| Thursday Tips & Techniques: Fragrance Gardens |
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| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Thursday, 22 December 2011 | |||
Fragrance in the garden may be overlooked in favor of color, size, and sometimes shapes, but it shouldn’t be.  Most of the time when we think of flowers we think about color, size, and sometimes shapes, probably because we often view our gardens from afar--the kitchen window for instance. Fragrance in the garden may be overlooked because of this or perhaps because many hybrids lack strong fragrance. Roses are a good example. Have you ever inhaled the sweet fragrance of old-fashioned roses or roses growing in the wild? Simply divine. Not all plants have sweet smelling flowers, but many do. And don’t forget about the foliage of many herbs. Living in a cold climate, I bring my herbs pots indoors in the winter. The mere act of watering them releases a wonderful fragrance. From bulbs to perennials, trees, and shrubs, fragrant flowers grow throughout the year as well, from hyacinths to sweet peas, to mock orange, virgin's bower, santolina, sweetbay magnolia, lemon balm, spearmint, lavender, old-fashioned and wild roses, and many more. Fragrance gardens are best planted away from strong breezes and in places where you will enjoy them--under an arbor, around the terrace (don’t forget about planting thyme between the flagstones where people walking on it will release its fragrance), near the back door or the front door, or along a walkway. Recommended reading: Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guide to Fragrant Gardens 
The Evening Garden: Flowers and Fragrance from Dusk Till Dawn
The Fragrant Garden: Growing and Using Scented Plants
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