81 Garden design Nosing Around or Heaven Scent? H
ow often do we catch the hint of a scent and find ourselves instantly transported to a past
event or revisit a place and the first trigger of recall is a scent in the air? Alternatively ending up racking our brains obsessively, trying to work out why it resonates with us so strongly. Of our five senses, smell is unique in being linked to the limbic system in our brains which is mission control for our emotions and our memories. As perfume and scent companies
know, smells can have a profound effect on mood and behaviour – from creating arousal to relaxation (always best not to get them mixed up). We often associate gardens in summer with strong, often heady smells, accentuated by the temperature and still air, which can be overwhelming in their profusion. Yet scent can really come into its
own in winter, when we need cheering up and a positive reason to go into the garden. A surprisingly large number of winter plants are highly fragrant and these are often evergreen, so they have the added bonus of providing structure and colour to a winter garden. Here’s a few examples I’d
by Colette Charsley One of the few
has tiny, almost invisible creamy-white flowers which give off a scent that you can detect from yards away. Chimonanthus praecox, also known
Daphne bholua Jacqeline Postill
as Winter Sweet is a slow grower, but can ultimately get to 2.5 metres, so good for providing aromatic cover for a wall. Hamamelis mollis, better known as Witch Hazel has colourful foliage in the autumn and will produce clusters of sweet scented yellow, orange or red flowers, from December to March. Cut a few twigs for indoor scent and colour. I’d also suggest looking up Lonicera x
Smelling the flowers
purpusii (Winter Beauty Honeysuckle), which will be a valuable source of nectar for any bees disturbed from their hibernation, or Daphne bholua “Jacqueline Postill’ which can scent a whole garden. You can literally find it by following your nose. You don’t have to be just planting big climbers or shrubs - smaller plants are often surprisingly scented such as Iris unguicluaris ‘Mary Barnard’ or some of the highly fragrant Jonquil Narcissi and Crocus. Put them in places you pass when
Sarcococca confusa
recommend. Sacroccoca, more usually known as Christmas Box, because it starts blooming in December,
you venture out. Ideally somewhere sheltered from too much wind. Perhaps by a doorway or close to a path – or
even near your bins if yours are being collected as infrequently as mine!
colette@charsleydesign.com
www.charsleydesign.com t: 01548 581753 m: 07774 827799 Follow me on Twitter @ColetteCharsley Professional Landscape & Garden Design
Creative and beautiful designs for village, town and country gardens
Colette Charsley PG Dip OCGD t: 01548 581753 m: 07774 827799
colette@charsleydesign.com
www.charsleydesign.com
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