Local Life - St Helens - March 2018

55
Plan now for
summer scent
by Angie Barker
Award Winner
When I was a little girl (Hubby is chuckling
to himself as he ponders just how long
ago that was!) our garden had a large Lilac tree. The
flowers were pale mauve with the most wonderful
perfume and now that I have a Lilac growing in my
garden, I look forward to every spring when I can
breathe in its perfume and be transported back
in time to my childhood. It’s funny how scent is so
closely linked to memory.
This is the perfect time of year to start planning for
summer scent in your garden and I think these are
some of the best plants:
Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ is one
of the nicest. They do like good drainage so if you
garden on heavy clay, best to put them in pots with
free draining compost. A line of them edging a path
looks lovely and as you brush past you can take in
the perfume.
Sweet Peas – annuals have the best perfume and
there are lots of colours to chose from. Remember
with these that you can’t plant them out until the last
frost has passed.
Herbs – these are a wonderfully fragrant group
of plants, Thyme. Mint and Rosemary being my
favourites. A word of caution, don’t plant Mint in a
border as it will completely take over – keep it in a
pot.
And of course you can’t mention perfume without
thinking of Roses. You need to be careful when
selecting your Rose because not all of them are
scented and some more so than others. David
Austin has a wonderful selection and the website is
excellent, giving lots of detail of each one’s particular
perfume. One of the best is Rosa ‘Munstead Wood’
Pergolas and trellis will give you the opportunity
of growing scented climbing plants. Jasminum
officinale (needs a warm sheltered spot) and Lonicera
periclymenum ‘Serotina’ (Honeysuckle) are fabulous.
Place near a patio and before you know it you’ll be
sitting in your garden on a warm summer’s evening,
not only sipping a glass of wine but drinking in
some heady perfume – life doesn’t get much better!
(Hubby agrees).
Angie is a qualified
award-winning garden
designer who will
plan your garden to
your needs from start
to finish, supplying
reputable contractors
and the ideal plants.
Call Angie now for your free consultation!
Angie Barker Dip GD
(Inst GD) BA (Hons)
Garden Design For All Seasons
Tel: 01942 522 405
Mob: 07857 008 383
Award Winner
www.angiebarker.co.uk