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[Inspiration] Inspiration Page – SU22 Scented Perennials

perfect perennials for scent

perennial phlox collection

The three most outstanding phlox from all our trials, which we have now grown for years and love evermore for their perfume, length of flowering, mildew-resistance and general vase and garden punch.

perennial phlox collection

The three most outstanding phlox from all our trials, which we have now grown for years and love evermore for their perfume, length of flowering, mildew-resistance and general vase and garden punch.

gardenia jasminoides 'kleims hardy'

One by one, the pretty spiral flowers come out above their glossy, dark green leaves to fill their corner with scent. You see these in pots all over Greece, where I have fallen in love with them. This is a new and hardier variety.

lavandula stoechas 'javelin forte white'

All blue, (with a sprinkling of mauve) we had this combination in our annual cutting garden dolly tubs looking good from June with the anagallis, and the salvias carrying the colour baton right through until winter. 

matthiola incana 'pillow talk'

One of the most scented flowers in my garden. It flowers from spring to mid summer and is one of my favourite things to put – a few short stems – by my bed, to fill the whole room with its incredible fragrance. Easy to grow and unmissable.


dianthus cocktail collection

From the very long-flowering, highly scented new 'Cocktail' series of dianthus that we trialled and were impressed by at Perch Hill last year. They are compact, so ideal for table centre pots and windowledges and brilliant for picking.

dianthus cocktail collection

From the very long-flowering, highly scented new 'Cocktail' series of dianthus that we trialled and were impressed by at Perch Hill last year. They are compact, so ideal for table centre pots and windowledges and brilliant for picking.

phlox 'clouds of perfume'

This compact phlox is one of my favourite perennials for a sunny spring border or container. It has delicious scent and clouds of long-lasting flowers. 

choisya 'white dazzler'

An excellent aromatic evergreen shrub, which is covered in scented white flowers in spring and again in late summer. I pick this all the time.

Actaea simplex 'brunette'

We've just planted a swathe of this in the new farmhouse garden at Perch Hill, in the shade by our old apple tree. It has scented flowers in autumn, preceeded by elegant crimson leaves all spring and summer. 

daphne 'perfume princess'

An outstandingly long-flowering, incredibly pretty, low maintenance container combination. This collection excelled in our 2016 summer trial and was continually busy with butterflies and bees.