The scents of summer
In the depths of winter I waxed lyrical about the perfume of sarcococca, daphnes and hamamelis, extolling them as some of the finest garden scents. Who was I trying to kid!
I just walked through the garden and was assaulted by hit after hit of the most beautiful fragrances. First the lupins, then the roses and then a waft of fruity scent from the bearded iris. And when I reached the cutting garden I was in olfactory heaven as the sweet peas have now reached head height and I can just stand there and breath in what is really the best scent of the year!
Except that I quite like strong perfumes and I am bowled over by the rich, clovey scent of stocks. They are my favourite.
But the best pinks (dianthus) such as ‘Doris’ have a rich, sweet, spicy, creamy scent. Perhaps they are my favourite.
There was only one thing to do. I picked a small bunch that included a few of each. Pastel colours, rich perfumes and they are now on my kitchen table filling the room with the most glorious fragrance. Who wants sarcococca!
Note: The sweet peas were sown last October. The stocks were sown in March and the pinks were bought and planted in March. Only the pinks are perennial and will bloom again next year.
The Biking Gardener 
oh my goodness what a bouquet you couldn’t buy it
its a shame you can’t smell it – the kitchen smells great – even though i had salad and a tin of mackerel for tea 🙂
I’ve only recently discovered the joy of stocks, they smell divine and lock so beautiful. I really need to grow some for my garden!
They are beautiful and smell so good! I sowed them in late March and grew them from seeds from Plants of Distinction. They offer a number of blends of colours that are all lovely.
I’ll definitely look up Plants of Distinction, thanks for the tip 🙂
sorry – i was lazy there! this is a link to the mix i grew – they are on offer at the moment 🙂 http://www.seedsofdistinction.co.uk/flowers/annual-seeds/stocks-fruit-punch-mixed
Thank you for the link 🙂