I think that my all-time favourite scented plant, must be the flowering shrub, Elaeagnus ebingei. A grey-green leaved evergreen with spectacular white undersides to the leaves, the flowers are hardly noticeable in the visual sense but oh boy - the scent! August, September, October and November even. This has to be the best. It will grow anywhere; including a North facing shaded aspect, and grows to 8 feet or so if allowed. When thinking of scented plants, don’t forget the aromatic foliage either, Lavenders, Rosmarinus, Choisya, Santolina, Perovskia, Laurus (The Bay), Myrtus and Helichrysum are good - and all evergreen. For scented flowers on plants - other than the older varieties of roses of course - The winter flowering Honeysuckle Lonicera fragrantissima,(A shrubby type) is gorgeous and - still in the winter period - the Mahonias Charity and japonica excel. Osmanthus burkwoodii, Ribes odoratum and Spartium junceum are also good. Whatever you do, don’t forget the deciduous azaleas - particularly the occidentalis forms - just heaven!. I’m sure that you must already know of the mock orange (Philadelphus virginalis is superb and so is P. Beauclerk). I must also mention the winter Viburnums V. x bodnantense, and later - into the spring - then you should sniff out the V. carlcephalum, V. burkwoodii and most certainly V carlesii. The climbing shrubs such as the honeysuckles (Lonicera x americana is good ) and Summer Jasmine (Jasminum officinalis ) are also populular. Azara microphylla - not too well known - has exquisitely scented tiny yellow flowers. Oooohhh just bottle that lot and sprinkle it about. ©DH. 2001 |
