There is a scent to this: with this plant (calendar) you create a year-round perfume garden

The sweetness of honeysuckle, or English roses. The fresh flowering of lavender, the spicy rosemary, these are well-known fragrant plants. “But there are many more plants that spread wonderful aromas,” says gardener Martin Knol. And not just in spring and summer. In all seasons there is greenery that can pleasantly surprise your nose.”

Which scent bringers can be found in winter? “Take for example the sarcocca hookeriana , also called meatberry. This is a winter-hardy, evergreen shrub that produces white flowers from January that give off a wonderfully sweet scent. Or the lonicera fragmantissima , bush honeysuckle. This is also a white flowering, winter-hardy shrub that gives off an almost honey-sweet scent. Preferably plant this in a place that you walk past in winter. When the sun shines in January/February, the wonderful scent greets you.”

“And what about the chimonanthus (melon tree)? This blooms and smells very early in the year, even before it has leaves. It is a shrub with white-yellow flowers, which under the right conditions can grow into a small multi-stemmed tree.

And other special plants that bloom later in the year? “Ever heard of the peanut butter tree? A nice addition to your garden, not only the flowers have a scent, but also the leaves. The clerodendrum bungei blooms from June to September, bears dark pink flowers and grows to about 2 meters high. If you bruise the leaves and put them under someone’s nose, it won’t take long before they recognize the smell.”

“Another distinct scent for your garden is anise. I once planted a plant in a garden for elderly people with dementia agastache , also called licorice plant or anise nettle. I let an old man smell this. His response? “Aw man, this stinks!” Smell is of course very personal, some people like the smell of it, others don’t like it at all.”

“The snow forsythia, abeliophyllum distichum , is yet another nice example. This blooms, with white-pink flowers, in the months of February, March and April, even before it has leaves. The snow forsythia spreads a pleasant almond scent. After flowering, the green leaves appear and gradually turn to a deep purple hue in the autumn.

There are plenty of examples, for your convenience, below is a ‘perfume calendar’ with wonderfully scented options.