Edible garden
• Sun-warmed ripening fruit give off aromas to make the mouth water. There is nothing better than a fragrant tomato, plucked from the vine on a hot day, sliced, still warm. Add mozzarella, torn aromatic basil leaves and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then eat al fresco.
• A laden pear tree in autumn becomes fragrant when the pears are heavy and juicy, letting you know they are just right for eating.
• The leaves - not just the fruit - of citrus trees give off a depression-lifting mediterranean scent just when you need it in winter, which is the best time to prune after fruiting. The fresh aroma of cut citrus wood also attracts the dreaded borer beetle, so pruning before the warmth of spring is a must.
• The quince tree is often grown for its scent and ornamental value alone. The ripe fruit give off a fragrance which is as close to perfume as a fruit tree gets. A bowl of quinces will scent your house, just as a vase of cut flowers would. You can make the prettiest pink jelly with quinces, too.
Romantic cottage garden
• A cottage garden comes to life in spring and summer. All the scented classics can be found here. Heritage roses, lilies, lavender, wallflower, stock and sweet pea are synonymous with a cottage garden traditionally found (but not limited to) in the older parts of town, complete with picket fence and pea-gravel path. This kind of garden looks equally at home surrounding a farmhouse, framed with tall hedges or dry stone walls.
• Formal potager vegetable gardens are complemented with the addition of cottage flower garden plantings in some of the beds and borders, turning an edible garden into a complete sensory experience. Flowers in an edible garden attract beneficial insects such as bees for pollination of fruit trees and veges. Edible gardens do best in full sun, as do many traditional cottage garden plants.
Subtropical garden
• In Auckland and the warmer north our climate is ambient enough to grow interesting and fragrant subtropicals - the intoxicating scents of the Pacific. Tropicals such as frangipani can be grown successfully, particularly in large pots, which can be moved if need be during winter to a sheltered warm spot. Australian frangipani (Hymenosporum flavum), with its small golden flowers, is hardier than the tropical frangipani, and is available in a smaller-growing cultivar "Gold Nugget". Gardenia and star jasmine do well in Auckland, ornamental and edible ginger can be grown in sheltered frost-free spots, but probably are best further north. Lemongrass and Thai basil are easy to grow, bringing exotic fragrance and flavour to your kitchen.
Fabulous scents of spring
• The scents of spring are fresh and clean - stand-outs are Magnolia soulangeana, boronia and bulbs such as jonquils and freesias. Hyacinths flower in winter, are happy in pots and bring the scent of spring indoors in cooler months.
• Moving into summer, Magnolia grandiflora is a scented powerhouse. My grandmother had a huge magnolia we often climbed as children. The heavy waxy petals decorated the lawn below, infusing the air with their uplifting fragrance.
Info
Some of the best-scented exotic plants in our country have become invasive weeds. Yellow kahili ginger is a no-no.
Once grown as an ornamental, it has now gone bush. The scent is divine, but if you cut some for the vase at home ensure you bin any plant material, rather than throwing it over the back fence. The same goes for fast-growing jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) and Japanese honeysuckle.
