The garden, a sensory experience

Back when we were in COVID lockdown I noticed amongst all the big changes and emotional upheavals, a more subtle change; the increase of smells from highly scented cleaning products and fragrances. I previously had not considered the potential effects of our highly scented environment on humans, and I had certainly not before considered how it must be for the non-human animals we share our lives with. What it must be like for a dog, so sensitive to scents, to share our living spaces?

So, what does this have to do with gardening? Well, our private and public garden spaces can provide us with much more than food. Even if you only have room for one plant in a pot, it can still provide a natural, outdoor sensory experience – one which can fill our senses with the beauty of nature. In this post I thought I would share a few of the plants I love to include in the garden, a small collection from the huge selection nature has provided to delight your senses.

Pineapple sage

My favourite fragrant herb is pineapple sage. For some reason, it always reminds me of Christmas and never ceases to give me a lift. Planted in spring it is super easy to care for. It prefers a sunny place and well-draining soil and because it is frost-sensitive you may find it is more of an annual than perennial depending on where you live. 

Lemon verbena

Lemon verbena is another favourite fragrant herb, which I try valiantly to keep alive through our frosty winter. As with many herbs, the scent of lemon verbena comes from its leaves when they are crushed. Lemon verbena has delicate white flowers in later spring and grows into a small shrub up to 3 metres tall.

Daphne

The flowers of the shrub daphne produce a fragrance that can lift your spirits on a cold, overcast winter day as it flowers from winter to early spring. If space is limited, you can also grow in a pot and a big pot is preferable so it can stay put as it grows as it does not like to be moved. It also likes a bit of shade but soil that is slightly acidic, not too damp. Don’t overwater in summer. 

Jonquils

When looking for some autumn planting, take a look into the many different types of bulbs you can plant that will bring natural and often strong scents into your life. Keep a look out for scented jonquils, you may well need to trial a mix of types to get some truly worth persevering with. The wonderful thing about the bulbs as they will multiply so if your budget does not stretch to buying a lot, patience over the years will provide a growing number of bulbs to divide in autumn. 

Citrus

Citrus trees not only provide gorgeous fruit, they also have gorgeous scented blossoms. If you have the room and the right climate (not too frosty!), you can find a range of citrus trees that fruit and therefore blossom, at different times of the year. 

Tī kōuka and tarata

In Aotearoa New Zealand we also have some beautiful native trees that produce gorgeous scents. For example, I did not know until recently that what I was smelling in spring evening walks, turned out to be from the tī kōuka (cabbage tree) flowers. In spring they produce large sprays of flowers that in a still early evening, while not overpowering, are gorgeous to experience. Tarata, (lemonwood) also produces a beautiful scent from flowers and a milder scent when you crush a leaf.

Of course, this is a very short list of what’s available to plant, take some time to investigate the huge range; plants such as lavenders, sweetpeas, hyacinths and gardenias can all go in the garden or pots, and of course, there’s always roses, which you may need to hunt out varieties that retain their fragrance.  

So my final word is with anything you plant, take a moment to check out how it will be with the animals and other people in your household. Make sure animals and toddlers won’t be tempted to eat any that may be toxic to them as well! Some scented plants can also cause allergies so before you spend up, a bit of time researching will save you from the sad moment of having to remove plants that cause problems. Your planting plan will have to take into consideration anyone whom you might share your household with.