Scents of wonder: Fragrant flowers we love to nose around

The Rose Valley of Kazanlak, Bulgaria, where some of Agnes’s favourite sweet-smelling plants are cultivated

As options for travel and social gatherings shrink rapidly there’s comfort to be had in tending a garden. While the news becomes increasingly alarming, buds are still opening and spring flowers are unfurling their petals.

It’s now that the benefits of having access to green space, or even having a view of trees from a window, can make all the difference to mental wellbeing.

I was listening to a BBC reporter in Bologna talk of her experiences living under Italy’s lock down. She counted herself lucky to live in the suburbs, with a garden and views of the Appenine hills, whereas friends were stuck in city apartments.

Meanwhile, in my garden I’m still digging out rubble and trying to resist the temptation to move on to some more enjoyable task. The pile of bricks and broken paving slabs is growing rapidly and the mud clinging to my boots is now so heavy that it slows me down when I walk.

Waiting in the wings to go into this border is a selection of shrubs that should create year-round interest including Chimonanthus praecox, better known as Winter Sweet; yellow-flowered Azalea lutea and Hydrangea Strong Annabelle, which should produce football-sized white flowers from July onwards.

This sloping, raised border curves around the patio and I’m trying to

The best way to pick your favourite plant? Step outside and close your eyes. Our gardening expert Agnes Stevenson explains... create a feeling of enclosure so that the rest of the garden is only partly visible to anyone sitting here.

Doing this will also help to trap the scent of flowers, so I’m going to add a fragrant rose and also Star Jasmine, although I’m not sure the latter will be completely happy with either the soil or the climate.

To me, scent is one of the most important elements of the garden. My own sense of smell is so poor – a result of a lifetime of allergies to everything from cats to dust. Now I’m obsessed with perfumed flowers and shrubs and spend much of my time tracking down fragrant species. I wouldn’t plant a rose, however beautiful, if the smell didn’t knock your socks off and I’ll put up with anything scrubby and insignificant in appearance if it wafts fragrance around the garden.

However, there are smells that divide gardeners. Some are put off by the pungent foliage of box and can’t stand the foxy scent of Crown imperial fritillaries. I don’t mind either, but there are better fragrances out there, such as Pelargonium Attar of Roses.

Crush a leaf and I’m transported to the Rose Valley in Bulgaria, where flowers for the great perfume houses are grown. And yes, the pale pink flowers of this pelargonium are lovely but it’s the scent that makes this one of my favourite plants.

Garden of the week

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