THE SCENTED GARDEN

The design of your garden can enhance the aroma of the perfumed plants within it. Here's how to make the fragrance linger for longer, for an immersive scented escape.

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Scent is one of the important sensory elements that makes a garden special. Just as a border feels lacking without the mellow hum of bees, so something seems missing in a garden without fragrance. In late spring, it might come from lilac or lily of the valley, and in summer, it could be roses or lavender. Often the aroma hits you when passing a plant in bloom or by getting close to aromatic foliage while working in the borders. But on warm, still days, the stronger perfumes hang in the air, and all you need do to enjoy them is sit back on the patio and inhale. The design of your garden can enhance your experience of scent as you walk its paths. Scented roses and jasmine work well grown over a pergola, where their scent can envelop you from head to foot. Plants with fragrant foliage, such as lavender and geranium, work well at the front of the border, where you can brush against them or trail a hand through their leaves as you walk past they release their fragrant oils when the foliage is rubbed. In a path, low-growing thyme, aubretia and chamomile will release their scent as you step over them. Interestingly, some plant perfumes take time to develop, so certain flowers, such as chocolate cosmos, can smell more appealing from a distance.