GBBD: Scent


I've been working a bit harder to ensure there's plenty of scent in my garden this year and the pictured Freesia is part of the result. In the spring I added a few mixed bulbs to one of the large pots by the kitchen patio door and their heady scent has greeted my entrance to the garden for the past few weeks.

Freesias formed part of my childhood as they were the bouquet of choice when buying flowers for anyone in my family. They're powerfully scented, so were considered to have double the value. The bulbs are quite tender, so I'll be lifting them in a few weeks time to store them over winter and see whether I can bring them to life again next year.

Other scented plants around my kitchen door are lavender, vanilla-scented perennial Nemesia 'Wisley Vanilla' plus various herbs. Their smells don't seem to clash and I've been enjoying them whenever I've had a break for coffee in the garden.


I'm also working on creating a better entrance to the back garden. There's a pergola there which was draped with a Rosa 'Zéphirine Drouhin' until a couple of weeks ago. It's scent is beautiful and as it's a thornless rose, it seemed ideal for the job when I bought it. However, it has suffered dreadfully from blackspot and consequently only produces about 5 blooms per year.

The rose is no more and I'm in the process of adding a Trachelospermum jasminoides in its place. The pergola's trellis had to be replaced first and I'm looking forward to putting this plant into its new home. It's already scenting the holding area in the side garden, so I'm sure this is going to be a vast improvement on my tired old rose.

What have you done to add scent to your garden?

Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Garden.

Comments

  1. Sarah Shoesmith15 August 2014 at 09:36

    It's a pity the rose wasn't happy as it's such a fab colour, but Trachelospermum jasminoides is a fine addition. I have clad our courtyard garden with summer-flowering jasmine this year and I am enjoying its scent immensely. I only hope that the walls will protect it from the worst of winter. I wouldn't want my garden to be without the scent of lavender, Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume', or Agastache.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous15 August 2014 at 11:22

    I have pots of Wisley Vanilla in pots by every door. Probably bought at the same time as yours :-) it's so fragrant and long lasting and combines beautifully with Viola Bowles Black. Honeysuckle too for scent, roses and chocolate cosmos. The trachelospermum looks like a good choice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pauline15 August 2014 at 18:38

    Trachelospermum jasminoides is one of my favourite perfumes, along with honeysuckle at this time of year. I like to have some thing with a beautiful perfume each month of the year, I'm still looking for something for Oct. Nov and December!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Donna15 August 2014 at 23:12

    I also love scent in the garden. Right now my clethra bush is blooming and sending us all head over heels with its scent including the pollinators.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Margaret16 August 2014 at 10:53

    I have a seating area where I try to grow scented plants. There is lavender at the back of the bench a Philadelphus nearby and pots with herbs and scented geraniums around the bench.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hoehoegrow16 August 2014 at 13:33

    What a shame we haven't got smell-o-vision as those scented plant choices are all cracking ones ! I have propagated lots of honeysuckle and have it growing on lots of posts/ fences etc so that we can get a whiff as we pass by. I rely heavily on roses for scent and find that 'Jude the Obscure' is the best of the English roses, and is just gorgeous. oddly enough Wollerton Old hall is sposed to have a strong scent but I can nearly detect it (I have got a rubbish sense of smell though).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Caro17 August 2014 at 11:05

    Lemon verbena! I have a pot of it on my balcony so I'm in smell-heaven every time I open my 'back door'. It's quite tall this year so I can see from my desk on windy days and it smells just g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. Downstairs in the garden lots of herbs line the path so walking through the veg patch smells of lavender, thyme, marjoram, rosemary; we have roses and honeysuckle growing elsewhere in the garden and then along the driveway (the access road from top to bottom of the flats), I get whiffs of jasmine and honeysuckle from neighbouring shrubs. Not bad for the city!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Casa Mariposa23 August 2014 at 04:03

    I'm always looking for ways to add scent to the garden. I'm convinced 20 years of chronic sinus infections has destroyed some of my ability to smell. I have lavender and many herbs, as well as honeysuckle and roses. But I'm always on the look out for any plant that smells as good as it looks. :o) I'm going to see if your nemesia is available in the States. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hannah29 August 2014 at 18:35

    Interesting post on fragrance. My longest-season wafter is Dapne 'Summer Ice', which keeps blooming all summer and up to frost. Another one that lasts quite a while in fall is the large shrub Elaeagnus ebbingei, both the silver form and the variegated form. It wafts a long distance when blooming. Zephirine Drouhin is my favorite rose for early, late, and constant rebloom. It must be suited for my climate. I don't notice the fragrance wafting on it though. I think Sarcococca is supposed to waft but haven't really noticed it.

    ReplyDelete

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