I've read that English lavender is the most fragrant. We've got a few pots
of other lavender growing but it doesn't smell unless you rub the leaves.

What's the best type that will smell good as it's growing? Any other very
fragrant plant suggestions would be excellent, thank you. The idea is that
one smallish section of the garden is going to be a seating/plant area and
I'd like it to smell as nice as possible.

In general, leaves don't smell much unless you rub them or brush against them, unless it's very warm. If you want scents to surround a seating area, then you'd be better to go for scented flowers, and you would need a succession of them to cover the season. For example, you could start with fragrant daffodils, move on to wallflowers, then to scented pinks. From now on you can try nicotiana, which is one of the most powerful scents, and pots of night scented stock.

If you're using flowers, you'll find that a great many of them, particularly the white or pale lilac, are using scent to attract night flying moths as pollinators, so the scent will be most powerful in the evening, and may not be noticeable earlier in the day.

AriesVal wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 20:43:57 +0100, Mentalguy2k8 wrote:

I've read that English lavender is the most fragrant. We've got a
few pots of other lavender growing but it doesn't smell unless you
rub the leaves.

What's the best type that will smell good as it's growing? Any other
very fragrant plant suggestions would be excellent, thank you. The
idea is that one smallish section of the garden is going to be a
seating/plant area and I'd like it to smell as nice as possible.

Herbs like Bay, Sage and Rosemary smell nice, and wild rambling roses
nearly always have a wonderful fragrance. Magnolia has a deep
gorgeous scent whe in blossom. Chamomile has a scent too.

I'm sure there will be many other suggestions too.

Isn't /Lavandula stoechas/the French extra-smelly one? But a summer seat
should be near a good stand of sweet peas: not perennial, of course, but
I've always kicked myself brutally in the years when I've forgotten, or
been unable, to grow them.

A propos, I do wish it were possible to standardize the way seed
catalogues describe the scent of each variety. How is a small gardener,
buying only a packet or two, to choose between these? ...

very fragrant
highly scented
unforgettable perfume
heady scent
so fragrant
the most beautiful scent
exceptional fragrance
super-scented
sweetly scented
beautifully fragrant
extremely fragrant
richly perfumed
wonderfully perfumed
lovely scent
strong and delicious fragrance

All from a single catalogue (Chiltern, of course).

And while I'm on my soapbox, hands up all those who'd cast into the
lowest dungeon those rogues and vagabonds who breed and sell things
called "sweet peas" which have hardly any scent.

--
Mike.

A lot of people think that Matucana is the most strongly fragrant sweet pea. I always buy one packet of Matucana, then one or two of anything else that takes my fancy. Usually from T&M because I sow them in autumn before the Chiltern catalogue comes out.

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 20:43:57 +0100, "Mentalguy2k8"
wrote:

I've read that English lavender is the most fragrant. We've got a few pots
of other lavender growing but it doesn't smell unless you rub the leaves.

I've grown lavender for many years as a low hedge and tried several
varieties. By far the best for scent was one called "Lullingstone
Castle", presumably after the house and garden.

It's listed here as Lavandula X intermedia:

http://www.thelavenderg.co.uk/catalogue.htm

Strongly scented is right... just brushing past it as I got out of the
car would mean I couldn't smell anything but lavender for the next
five minutes. Tends to get very broad and also woody after a few years
though. Bit big for growing in a pot.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
AriesVal wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 20:43:57 +0100, Mentalguy2k8 wrote:

I've read that English lavender is the most fragrant. We've got a
few pots of other lavender growing but it doesn't smell unless you
rub the leaves.

What's the best type that will smell good as it's growing? Any other
very fragrant plant suggestions would be excellent, thank you. The
idea is that one smallish section of the garden is going to be a
seating/plant area and I'd like it to smell as nice as possible.

Herbs like Bay, Sage and Rosemary smell nice, and wild rambling roses
nearly always have a wonderful fragrance. Magnolia has a deep
gorgeous scent whe in blossom. Chamomile has a scent too.

I'm sure there will be many other suggestions too.

Isn't /Lavandula stoechas/the French extra-smelly one? But a summer seat
should be near a good stand of sweet peas: not perennial, of course, but
I've always kicked myself brutally in the years when I've forgotten, or
been unable, to grow them.

A propos, I do wish it were possible to standardize the way seed
catalogues describe the scent of each variety. How is a small gardener,
buying only a packet or two, to choose between these? ...

very fragrant
highly scented
unforgettable perfume
heady scent
so fragrant
the most beautiful scent
exceptional fragrance
super-scented
sweetly scented
beautifully fragrant
extremely fragrant
richly perfumed
wonderfully perfumed
lovely scent
strong and delicious fragrance

All from a single catalogue (Chiltern, of course).

And while I'm on my soapbox, hands up all those who'd cast into the lowest
dungeon those rogues and vagabonds who breed and sell things called "sweet
peas" which have hardly any scent.

Thanks to you both for the advice.

I know what you mean, I've toured the garden centres who are selling "so
fragrant you can't believe it" plants, and yet all I can smell is mud. OK,
you can smell it if you practically push the petals up your nose.

I'm going to try some herbs and some sweet-pea and see how things go.