| Trees and shrubs can have many different | | | | or Pyramids on the simpler level up to Elephant, |
| forms, for example many conifers are conical, | | | | Peacock and Teddy Bear shapes for the more |
| pyramidal, or powerfully vertical. Some are | | | | experienced topiarist. Low box hedging can bring a |
| prostrate and spreading. To some degree these | | | | formal look to your gardening, even if other areas |
| are scented and everyone is familiar with the | | | | are less so: it can bring the garden "into line" so to |
| scent of pine, but it is only if you rub or brush | | | | speak, by creating straight lines of dense green. |
| against the tree, which can be a prickly | | | | Of course you can make a curved hedge from it |
| experience! Weeping trees have a very attractive | | | | too. One of its less attractive features is its smell, |
| romantic form and scented varieties include | | | | but that is a matter of personal taste. For me it |
| weeping Cercidiphyllum (Katsura Tree) Pendulum, | | | | smells too strongly of cat's urine! I experience this |
| which is quite spectacular. It has thrilling color in | | | | pungent odour every time I walk by it, but many |
| the fall and is scented like caramel. Also the | | | | people learn to live with or even love it simply by |
| weeping Silver Lime is an attractive choice for | | | | associating it with happy summer days pottering |
| scented gardening. A shrub that looks like a small | | | | around gardening. If you really can't handle the |
| tree is Buddleja Alternifolia, and it has lovely | | | | smell then consider using Lonicera Nitida instead. |
| flowers with the scent of honey in early summer. | | | | This shrubby honeysuckle has sweet, fruity |
| Trees can affect the character of a garden and | | | | cream-colored flowers. |
| all gardens, however small, should have at least | | | | Trees and shrubs can of course be used to make |
| one. They make such a strong outline against the | | | | a windbreak screen. In order to create the still, |
| background and the sky. A number of conifers | | | | sheltered micro climate in which other scented |
| have scented needles, such as juniper and | | | | plants can thrive, this may be essential, depending |
| cypresses. Some of them have slender columnar | | | | on the situation of your plot. Trees and shrubs |
| forms which are used in gardening to create a | | | | can make better windbreaks than walls, as they |
| formal or contemporary feel. The more spreading, | | | | don't offer the wind a "full stop" barrier which the |
| horizontal conifers like Cedar of Lebanon, (scented | | | | wind can then leap over and cause problems due |
| of blackcurrant in summer weather), Blue Atlas | | | | to eddying on the other side. If your region is |
| Cedar or Scots Pine, create a less formal look for | | | | reasonably mild for gardening, Eucalyptus can |
| a gardening design, but still have a distinct aura of | | | | grow very fast to create an instant hedge or |
| grandeur about them. | | | | tree in a selected spot. They have beautifully |
| Primarily we tend to choose trees and shrubs as | | | | minty-scented foliage, flowers with the scent of |
| gardening subjects because they fit architecturally | | | | honey, and are fast growers. They can be hard |
| into a given space. Scent is often the last criterion | | | | pruned if you don't mind a modicum of gardening, |
| we would use to select a large feature such as | | | | especially if you don't want them to grow so big |
| this. Trees and shrubs are such significant | | | | and if you want to keep the prettier, juvenile blue |
| gardening features that eventual size and the | | | | leaves coming back year on year. |
| shade cast may be of more importance than | | | | A number of gardening writers seem to ignore |
| scent. Shade is desirable to some degree, but if | | | | trees and shrubs when they write about scented |
| trees and shrubs are so big and planted on the | | | | gardening; perhaps small and pretty annuals spring |
| southern side of a garden they may cast | | | | to mind or of course roses. In fact a huge |
| everything into gloom! Scented blossoms may be | | | | amount of scent can be generated from |
| considered a bonus in gardening terms once the | | | | gardening with trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs |
| other considerations have been met. | | | | can give such a variety of powerful scents that it |
| For low, formal hedging you really can't beat the | | | | is a shame that most of us don't have the space |
| neatness of Box. It is not as fast growing as | | | | to use more of them in our gardens. The |
| privet. If your idea of gardening is about clipped | | | | architectural effect of trees and shrubs is |
| topiary, Box is ideal for designs such as Box Balls | | | | undeniable. |