Gardens can be havens of quiet, solitude and sweet perfume. Every time I walk into the garden lately I am greeted by the sweet smells of beautiful plants. Scented plants can be tricky to place especially in the small garden or yard as perfumes can conflict with one another. I am quite happy with what’s going on in my limited space at the moment.
My first bloom opened up on Rosa ‘Black Beauty’ this week – a fabulous big blowsy bloom with little evidence of black but a very seductive red. You need to get close to smell its oh so sweet perfume. Divine! This rose is from the gods.
The rose is well nestled in amongst the glorious golden leaves of Philadelphus, mock orange, so aptly named it has one of the most endearing scents in the garden. Added to that the wonderful golds in the leaves, and a tidy, quick-growing shrub and you are onto a winner. It’s a real beauty.
Earlier in the year, the golden Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’ was doing its thing in flower, now its lacy golden leaves are reaching ever skyward, it sure is on its way to heaven.
To get to my golden corner I pass my two black Sambucus. These are simply incredible in both leaf and flower and the perfume is different. My preference in leaf is for ‘Black Lace’ but this has an almost feline smell to its flowers which I find a little over-powering. ‘Black Beauty’ is almost as gorgeous in leaf and wins hands down as far as scent goes. Propagation is not permitted on either plant, so you have to have a deep pocket for these! They will give years of pleasure. At the moment the latter is growing with a sweet pea/vetch?, not something I planted but it was here when I moved in and I have never been able to get rid of it. Nice big flowers, but it does like to take over and it is not scented.
I am also celebrating the first time flowering of my Cordyline, 13 years old and it did it at last – a glorious show, no scent, but since it is a huge 3m (10ft) tall, I doubt that I would smell it. And yes, that’s real blue sky in Sheffield, England. All photos copyright Karen Platt 2010.
by Silvia
27 Jun 2010 at 19:00
Beautiful photos Karen ~ like esp. the long one with the sweet peas – may not smell but makes a great composition. Plants overlapping in a garden is even better than a bouquet ! I have Black Lace in one of my posts. Not expensive in US (??) Didn’t know it ‘comes in shocking yellow’ …
by Karen Platt
27 Jun 2010 at 19:06
The golden forms came along before the black ones. S. racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’ is the most reliable golden form but there is also S. plumosa ‘Aurea’. I am so excited I just found out there is a golden redbud – Cercis canadensis ‘Hearts of Gold’ – I wonder if I can find room for that – although it looks like it quickly fades to green and it is just new leaf tips that are golden.
by Cara
09 Jul 2010 at 18:48
Thank you for the information and for having reminded me, Karen, since I am still thinking about obtaining one of the Sambucus you recommend (as you did in your book).
I found a source for ‘Black Beauty’ at a really affordable price.
There are some wild elderberries in my Garden – and why have wild ones if you could have an extraordinary black one?
Now it is much too hot for planting. I shall wait till autumn and see if the the nursery can still deliver ‘Black Beauty’.