
Paeonies are like Roses, you need to choose the cultivar carefully, as not all Paeonies have a gorgeous scent.
A few favourites for scent are: Paeonia lactiflora ‘Duchess De Nemours’ or Paeonia ‘Bowl of Beauty’
Narcissus bulbocodium ‘Artic Bells’
Summer
The list of scented flowers in summer is just too long for this simple blog.
Of course you have all your old favourites like Phlox, Lavenders, Roses and Philadelphus.
Or you could try something different like Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Chocamocha’ (Chocolate Cosmos) and yes, it does smell of chocolate.
Chocolate Cosmos
Autumn
Actaea not only has great foliage and pretty flowers, but it also has a lovely, gentle scent. Calamintha nepeta is loved by butterflies and bees and will flower from late summer into the autumn, again one to brush past and enjoy the smell.
Scents for different types of plants:
So many to choose from, but these are a good place to start:
- Climbers Lonicera(honeysuckles), Roses, Lathyrus odorata(Sweet peas), Wisteria sinensis
- Shrubs Philadelphus, Osmanthus, Daphne, Roses, Sambucus nigra
- Herbs Lavender, Thyme, Rosemary, lemon balm
- Perennials Phlox, Viola, Nepeta, Salvia
- Bulbs Narcissus, Hyacinthoides non-scripta(native bluebell), Convallaria majalis(Lily of the valley),
Hyacinthoides non-scripta(native bluebell)
Always check the plant label and description before buying plants to make sure it suits your garden, and better still, smell them to make sure you choose a scent you love.
Top ten picks for scent
Saliva ‘Nachtvilinder’
This is Anna’s personal top ten:
- Salvia ‘Nachtvilinder’
- Daphne ‘Jacquiline Postill’
- Nepeta calamintha
- Paoenia ‘Bowl of Beauty’
- Rosa Rugosa
- Lathyrus odoreta
- Lavender ‘Hidcote’
- Phlox ‘Clouds of Perfume’
- Osmanthus x burkwoodii
- Sambucus nigra
I hope I have inspired you to make a smelly garden that will give you pleasure and memories for years to come.
