Subtle scents on the breeze

Pauline — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:46:52 +0000

In June the perfumes in the garden are changing, now Honeysuckle and Mock Orange Blossom arrive on the breeze when you least expect it, early morning and evening are the best times. The perfume always seems much stronger when you catch it on the breeze than when you stick your nose into the flowers.

Trachelospermum Jasminoides has an overpowering perfume when we walk through the pergola, what a sweet smell, absolutely gorgeous, must take some cuttings and spread it round the garden.

Another shrub with an amazing perfume is Pittosporum Tobira. we first met this on holiday in Rome where it was everywhere, as hedges, in pots or growing naturally in gardens, wonderful perfume as you were walking along the hot dusty roads.

Our shrub is now about 2 meters tall and survived the frost last winter very well indeed. One scent that I missed very much this year was from Euphorbia Mellifera. We had a shrub in the back garden, again 2 meters tall which gave off the most wonderful scent each May/June in the evening and could be smelled all over the garden, it was so strong. Unfortunately it seems to have succomed to the bad winter that we had and has left a large gap in the border.

I’m hoping to be able to transplant one of it’s seedlings in the autumn, but it will be a few years before it fills the space of it’s parent, even so, we should have its beautiful perfume next year.

Lead up the Garden Path » Trachelospermum Jasminoides

Subtle scents on the breeze