The scented garden
During my decade tenure as a professional gardener I would occasionally feel the need to scream into the void at decisions made by my beloved clients. The location of scented blooms was often the reason why.
The concept is simple; a scented plant should be placed in the location you are most likely to smell it.
In autumn and early spring we normally only walk past our front garden on a daily basis; therefore all early spring and autumn scented blooms need to be exactly there, pride of place in the front garden. There is absolutely no point in lovingly tending to a scented climber that your nose will rarely get a whiff at because you don’ t visit that section of the garden during the season it is flowering.
Most of us in West Hill have teeny tiny front gardens, one or two steps deep but it is worth strolling around to nose around to see what beauties your neighbours have shoe horned into them.
With this lack of space in mind I can recommend jasmine draped over your front door and lily of the valley hugging the edges of your front garden path; both flower when the rest of the garden is looking a bit dull and the waft when you come home from a hard day’ s work is a real tonic. If you are looking for a season spanning long flowering scent explosion go for wallflowers; these plants have been seriously unfashionable for nearly four decades but are now returning to their rightful place high on the shopping list of many West Hill residents. Nothing beats a constitutional around the hill on a mild evening being accosted by their alluring scent; plant once and they will return year after year ensuring your get plenty of bang for your buck.
Moving on to our private back gardens, they need fragrance as well, but not in the chilly months. Consider where you sit to get the last of summer evening sun. We all know the spot that induces us to quaff another glass of chilled wine and soak up the last of the sun’ s rays- this is the very spot you need to pop a white flowered scented summer flowering plant. White flowers rely on perfume, not colour, to attract the pollinators and they release this perfume mostly in the early evening when the sun is setting because this chimes in with the peak rush hour of small buzzy insects, commonly known to white flowered plants as pollinators.
Examples of such powerful perfumers to accompany your post work slump in a summer garden are luxurious lilacs and the deliciously dinky nicotiana.
Another plant to consider for this summer evening spot is the bomb site favourite, buddleja. It is known as the butterfly bush for good reason, it really does attract them and nothing is quite so relaxing as watching these glorious creatures flutter from one flower to the next. Also, it grows anywhere, and thrives on neglect. Black Knight is one I always recommend for it’ s attractive dark purple blooms and provocative scent; cut it back to two buds in March to keep it in check size wise and plenty of blooms at a lower level will be your reward. Never be scared to house a large plant in your relatively small garden, I most remember to talk about this in my next column.
Just one more thing before I sign off. Please, please, please promise me faithfully that you will plant your scented plants where you will smell them.
Nancy Kirk
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