Summer's peak causes gardens to wilt, yet it's still feasible to establish tiny havens of delight in shadowy corners
In the heart of the English countryside, renowned garden designer Isabel Bannerman has created a haven of fragrant delight. With over 40 years of experience, Bannerman's gardens are a testament to her passion for scented plants and her ability to blend historic inspiration with contemporary style.
As the summer season arrives early this year, the gardens are awash with a symphony of scents. Perennial peas twine with their pale satin snails, elevating the garden in the thickening dusk. The air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of lavender, a signature scent in Bannerman's designs.
Lavender (Lavandula) is highly aromatic and is used in both decorative borders and culinary applications. In Bannerman's gardens, it grows in the borders in front of topiary scenes, prized for its fragrant use in edible flower cakes like lavender and lemon drizzle cake.
Other scent-producing perennials associated with Bannerman's gardening style include aromatic members of the mint family (Lamiaceae), such as salvias, known for their scent in mixed perennial borders. Salvia nemorosa, for instance, is a common sight in her garden plantings, providing both scent and color continuity across seasons.
While there is no exhaustive list specifically attributed to Bannerman, key fragrant perennials connected to her garden designs or the styles she inspires are numerous. Other aromatic mints or Lamiaceae family plants, with their scented foliage or flowers, are likely included in her scented perennial choices.
The gardens are a riot of colour and scent, with 'David', the top choice among Phlox paniculata, offering a satin-scented softness and boudoir-like smell. The spires of Veronicastrum virginicum 'Album', 'Erica', or V. virginicum f. 'rosea' are sought after for their tall, wandy things in the garden.
Other fragrant delights include the Himalayan cow parsley (Selinum wallichianum), which thrives in similar conditions, and the roses Rosa moschata autumnalis 'Princess of Nassau' and the Rosa 'Paul's Perpetual White', which make a cooler garden in the gloaming.
Bowles, Bannerman's husband, shares her love for scented plants, particularly hollyhocks. The perennial branching cross between alcea the hollyhock and althea the marshmallow, Alcalthaea suffrutescens 'Parkallee', is a testament to this shared passion.
In the twilight, the gardens take on a magical quality. The spires of wild-looking Clematis rehderiana, with its waxy reflexed blooms of a primrose color and cowslip scent, stand out against the deepening shadows. The trumpets of wood tobacco, Nicotiana sylvestris, Nicotianas affinis, and N. suaveolens, peering out of the gloom shyly, perfume the still night.
Bannerman's latest book, A Wilderness of Sweets: Making Gardens with Scented Plants, published by Pimpernel Press earlier this year, offers a glimpse into her world of scented delights. Her work has also been recognised by His Majesty King Charles III, who granted her and her husband Julian the Royal Warrant in 2024.
To see more of Isabel Bannerman's fragrant gardens, visit bannermandesign.com.
The home-and-garden website features articles on Isabel Bannerman's fragrant gardens, showcasing her passion for gardening and garden design, as well as offering tips for growing scented plants like lavender and Phlox paniculata (David).
Aromatic perennials like Salvia nemorosa, Alcalathaea suffrutescens 'Parkallee', and certain roses are staples in Bannerman's garden designs, contributing to the refreshing scent of her gardens through their scented foliage or flowers.
