There is a huge variety of scented garden plants, so in many ways there can be no problem in achieving some sort of perfumed garden. However, the real trick is in succession planting - the choosing of garden plants which can contribute a pleasant scent throughout the year.
Spring can be a difficult time of year for scent, as many of the large scented garden plants like climbers and shrubs flower in mid to late summer. Good choices for spring garden plants with perfume are bulbs, the mainstay of the spring garden. Hyacinths and the Jonquil type Narcissus are lovely scented garden plants. Muscari, the Grape Hyacinth, is a beautiful plant with (usually) blue poker-like flowers. They naturalize well but be careful of the more common Muscari Armeniacum which can sometimes be over-vigorous in some situations.
Shrubs such as Osmanthus Delavayi have powerfully and beautifully scented white flowers in mid to late spring. Some spring-flowering Viburnums and the exquisitely perfumed Daphnes should also take pride of place in the list of scented garden plants.
Taking over in summer are the more "seriously" scented garden plants- the famous climber Jasmine Officinale, which can clothe a large wall with white scented blooms, although it needs a south-facing sheltered site. Some people find the smell of Jasmine too powerful and cloying. The shrub Philadelphus or Mock Orange has white flowers too, and emits a strong scent of orange blossom in early summer. The summer season is in many ways the easiest for scented garden plants. A walled garden is ideal for these climbers, shrubs, annuals and perennials as scented garden plants often require heat to emit their scent. A courtyard garden creates a wind-free microclimate in which perfume can really fill the air.
In autumn scented garden plants become more difficult to find; a lot of the more colorful late-bloomers like cannas, dahlias and rudbeckias tend to lack scent. However, climbers such as Clematis Rehderiana with its nodding cream-colored bell-like flowers come to the rescue, along with the shrub Eleagnus x ebbingei, which is deliciously and powerfully scented, fast-growing and tolerates shade (although it may flower more freely in sun). It is interesting to note that many scented garden plants have small, white and sometimes insignificant looking flowers. They attract their pollinators by scent, so they do not need to be as visually stunning as garden plants which rely on bright colors and showy stamens to attract pollinators. This is especially true of autumn scented garden plants.
As we tend not to sit out in the garden in the winter, for many of us, scented garden plants become less important. This year I have so much enjoyed the scent of a Witch Hazel, Hamamelis Mollis, which is sited near to my back door as I go out to feed the birds. It is cheerful and prolifically bears yellow frilly flowers on bare stems throughout the winter months. Similarly I have fallen rather in love with Scarcococca, or Christmas Box, a small evergreen shrub with small white flowers through January and February powerfully scented with honey. They prefer a shady spot so do not need to be planted in a spot which competes with your sun-loving summer scented garden plants.
It is possible with forward planning to achieve a beautiful and heady succession of scented garden plants, so that as one fades, another takes over. I hope you enjoy experimenting with scent in the garden in the coming year.
Dianne Davies is an active gardener who has recently moved into a house with a garden of almost half an acre, which is about twenty times the size of her previous one. She has made an extensive study of gardening and plants for a number of years and is keen to put this into practice in her new garden and to share her tips and knowledge with other enthusiastic gardeners via her blog http://gardening-notebook.blogspot.com she also runs Http://www.gardening-world.com.
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