A few tips for purchasing scented flowers

Hello August from all at Ballyseedy, especially the garden centre team. At this point I’m sure your gardens are in full bloom with butterfly, bee and ladybird activity, creating a magical world especially for those of you with young children. A very fond and magical memory in my world was my beautiful daughter Abigail at four years of age, running through our meadow, her blond curls bouncing with her dog Timmy, where she ‘believed’ she was being ‘chased’, by a butterfly!!!

A walk around the garden in the evening will help you relax after a long day, especially a garden with scent.

A few tips for purchasing scented flowers include;

• Follow your Nose, everyone has different senses, so take some time in your local garden centre to smell the beautiful flowers and enjoy the range of fragrances nature has to offer
• Aromatic herbs such as mint, sage, rosemary and lavender, to complement your culinary creations in the kitchen
• The heavily scented David Austin and Hartness range of Roses can be planted either in a rose bed or in an existing shrub bed to create that extra uplift
• Summer offers the best scent, for example, dianthus, rosemary, lemon verbena & lavender to name but a few
• If you are gifting plants, make sure to do a little research, as scented plants to me represent caring

The beauty in plants is not just always in the scent. The hydrangea represents gratitude, grace and beauty. It also radiates abundance because of the lavish number of flowers and the generous round shape. Its colours symbolise love, harmony and peace as the flower is available in pinks, blues and whites. This flower looks amazing in the garden, but just as beautiful on a dinner or book table.

Lavender has a strong, distinct, and calming effect. One of the most used floral scents for perfumes, potions & lotions all over the world. It is warm and soothing to our senses and reminds us of those BBQ evenings.

Lemon Verbena has an extremely strong, lemony scent when crushed, essential potpourri and can also be used as a culinary herb.

Nepeta/Catmint is an aromatic herb that is commonly grown in the garden. Cats can safely nibble and eat catmint leaves, stems and flowers. Catmint
is very attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinating insects.

Dianthus is a tried and trusted plant, offering a long season of scent
and colour in borders and containers with minimal maintenance. This plant is also a very successful coastal plant.

For all your loyalty, please remember we are here to guide you on your planting questions.