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Creating
Fragrance
by Joan Christie
Our
ability to detect smells is said to be 10,000
times more sensitive than that of taste, yet
it is extremely difficult to describe the fragrance
of a flower. We can say that it is sweet or
fruity or that it is like lily of the valley
or that it is pungent, but it is a very inexact
description. In any case it is important to
have in the garden as many different perfumed
plants and shrubs as we can collect.
Some
of the most strongly scented plants are winter
flowering and should be sited near the house
and paths. Viburnum farreri is richly sweet
and blooms from early to late winter. You probably
know it as Viburnum fragrans. The winter sweet,
Chenonanthus praecox is heavy and spicy and
the aroma can be detected quite a distance from
the shrub. Mahonia Charity is another must for
its fragrance as well as the lovely flowers
and attractive foliage.
 The
Daphne family blooming in late winter right
into spring has many lovely members. Daphne
odora aureomarginata are good to look at too.
The small daphne retusa is suitable for the
rock garden or a raised bed but even if you
have to get right down to ground level to savour
the aroma the effort is well worthwhile.
The
spring bulbs are generous with their fragrance.
The hyacinths, narcissus, and snowdrops all
delight us followed later in the year by lily
of the valley a real olfactory treat, and then
when summer comes we have lilies in profusion.
However
the queen of summer fragrance is the rose. Breeders
are very aware that smell adds greatly to the
appeal. No matter how lovely the colour and
the form if there is no scent it very important
ingredient is missing. Pink parfait, fragrant
cloud, Arthur Bell, Iceberg and Wendy Cussons
are among the many scented hybrid teas and floribundas
while Albertine, Ena Harkness, Compassion, Madame
Gregoire Staechelin, New Dawn and Zepherine
Drouffin are some of the fragrant climbers.
 Scent
is really appreciated in the greenhouse and
conservatory. Jasmine Hoya belies, and tender
rhododendrons like fragrantissimum, and Lady
Alice Fitzwilliarn and Else Frye from California
all have fine scented flowers. Of the three
fragrantissimum has the strongest perfume but
the other two are more compact in form, making
a better indoor plant. I speak from experience
as my fragrantissimurn is trailing all over
the conservatory in gay abandon!
One
of my pet plants is the Heliotrope, cherry pie.
It can be a house plant or it can be used as
summer bedding. An abiding memory is a huge
bed of it seen many years ago in Kew Gardens.
The
pelargoniums have lemon nutmeg, peppermint,
scented leaves and one Pelargonium graveoleus
which is called the rose scented geranium. Then
of course there are all the herbs to be considered.
These are the plants we love to touch and pick
for use in the kitchen. There is another plant
which gives me great Pleasure and that is Verbena
Lippacitriodora or in plain parlance lemon verbena.
I only have to pick a leaf and sniff and I feel
my spirits rise. I hope I won't become addicted!
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