Fragrant plant suggestions wanted

@cindy I've had mixed experiences with Parker's, vast majority good but occasionally not. No, I would just buy one and see how you get on with it. They're certainly NOT as purple as the Parker photos from my memory, David Austin ones I linked to are a better representation, which is one of the reasons I rarely buy from them nowadays, colours in photos are often not realistic. Hope this helps, Nick

 

Lots of plant which say they are blue are genuinely a more of a purple colour. There isn't that many plant which are a true blue colour. Out of the whole garden I probably only have a hand full of proper blue.

 

Colours .....descriptions....are exaggerated so much in many of the catalogues that they bear little resemblance to the truth.

Not a blue rose that I know of, or anything like it!

True blues Perki? Salvia patens ....Oxford a true dark, Cambridge is a true pale/sky blue.....for example, salvia cacalifolia too.
Linum perenne, some of the agapanthus, ceanothus, caryopteris, ceratostigma, etc are true blues so they are there.

 

I saw this light blue salvia at the garden centre the other day but they wanted £22.50 for it! Will get it young in a small pot for a fiver instead, I think...

Salvia 'African Sky'

Nick

 

@cindy the nearest thing I have to Purple/lilac Roses are...
Ebb Tide.

Waltz Time..


Both are scented but it's subtle..also must add that they do change colour with the weather and can look wishy washy but are soon replaced with the new buds.

 

@lolimac The Ebb tide looks gorgeous. Have looked on line and mostly out of stock but even if they had them they are VERY expensive unfortunately.
As for the ones in Parkers @Nikolaos Ive looked around and as both you and @Verdun point out the shown colours are very misleading so I shall give it a miss and keep my eyes open in GC's.
The Salvia 'African Sky' looks fab too.

 

@cindy Have a look around November time for bare root plants they work out much cheaper..

 

There are a lot of common names for salvias these days .....I know African Sky as Uliginosa but I have known it referred to as guaranitica. Both are very tall plants but the former likes wetter conditions so it’s worth getting to know what plant is offered

I cannot see why salvias are sometimes so expensive......however, check them out and compare prices. Nikalaos, £22.50 ? That is extortionate no matter what size it is. Go for small on eBay and grow on for next year

Both uliginosa and guaranitica are robust, even aggressive...as a lot of salvias are.....plants and send out runners that can be dug out and potted up...for nothing! Here I divide almost every year to keep compact.

 

Interesting roses - thanks.

I've just realised, we've all missed the most obvious purple/lilac scented plant, which is so ubiquitous we've just forgotten it. Buddleia!

 

Talking of ubiquitous, what about the common gorse? Across the Towans leading to the beach masses of gorse bushes emit the most wonderful scent....sort of vanilla/coconut
To add to this, wild thyme underfoot with its lemon smell .....Mother Nature gives us plenty of scent

Not sure anyone has mentioned Cytisus Battendieri.....the pineapple broom

 

I think they are probably bought by people who aren't knowledgeable and/or particularly keen on gardening but want something imposing which will have immediate impact in the garden. I certainly agree that it's extortionate but someone must be buying them!

Nick