Fragrant blooms welcome

Sweet peas are surely high on any list for fragrance, the best of which comes from annual types. We have young plants of the Spencer strain standing in first pots and their growing tips have been pinched out to promote stronger, lower growth.

At the end of this month, they’ll be planted in two rows, 30cm apart, with 15cm between plants and trained up canes.

Meanwhile, a clump of hardy perennial sweet peas is sending up new shoots. These cling on to a nearby Viburnum x bodnantense. The flowers are smaller than those of annual types and the scent is not as strong, but we regard them as heritage, petite, and beautiful.

Roses with colour, form and fragrance are always welcome in a garden. The problem is that so many match these criteria and space is often limited.

So, browse a top catalogue such as David Austin’s (davidaustinroses.co.uk) and see which appeal most. There you will find information relating to the range of fragrances their cultivars cover e.g. myrrh, musk, fruits, tea.

Fragrant leaves also play a big part in our summer enjoyment.

At strategic access points throughout the garden there’s a plant we can safely run a hand through and imbibe the scent.

Rosemary stands at a corner of a pathway. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) is a favourite but it’s not fully hardy so we take softwood stem cuttings annually.

Sweetbriar (Rosa rubiginosa) is another, whose rubbed leaves smell of ripe apples, and a nearby group of borage, with leaves that have a cucumber fragrance, self-sows annually.

The raised herb beds are a hub of fragrance with thyme, lemon balm, chives, various mints, tarragon, Russian sage and more. Consider fragrance when planning you garden and you’ll never be disappointed.