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Article by Pattie Barron

Aromatic and perfumed plants have the ability not just to delight us, but to energise, soothe and de-stress. What’s more, containers are the perfect vehicle, enabling us to appreciate them at close quarters, around a seat or on a garden table.

White trumpet lilies carry a sublime perfume

THE GREAT ROMANTICS

Trumpet lilies pulse out their intoxicating perfume more intensely as dusk falls. Pink-streaked, snow white Lilium regale has the classic Chanel quality fragrance and so does the Stargazer lily, with her spectacular plum-speckled pink heads. Look for these beauties in heavy bud now and you can keep the bulbs, in the pots, to flower next year. Be wary, though, of buying the shorter patio lilies that usually have no scent at all.

For fragrances that waft on the breeze, Philadelphus – aka mock orange – is hard to beat. Who doesn’t love the romantic, holiday-in-Provence, scent of orange blossom? The arching stems of deep green foliage carry the pure white blooms at the start of summer and although it loses its leaves over winter, Philadelphus is worth growing for its profusion of flowers and intoxicating scent. Compact varieties that thrive in pots include Manteau d’Hermine, with pompon flowers, and Belle Etoile, which has purple-throated white blooms.

CLASSIC COMPANIONS

Grab a tripod – or three bamboo canes to form a wigwam – and you can enjoy the distinctive pina colada fragrance of honeysuckle. Lonicera Strawberries and Cream is a compact variety that is perfect for pots and has the full-strength pink and lemon flower power – and fragrance hit – of familiar honeysuckle. As an encore, when the flowers have faded, they are succeeded by ornamental black berries. Give Strawberries and Cream a spot in the sun or part shade, and she won’t disappoint.

If you have the space – and a large pot or tub – for just one rose, coral-pink Boscobel, from davidaustinroses.co.uk, is the one to go for. All David Austin roses have sublime and complex scents – this rose breeder’s policy is to never produce a scentless rose – but where Boscobel scores extra points is in the stems: tall and upright, making this the perfect rose for cutting. Just a few of these glorious, multi-furled rosette blooms will scent a room. And the perfume? A heady blend of myrrh, elderflower and fruit salad; smelling is believing.

HERBAL AROMATHERAPY

Surround yourself with perfumed plants this summer

You could kit out your entire balcony with nothing but herbs and you would have the most delicious scents from foliage and flowers right through summer. Mediterranean herbs thrive in containers and will give you green, textural structure through the year. Lavender is the obvious and essential choice. French lavender, with its novel tufted heads, is more decorative, but blooms in early summer just for a short while. English varieties Munstead (light mauve) and Hidcote (blue/purple) make better choices, have the familiar lavender hit and are suitably compact for containers. Sweet-scented orange and Lemon Curd thymes, decorative oreganos and rosemaries are as valuable in garden pots as in cooking pots. Grow several different mints (urban-herbs.co.uk) and you’ll have the best mojitos ever this summer: look for purple-tinted chocolate, variegated pineapple, tangy lime and gold-splashed ginger scented varieties. Strawberry mint is a perfect addition to Pimms. Dark leaved eau-de-cologne mint, smelling just like a refreshing cologne, is the edible exception, but turns a bath into a spa treat.

FRAGRANT FOLIAGE

Release the fragrance of scented geraniums by rubbing the leaves

You can also treat yourself to exquisite fragrances all year round, by keeping a group of scented pelargoniums outdoors in summer and bringing them indoors onto a sunny windowsill in winter. With finely cut leaves and daintier flowers than their showier cousins the bright geraniums, these pretty curiosities have stroke-and-sniff foliage of the most extraordinary intensity and variety that ranges from fizzy cola and cinnamon to coconut and apricot. Why else would Cath Kidston devote her new fragrance collection, C.Atherley (c-atherley.com), to the scented geraniums in her greenhouse? Rose geranium, the familiar and much-loved essential oil renowned to have calming properties and much used in aromatherapy, is fully present in the serrated, lime green foliage of the pelargonium with the same name, while variety Attar of Roses carries the precise fragrance of Turkish Delight. Mabel Grey’s leaves deliver a sharp shot of lemon sherbet, Pelargonium tomentosum is pure, cool peppermint, while Queen of Lemons has the strongest citrus leaves that make a lovely addition to summer drinks.

Photography: GAP PHOTOS

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