June, and the garden is at its most sensuous, inviting – no, imploring me – to look, touch and sniff. It is a wonderful month for smelling the garden. I do this first thing in the morning and again in the evening when everything is at its olfactory best.
Perfume was one of the first considerations when I started this little garden. The lavender bushes, I planted along the path to run my fingers through as I walked past, didn’t last long in my London clay, but the high hedges planted to trap the scent of wallflowers and the vanilla notes of sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana) have worked as I had hoped. Wallflowers are the smell of my childhood; as sweet as the tin of Parma Violets my grandmother kept in her handbag, perfuming her lace handkerchief and purse. Their scent is an essential part of this space.
The perfume that plants so generously give to this garden starts in March, when I catch the first fleeting scent of Viburnum x bodnantense. I know her and her sugar-pink pompoms simply as ‘Dawn’. The soft, clove notes always take me by surprise, a reminder that even though the stems are bare, spring will soon be here. It is as if the garden is whispering: “Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
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Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
WHY SHOULD I VOLUNTEER?
Giving your free time to volunteer in the community or as a mentor can have a big impact, and also benefit you in ways you can't imagine, says John Wyer
EARTHLY CONCERN
Weeds, slugs, birds and mice - all are welcome on Birch Farm in Devon, where Joshua Sparkes seeks to respect the local ecosystem and mimic nature in his innovative approach to growing
Gardening is good for you
In the first of his new factual column on the benefits of gardening, Dr Richard Claxton uncovers all the evidence-based ways it can help your physical health.
TANGERINE DREAM
On the edge of one of London's busiest roundabouts, Nigel Dunnett has created exciting combinations of drought-tolerant plants for a roof garden that is as unexpected as it is joyful
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT
Growing your own edible plants is a great way to boost your gut microbiome. Discover expert picks of edimentals that are both beautiful and beneficial
Waste not, nice plot
Designer Miria Harris gave herself the challenge of a no-skip, zero-waste project, giving away, recycling or reusing everything in this back garden before transforming it into a space her client could love
One for all
A new community garden designed by Sarah Price around an old library turned arts centre in southeast London is a treasured space for local residents and garden lovers alike
Meet our horticultural HEROES
Discover the stories of the extraordinary garden champions who are making a difference to places, people, plants and the planet
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
In the culinary world, chefs and food writers sometimes closely guard their recipes, says Nigel Slater. Among gardeners, however, there is a refreshing spirit of generosity
Autumn at Sissinghurst
As the garden slips into a new season, head gardener Troy Scott Smith and his team are busy with tasks from hedge cutting and lawn work to bulb planting and sowing seeds.
