June's Scented Flourish

A Seasonal Celebration of the Land, Garden & Nature

Midsummer, Wildflower Verges, Warmth & Light, Evening Walks, Summer's Height, Blackbirds Singing, Elderflower Scent, Fledglings, Roses, Bursting Colour 

Issue 17 June 2020

June's Scented Flourish 

As we approach Midsummer I'm spoilt for choice when it comes to plants that are flourishing in the garden. So for this blog I've chosen five of the best scented plants for adding perfume to the long days of late June. 

Scented Pelargoniums

Pelargonium might not be a name you recognise. You might be more familiar with the name geranium, which is turn conjures up pictures of bright red flowers in sunny Mediterranean window boxes. But to ensure you get the correct plant you need to use their botanical name Pelargonium. 

In my garden I grow Pelargonium 'Attar of Roses', the leaves of which have an incredible scent of old roses; Pelargonium 'Prince of Orange' which unsurprisingly omits an orange scent when its leaves are rubbed; and Pelargonium 'Sweet Mimosa' with leaves that smell of lemon and rose -  like Turkish Delight! All three have pretty pink flowers and look great planted together. 

You can use the pelargonium leaves as flavourings, the edible flowers in baking and the foliage in the house where it lasts ages in vases. In the Autumn I'll harvest some of the leaves to make Rose Geranium & Lemon cordial but in the meantime I'm enjoying the sight of them in a container next to my bench, where I can enjoy the scent as the dog brushes passed them.

 

Pelargoniums aren't hardy which means they don't survive low temperatures, namely our winters. In the UK they are viewed as annuals or bedding plants - that last for just one summer. If you're lucky you might get them to survive the winter by putting your plants in a sheltered porch, greenhouse or coldframe.

Roses

Over the last few years I've really started to appreciate roses. They are not the longest flowering of plants and yes they resemble a pile of sticks all winter, but the summer blooms and the scent more than make up for that!

To earn their keep in my garden, roses have to have perfume. 

Yellow climbing Rosa 'Graham Thomas' is one of the first roses to flower in my garden, bringing early scent and clear yellow flowers. 
This is followed by Rosa 'Ferdinand Pichard' an old rose which I have climbing over an arch. It has unusual striped crimson and pink flowers that I find compellingly showy, not my usual thing at all, and the scent is great. 

This year I've also added Rosa 'Charles de Mills.' It's a gorgeous old rose with large, open cup flowers comprising tightly packed magenta red petals and a deliciously fragrant perfume. As the blooms fade they turn a paler lilac. I've been coveting this particular rose since I planted it in a client's garden 6 years ago! Looks great planted alongside nepeta.

I also have Rosa 'Evelyn' with soft ruffled, apricot flowers and a fruity scent. I planted this in memory of my lovely Nana Evelyn and it has been moved multiple times.  This year the rose is showing its disapproval by not flowering! I think a bit of tlc is required!

I'm collecting and drying the petals to use in baking and natural remedies and fancy making my first Rose and Pistachio Dukkah. 

Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile'

Wafts of fragrant orange blossom travel across the garden on a warm evening, originating from this wonderful June flowering shrub. It's compact so good for smaller gardens and in summer it's smothered with large white flowers with a purple splodge in the centre. Great positioned next to a seat where you can enjoy the scent while enjoying a glass of wine on a summers evening! 

Trachelospermum Jasminoides

This climber is definitely in my garden design toolkit. Trachelospermum is an evergreen jasmine so all that heady jasmine perfume on a summers evening, with the added bonus of glossy evergreen leaves giving cover all year round.

They can be quite expensive plants to buy and need a little care to get going in a warm sheltered spot but they are so worth it. I bought three tiny plants about 7 years ago and trained them on a south facing wall where they've now formed a highly fragrant, green wall. 

Lavender angustifolia 'Hidcote' 

Lavender has to be one of the quintessential cottage garden plants for summer! So much to say about the properties of this gorgeous summer flowering shrub (I'll post a separate blog dedicated to lavender later in the summer) but for the purposes of this article it's the scent that makes lavender a great choice for the June garden.

I've chosen 'Hidcote' as it's very floriferous, reliable and compact and makes a strong lavender hedge but 'Munstead', 'Grosso' and 'Imperial Gem' are all good alternatives.

Both the silvery foliage and the purple-blue flowers are scented, particularly when they release their volatile oils in the heat of the day.  The flowers are rich in pollen and nectar so if you plant it in a sunny spot, your lavender will be awash with bees and butterflies all summer. Added to that the silvery foliage has a reflective quality that makes lavender shine in low light.

Lavenders are low maintenance plants just don't ever prune back hard and be aware that they have a fairly short life so you'll have to replace them at some stage.

Hope these suggestions will help you bring more gorgeous scent to your summer garden. Let me know how you find your choices and what other floral perfumes you enjoy in your garden.

However you decide to spend your days do try and get outside safely if you can - in your garden or on a balcony or outside away from others under big skies. Let me know what June highlights you spot and/or photograph.

If you have any questions you can reach me via my website www.plotgardendesign.co.uk and please follow/like PLOT Garden Design on social media to receive my seasonal updates and photos.

Keep well, breathe and remember to look outside and notice the details.