Heaven scent
Fragrant stars that will add a delicious extra dimension to your garden
IT’S a warm, sunny morning in late July and I’ve just returned from my garden, where an intoxicating perfume lingers in the air. Full-bodied, sweet and vanilla-like, with a hint of nutmeg, the fragrance is ever-present outside during the summer months and even drifts indoors when the windows are open on hot, still nights.
The plant responsible for this olfactory overload is Trachelospermum jasminoides, an evergreen climber that completely covers one of my boundary fences. It better known as star jasmine thanks to its tiny, five-petalled, starshaped white flowers that appear from June until the end of August.
A woodland dweller from East and South East Asia, its flowers are so potent that they are distilled into an essential oil that is used in the fragrance industry, in the manufacture of both perfume and incense. Aromatic Thai jasmine rice is made by boiling the grains in water infused with trachelospermum blooms.
It’s certainly the most powerfully scented summer-flowering plant in my plot, but it’s not the only one. There are tobacco plants, fragrant petunias and begonias, French lavenders and Daphne x transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’, a recent introduction that blooms on and off from late spring to early autumn.
We’re in the dog days of summer, but there’s still time to give your garden a fragrant lift. Some species flower for the entire season, while others come into their own later. Don’t be put off planting those that have finished flowering – they’ll establish over the next few months and be ready to perform next year.
As far as I’m concerned, scented plants are indispensable in summer, as we spend more time outdoors. The waft of something nice carried on a gentle breeze makes eating, drinking or relaxing in the garden more pleasurable. A strong floral scent will also help to mask more undesirable odours. An unexpected bonus is that scented flowers seem to trigger memories, reminding us of a happy time, person or place. For example, in early summer, one whiff of the flowers on my ornamental elder and I’m immediately taken back to the countryside of my youth, where our native elder was common in nearby fields and hedgerows. In nature, plants have developed strongly scented flowers as way of enticing insects, which will help to ensure their successful pollination.
As a result, many plants with perfumed blooms will turn any space into a haven for wildlife, attracting bees, butterflies, lacewings and other beneficial bugs.
Many shrubs have flowers with a knockout aroma. Mexican orange blossoms, philadelphus and hardy gardenias are all easy-going winners, while Pittosporum tobira is a lovely choice for a sheltered site. Buddleja davidii ‘Butterfly Tower’ is a compact variety with magenta plumes that smell of honey.
PERHAPS the ultimate scented stars are roses. There are countless bush, shrub and patio roses that pack a punch, along with climbers and ramblers – but choose carefully as some modern varieties are odour-free.
For value for money, go for repeat flowerers rather than those that deliver a single payload in June.
Wisterias announce the arrival of summer with their fruity swags of purple, and common jasmine (Jasminum officinale) marks the end of the season with its tiny white blooms.
In between, honeysuckles are the queen of twiners, thanks to their tubular blooms that combine fruity, honey and citrusy notes.
Make the most of these fragrant beauties by setting them close to where they can be appreciated, such as the front of beds or close to seating – there is little point relegating them to a far-flung corner where they’ll never be detected. Smaller varieties are great in pots placed next to doorways or arranged on patios.
Walls, fences and other upright structures can be given a boost with scented climbers. They are particularly good on pergolas, where they can form a tunnel over a path or else provide shade for seating.
Fix trellis or training wires against vertical supports to give stems something to cling on to while making their ascent.