How to create a fragrant garden

FANCY BEING GREETED BY HEADY SCENTS? THESE PLANTS GUARANTEE A PERFUMED PLOT...

- JAYNE DOWLE

Planning your garden with fragrance adds an extra dimension - in daytime, as you brush past aromatic foliage, and as darkness falls, when heady perfumes scent the air. Whatever the size of your outdoor space, adding fragrant plants will have a positive effect on your well-being.

Pleasant scents can improve our mood and help our well-being. A recent scientific study published on Sciencedirect.com* found that of all five senses, smell has the power to improve brain function. When we inhale, aroma molecules trigger a response from the most evolutionary ancient part of the brain, the hippocampus. This is the part that stores all our memories and emotional responses to stimulation.

DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT

'Do you want a calming or stimulating space? Or both?' says Mark Emery, training and education officer at gardening for health charity Thrive. 'Strong-smelling plants can be stimulating, while soft scents are calming.'

Floral, sweet, musky, earthy, sharp, reminiscent of childhood gardens or sunny holidays, plants have a huge range of scents. 'You may find you have a preference for the muted smell of shrubs and find sweet scents too much,' says Mark. 'Or, you may love intense floral scents and want lots of them.'

The number and position of scented plants is important - lots of variety can be too intense if you want calm. Think about the proximity of plants to each other and how breezes might move scents around. Above all, plan your fragrant garden for enjoyment. 'Position a seat in the midst of your fragrant planting, so you can relax, unwind and enjoy the scents after a busy day,' says Catherine Clancy, founder of Catherine Clancy Garden Design.