The Rural Voice, 1999-01, Page 42By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
January should be called seed
month. The mail is full of new
catalogues tilled with seeds an4
plants enticing to gardeners and non -
gardeners alike.
The flowers that attract so many
are those that are bright and showy. It
must be hard to sell seeds for plants
that are known more for their
fragrance than their visual attraction.
Pictures of bright blossoms and
exotic foliage are easier to show than
trying to describe a scent that could
be different to so many people.
Fragrant plants were more
appreciated centuries ago. It was a
well-recognized fact in medieval
times that fragrant herbs and flowers
were planted below windows
allowing their perfume into the home
to offer a salutary effect on the
inhabitants. Nosegays, garlands and
potpourri refreshed the senses when
inhaled.
Appreciation of the power of
fragrances is apparent when working
in a garden. When I cut the mint
creeping into the lawn or walk under
the spring blooming olive shrub, the
released fragrance is heady. Brushing
against lavender or scented
geraniums in the garden, bending
close to the Apothecary rose or
deliberately pinching a bit of
Monarda, drives the fatigue from my
bones. Stopping to smell the daisies
is not just an empty
remark. There is
evidence that
aromas have
therapeutic value,
both physical and
emotional.
Just look
at the
popularity of
Gardening
The power of fragrance
aromatherapy. Smell is one of the
strongest sense for triggering
memories. Fragrances appeal to those
with experience rather than youth.
What other sense can lead you back
in time with a subtle shifting of air or
wafting by of such elusive cues.
If you plan a garden to tickle your
nose with, you have to consider a
number of plants that will offer
fragrance under different conditions
and at different times of the day or
night. Fragrance is generated by
essential oils which are present in
varying amounts during the day and
night and evaporate at different
speeds. Age is also a factor as well as
whether the plant is in a protected
corner or out in the open.
There are many choices for a
scented garden. Among the annuals,
nicotiana, mathiola (stocks), Sweet
William, and sweet peas come to
mind. Mathiola was not always a
very striking plant but through
careful breeding it has become an
attractive bedding plant. It is now
showy as well ss fragrant with soft
grey to pale green foliage and a
column of double, pastel flowers. The
seeds may be sown outside after
danger of frost but if you want to get
a jump on the season, start the seeds
indoors in March. Stocks release their
spicy fragrance of cloves and lilies
during the cool evening.
Nicotiana is another annual you
can sow directly into the garden in
the spring after the frost. It is a hardy
annual and will self sow in some
areas. A friend near Clinton has them
popping up all over her garden every
spring. There is both a tall (two to
three feet) and a short variety in pink,
white and a deep burgundy. The heat
seems to leave nicotiana rather
scentless during the day but when the
cool evening air flows around
the blossoms they
release the most
wonderful
perfume. A
member of the
tobacco family,
the leaves are
38 THE RURAL VOICE
large and furry and the stems of
blossoms will rise above the leaves
and continue to bloom until frost.
Now sweet peas (Lathyrus
leguminosae) really baffle me.
Breeders used to concentrate on
showy blooms often sacrificing the
scent in the process. The wild sweet
pea is usually pink or white and has
no fragrance that I have ever noticed.
But the domestic sweet pea comes in
a riot of luminous colours and a scent
like candy (to me). If you have a bit
of wall or a tree stump try sweet peas.
If you haven't much room there is
Little Sweetheart that only grows
about one foot high and comes in
mixed colours. You need only a
single stem of two blossoms of
Matucana Ancient Days to fill a room
with fragrance.
For fragrance during the heat of
the day try Sweet William. A
member of the dianthus family it has
a traditional spicy scent and comes in
a variety of reds, pinks and white
with some sporting fringes or
contrasting "eyes". Sweet William is
a biennial so mark where you plant
the seeds the first year so you don't
pull out those little plants. It will be
worth your while during the second
year. They are hardy and will self
sow. Plant seeds two years in a row
to have flowers every year.
A garden is not complete without
fragrance and hence the trend to
breeding the old scents back into our
gardens. Rose breeders like David
Austin in England have been very
busy bringing the scent of our
gardens into the spotlight. So as you
pour over your seed catalogues this
winter keep in mind all your senses.
Pick something bright and showy for
your eyes, something soft or prickly
for your sense of touch and
something with a heady perfume to
make you pause and stop for a deep
relaxing breath of fresh air.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger and her
husband raise two children at their
home near Auburn. She is a skilled
cook and gardener.