SWEET-SMELLING FLOWERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1935, 26 March 1891, Page 5

SWEET-SMELLING FLOWERS.

Everyone knows of- a few favourite flowers that are sweet-scented, and that are grown as much for their odour as their beauty. Tastes differ, and you will observe that some persons never apply their noses to a flower or leaf of any kind, and I confesa I am of tbe number. Though enjoying tbe odour of flowers with a real zsst, I have such a passion for oolour that, nnless the fragrance of a flower is sufficiently powerful to arrest my attention, it ib rarely I think to ascertain whether it is odorouß or not. On the other hand, many persons put the olfactory nerves in action at first sight of a flower, and will forgive any or every fault as to form and colour if it ba but sweet-scented. There are, indeed, very few flowers but emit an agreeable odour, though it may be faint. Everybody knows tbe fragrance of mignonette, holiotrope, Aloysia citriodora (commonly called soented verbena), sweer pea, lilac, hawthorn, liaie, lavender, sweetbriar, southernwood, violets, hyacinths, honeysuckle, white jasmine, clematis, cytisus, musk, meadowsweet, cloves, stocks, wallflowers, and (to pass by a thousand other?) the queen of flowers— most beautiful of all in colour, form, foliage, and fragrance — the rose. But there are a few exquisitely scented plants which very few know of.

Sweet Gale or Box Myrtle. — Myrioa pie is a native of Britain, and quite hardy. This is more deliciously Boaated than any myrtle, and tbe best of all vegetable products to place in drawers with clothing, to render them delightfully perfumed. When nearing

this plant during a garden ramble, the nose,, is informed of its proximity to a aourc9 of a moat refreshing and agreeable spicy odour/ ■and a twig of the plant broken off at any J time, winter or summer, will retain its fragrance for monthß, if kept enclosed in a book or between folds of linen. Hung up anywhere in a room, it will diffuse its sweet odour for weeks together in the atmosphere ; and as the plants grow freely, it only needs to be cut at judiciously, and it will supply twigs all the year round for any purpose for whioh its fragrance may be required. This plant is plentiful on the dreary waste of Dartmoor, where the red pebbly heath aoil aeema to suit it admirably. It will grow anywhere with hardy heaths and rhododendrons, and when bearing catkins is an interesting though not a beautiful object. When the sweet gale is boiled, a Wax rises to the* surfade of the water, which, if Collected and made into oandlesj emits the same spicy fragrance while burning. CoESiOAN TflTMJfc.— Another quite hardy plant rarely seen in English gardens, and the most delioioußly scented of all herbaceous plants, is Thymua Oorsious, the Oorsioan thyme. This f orms a close spreading tuft like a miniature deoumbent chickweed, and before comes into bloom is attractive for its close feltlike appearance, having somewhat the aspe of a tuft of moss or spergula. But always emits some amount of thymy odour, whioh is more powerful than any other thyme when the leaves are rubbed or bruised by the hand. During the sUmmemonths it ia oovered with myriads of littla purple flowers not much larger than the head of a pin ; and then for its fragrance it is of the highest value. Ladies who amuße themselves in the garden should obtain thiß thyme and keep it ; we have grown it for many years on a very, simple plan. Tbe tufts are grown in Sin pots ; when the season is at an end the pots are placed in a cold frame and simply left alone till spring. By that time all the plants have died, but the surface of the mould is covered with seedlings, self-grown in the pots the previous season. These are daiefully lifted out in clumps of two or three together and planted in the centre of pots filled with fresh soil} any light, rich sandy mixture will do. One plant plaoed in the Centre will soen cover a sin pot, as the branohes run alone and root aa they go ; these will sow their own seeds as before, and tbe species need never be lost. ThisCorsican thyme is a suitable plant for the obinka in front of a rookery, and a very good companion, for it is the variegated form of the common thyme. This is a Bweet, pretty shrub, with yellowish-grey leaves, the points of whioh are tinged with a lively red during its first growth in spring. When in bloom it has no beauty, but is powerfully fragrant. There is a variegated variety of our English wild thyme, Thymus serpyllua variegatus, whioh has all the mountain aroma of the species. All the varieties -and species of Thymus thrive .in English gardens, on sandy banks, but in damp or shady situations they do not live long, or at least rarely survive the winter, GAtosNiA OtTßtoDottA, which should be grown in a moist stove, and with good treatment! blooms most profusely, produces highly fragrant flowers. Little plants a few inohes .high will produce a dozen blossoms at a time. This (may be grown as well in a warm greenhouse, but it will not bloom there in the depth of winter. Gardenia radioans is much better for a < cool house, and never fails to reward the carajful cultivator with an abundance of its fragrant white blossoms. The way to manage them! is to prune directly after flowering, and grow I them N rapidly in moist heat ; 'nothing better than the heat cf fermenting material, the .moisture from whioh they quite relish. Harden them off in autumn', keep them rather dry during winter, and start them into bloom in moist heat in spring. Without warmth and moistpre, gardenias rarely bloom as they ought, but become infested with fly, and are then more plaguethan profit. Rhynooapermum jasminoides is a valuable greenhouse climber with fragrant flowers. It belongs to the natural order of Dogbanss. When planted out in peat and loam, and carried- up the back wall of a greenhouse, it formti a neat climber, and when in flower per* fume? -the house most delightfully. As it rarely grows more than 4ft or sft high, it should only be used on a low trellis, and does better planted out than in a pot. For the information of many who love old border plants, we will add that Solomon's Seal, generally regarded as odonrlesß, emits a delightful honey like fragrance when out and placed in a vase in the sitting room. As this is one of the commonest of plants and one of the moat elegant,- many -may enjoy a • breath of spring who are so bad off as to be without stocks and wallflowers,-— Amateur Gardening.