The Scented Garden

An added extra to the pleasure of your swing seat is a bafty fragrance!

Our sense of smell is very varied and of course subjective so what is right for some is not for others. 

A natural first stop has to be a rose, but what colour? A climber, hybrid tea or shrub? This will depend on what and where you have got to plant it. A deep red such as Guinee  is heavenly, and Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ is a great favourite or a shrub rose such as Blanc double to Coubert.

 Then of course a honeysuckle is a must for many ‘Graham Thomas is unsurpassed with a long flowering season and subtle colouring and sweet smells.

 A wisteria covered arbour or Sitting Spiritually Pergola is a dream but needs careful management as some cultivars are rampant! Some of the more modern ones are less energetic and easier to live with.

If clove smells tick the box for you then Dianthus ‘Mrs Sinkins’ is a must, although these are not always very long lived, but a browse through the catalogue (whetmans pinks) to choose your favourite colour will be fun.

Near to your sitting area, you may care to have some tobacco plants such as Nicotiana alata ‘Grandiflora, which are the most fragrant, especially in the evenings, however they do prefer some shade.

Lavenders are a must for todays garden, being hugely nectar rich  and with ever increasing shades from white to deepest purple, there will be one to suit your garden and do plant lots!

Fragrance can be added to the garden with foliage as well as flowers and Choisya is a shrub that is a ‘Marmite’,  it has a clean smell and orange blossom type flowers that often blooms twice in the year..

Close to the entrance to your house (especially if it is in the shade) you might choose to have a Sarcocca, these wonderful shrubs have a very discreet flower but the fragrance in Feb or March is hugely rewarding! A personal favourite that I would never be without is Lonicera purpusii, again a brave soldier who flowers in the drear months of winter. Although bring it inside and it will start to drop almost instantly! Or perhaps for some winter cheer: Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill, palest pink flowers in Feb with a fabulous knock out scent.

This is not to forget herbs, a carefully placed Rosemary beside a path, that you brush against will spread wonderful aromas reminiscent of the Mediterranean and of course there are thymes for every location.

 The choice is truly enormous, so choose so that you have something that will be fragrant throughout the year. Diversity in planting will lead to greater diversity in pollinators in your garden and of course continuous pleasure, especially if close to your favourite garden swing seat or bench!

With Many Thanks to Muff Dudgeon

Muff Dudgeon Garden Design

www.muffdudgeon.co.uk

 07432 130666 or 01404 812071

 hello@muffdudgeon.co.uk 

 If you would like to contribute a blog, please contact Siobhan at siobhan@sittingspiritually.co.uk