Phlox
Garden Design by Colette Charsley
There are few things more beguiling, or likely to stop you in your tracks, than a perfumed garden.
A garden which appeals to the senses is often associated with the elderly or infirm, but it is equally delightful for the fit and youthful to have their noses assailed by a delicious fragrance.
The amount of perfume you want in your garden is a personal preference, but, with a little careful planning, it is possible to enjoy scented flowers and plants all year round, from the depths of winter to midsummer. As a general rule, scented flowers tend to have either white or highly colourful flowers. These are designed to catch the eye, and nose, of passing insects. White flowers stand out best at night and are usually pollinated by moths. They also tend to release most perfume at this time so are best planted where you are likely to be able to enjoy their fragrance – perhaps under a window or by a door or terrace. Scented foliage works by releasing oils as it is warmed by the sun or gently crushed as you brush past. This tends to be more concentrated during warm summer days. This is typical of many herbs such as Rosemary, Thyme, Clary Sage and Agastache (hyssop).
To achieve the most intense perfume, try and plant any sheltered areas you have; still air will hold and intensify scent better than exposed, windy spots. Also, try to plant for perfume in parts of the garden that you are more likely to walk through, either in the summer or to entice you outside during the winter.
A well thought out perfumed planting scheme can easily beguile and it is quite intriguing to let your nose lead you through your garden to a prized scented specimen.
Scented plants come in all shapes and sizes but the following are particularly delicious:
Spring
- Syringa vulgaris (lilac)
- Viburnum carlesii
- Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley)
- Viola odorata
Summer
- Trachelospermum jasminoides
- Dianthus ‘Sugar Plum’
- Phlox ‘Kirchenfuerst’
- Roses – so many to choose from, but some of the most fragrant include – Comte de Chambord, Madame Isaac Pereire, Gertrude Jekyll and Teasing Georgia.
Autumn
- Dahlia ‘Karma Choc’
- Magnolia grandiflora ‘Exmouth’
- Camellia sasanquas
- Choisya ternata (Mexican orange blossom)
Winter
- Chimonanthus fragrans (winter sweet)
- Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’
- Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ (witch-hazel)
- Sarcococca confusa (Sweet box)
First Published August 2013 By The Dart
Colette Charsley 01803 722449
