Fragrant beauties, scent from Heaven
Perfumed plants add a dizzying extra dimension to gardens – and there are scores to choose from
AS I WRITE this, I’ve just returned from an early morning walk. Along the way I was ambushed by the rich, exotic scent of jasmine coming from a nearby garden. As the flowers were tumbling over their wall, I got up close and personal, shut my eyes and took a deep breath. The fragrance was so intoxicating that I had a second hit.
Of all scented flowers that deliver the goods in summer, those belonging to Jasminum polyanthum are probably my favourite. One whiff and I’m teleported back to a time when I maintained a horticultural college’s glasshouses, where a magnificent specimen perfumed the air of an old Victorian greenhouse.
Their ability to trigger memories is a good reason why it’s worth finding space for scented plants in your summer garden, but it’s not the only one. A gorgeous bouquet drifting on a warm breeze makes our gardens more pleasurable – and they act like a natural air freshener, eliminating less desirable smells.
More importantly, scent can be good for our mental health and wellbeing, something we all need to look after during lockdown limbo. Lavender, jasmine, common valerian and other plants are famous for their relaxing and calming qualities, which some find helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
In nature, plants have developed strongly scented flowers as a way of enticing insects, which will help to ensure successful pollination. An unexpected bonus for garden owners is that many plants with fragrant blooms will turn our plots into wildlife sanctuaries, attracting bees, butterflies and other beneficial creatures.
We may be on the cusp of summer but there’s still time to give your space an olfactory lift by snapping up plants in bud or later-flowering ones. There are scores of roses, shrubs, perennials, bedding plants and climbers to consider – some are stronger in the evening, making it a delight to spend time outside after dark.
For many, roses are the ultimate scented stars of summer. There are countless bush, shrub and patio roses that make themselves noticed, along with climbers and ramblers. In terms of providing great value for money, nothing beats repeat-flowering types, rather than those that deliver a single payload in June. Among the best roses are ‘Arthur Bell’, a repeat-flowering floribunda with yellow flowers, and tall shrub rose ‘Great Maiden’s Blush’, whose soft pink, double flowers have a rich perfume. Launched in 1986, ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ is a climber with large, cup-shaped pink flowers with petals arranged in a spiral pattern.
Mention scented shrubs and many will think of viburnums, philadelphus, lilacs and others that turn noses in winter and spring. However, there are plenty that bear perfumed flowers during the warmer months of the year, such as choisya, abelia and buddleias, whose tapering heads have a distinctive honey-like fragrance.
Best of all are lavenders. There are hundreds of varieties with perfumed flowers and aromatic leaves that are ideal for planting in sunny spots or for raising in pots. ‘Phenomenal’ is a cracking new variety from the US which is so strongly scented that it’s being grown for the perfume industry.
If you’re looking for scented perennials, there are countless types of dianthus, lilies and Phlox paniculata that will pep up beds and borders. It’s even possible to delight the senses when kicking back on patios by filling containers with sweet-smelling varieties of petunia, begonia and nemesia.
Transform walls, fences and upright ornamental structures, such as pergolas, arches and arbours with scented climbers. Honeysuckles, common jasmine (Jasminum officinale), white passion flower (Passiflora caerulea ‘Constance Eliott’) and Clematis x triternata ‘Rubromarginata’ are ideal candidates.
In my garden, star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) covers an entire boundary fence. The evergreen climber produces masses of star-shaped white flowers from June until the end of August which emit a sweet, vanillalike fragrance that’s particularly noticeable in the evening.
As far as I’m concerned, it would be a travesty to consign fragrant plants to a far-flung corner of your plot. To get the maximum benefit from their flowers, place them close to eating, seating or muchused parts of the garden. Set a few close to the house, enabling scent to waft indoors when windows are open.
The jasmine smelled so intoxicating that I breathed deep for a second hit