Smell

Monty Don's article about scented roses and the general focus on the importance of scent in the Gardener's World magazine this month really got me thinking. How many of my plants did I choose on the basis of their smell? The only truly "smelly" plant I have is the shrub outside my front door which was given to me by a friend, I think it is a Lonicera fragrantissima and it smells divine.

I have a Jasmine next to the back door, but it is suffering at the moment and hasn't flowered for the last two or three years. My Honeysuckle is right at the back of the garden so you can only get a whiff if the wind is blowing in the right direction.

The realisation that I do not have enough "smelly" plants in my garden has made me think that I am missing out on part of the enjoyment of gardening and I am quite baffled that this hasn't struck me before. I have now decided to make a new mid-year resolution: to make more effort to garden with scent in mind and to fill the borders with lovely smells.

Here is a good article on the GW website which is about scent and memory: http://www.gardenersworld.com/blogs/plants/scented-plants-and-memory/3438.html