June gardening notes: The power of scent

At any time of year there are many scents in the garden that will tantalise the senses. No doubt we all have memories of flowers from years ago which bring back happy memories and moments in our lives. I suggest planting plenty of scented shrubs and plants near your front door so that you will have the excitement every few months of a new aroma – often when you are least expecting it. During the summer, there is little that can surpass the wonderful and often overpowering scent of roses, especially if they are planted en masse or clambering over an archway. Nearby Polesden Lacey and the RHS gardens at Wisley have excellent rose borders which will amaze and delight. If you grow them, remember to keep dead-heading and cut the best samples to enjoy in bud vases in the home. If you have space to grow them up a frame, sweet peas are one of everyone’s favourite, again best enjoyed indoors for their delicate aroma. Feed well and keep cutting and they can continue producing blooms well into August. Lily of the Valley will grow well in dense shade, where often the choice of suitable plants can be limited. If they are happy, over the years they will spread to make a carpet of pure white sweetly-scented bell-shaped flowers. For a heavy scent, stocks will delight, coupled with their pastel shades of pink, cream, and mauve. Spring hyacinths have an equally powerful aroma which will fill a room. As for cut flowers, carnations, freesia and chrysanthemums are all traditional favourites. For winter and early spring scent, sarcococca, daphne and skimmia all have a wonderful aroma which can lift the spirits in the cooler months. This is just a taster, there are so many more: jasmine, lilies, citrus, deciduous azaleas and lilacs to name a few.

David Hogg Buckland Nurseries