David Domoney conveys how fragrant planting adds a vital dimension to your patio

5 October 2021

Fragrant Plants on the Patio

Paved areas are a real asset to your garden, large or small - and they’re a great place to show off gorgeous pots full of cheerful, sweet-smelling plants.

 

Whether you’re entertaining at a late summer barbecue, enjoying a lazy weekend breakfast in the sunshine or simply cosying up in the evening around a warming fire bowl, fragrant plants on the patio add a lovely dimension to your space.

 

Complimentary Patio Pots

With such a great variety of pots to choose from, it’s easy to select colours which complement your paving choice. There are also plenty of great plant options for creating gorgeous scents on your patio.

 

Add herbs to taste

Herbs are a fantastic choice for adding a beautiful fragrance to the patio as well as a touch of flare to your home cooking. Herbs with pale green or silvery foliage - such as sage and lavender - not only smell incredible but also look great against buff sandstone and beige-toned paving. The vibrant green foliage of herbs like lemon balm, mint and basil contrasts delightfully with dark grey flagstones and can be used to add extra zing to homecooked recipes as well as cocktails and tea. All of these herbs give off an amazing fragrance as you brush past them as well as being a tasty addition in the kitchen.

 

Planting Around The Patio

Climbing plants also add another dimension to the patio by helping to blend your seating area into the garden itself. They add colour and fragrance to otherwise bare and uninteresting walls and can be planted in spaces between paving slabs or grown in deep planters and supported on trellis.

 

 

Fragrance and Colour

Fantastic at this time of year are autumn to winter flowering plants, like Camellia sasanqua 'Narumigata', and winter to spring flowering plants, like Jasminum nudiflorum (winter jasmine).

 

Another wonderful option is Mahonia media (Oregon grape) 'Winter Sun,' which has terrific yellow racemes of flowers in winter, which are a great food source for emerging Queen bees. Plant these next to one another and you’ll have a succession of deliciously scented flowers throughout the cold months of the year.

 

Fragrant Roses

Roses are great for fragrance and come in so many varieties that there’s a kind to suit virtually any space and mood. Choose a miniature rose, a climbing rose or a patio rose for in pots around your seating area. Bare root roses are perfect for planting in borders around the patio in autumn, before growth resumes, for flowering the following spring and summer - just be sure not to plant them when the ground is frozen. Roses can be planted in containers at any time of year, just be sure to keep soil moist while they’re establishing themselves. A beautiful rose with pink, ruffled rosette flowers and a strong old rose fragrance is the Rosa ‘Jacques Cartier’ variety, which works excellently in pots on the patio.

 

For long-lasting winter colour and fragrance in planters on the patio, dwarf varieties of Daphne can’t be beaten. There are many varieties to choose from, all of which have elegant flowers and an amazing scent. Visit your local garden centre to find autumn and winter-flowering Daphne plants and you’ll have a deliciously scented patio area throughout the winter months.

 

 

Crocking Patio Pots

Before planting up your pots, remember to add some crocks or coarse gravel at the bottom of the container to aid drainage. This is especially important in cold, wet weather, which will leave plants struggling with root rot if the water cannot drain away. Adding a gravel layer also gives extra weight at the base of the pot which helps to prevent taller plants from blowing over in the wind. Keep watering on dry days and you’ll get the very best from your fragrant patio planting.

 

 

Fragrant planting adds the third dimension of smell to your patio area, complimenting the stunning look and feel of the area you have created. A fragrant waft of sweet scented floral aroma significantly adds to the ambiance and brings serenity to your enjoyment.

 

This month I have selected a video with some fine examples of planting arround the patio area which embodies perfectly the aspects highlighted. 

 

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