If we’re talking jasmine, we have to ask: where did August go? We turned our backs for a moment and it’s almost gone, which is a very Augusty thing to do. We’ll miss it. But there’s that smell, or rather, that lovely pink fragrance on the air again. If it’s almost September, of course it’s got to be Jasmine.
Wherever you live, chances are in September, you’re not too far from spring’s most seductive scented shrub. Its pretty, sweet scent wafts over garden walls in September as its blossoms announce the arrival of Spring. You’ll know when you’re in the company of Jasmine – she’s not afraid of showing off her perfume.
The plant is a genus of shrubs and vines that’s actually part of the olive family. (You’d never know.) They’re not indigenous to Africa but quite a few jasmine species are available here. Just make sure the jasmine you choose can survive the frost levels – if there are any – in your garden. Ask the experts at your garden centre.
If you don’t have one of these plants in your garden, get one this season, and enjoy the fragrance every spring.
All the flowers
are popping up!
Snip off just a few sprigs, (you don’t need much) place them in a little vase, and you’ll have a sensationally fragranced home.
If you’re looking to plant your own, remember that jasmine grows best in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil, and you should make sure they’re in a position where they’ll enjoy full sun or semi-shade.
But Spring isn’t only about jasmine. All the flowers are popping up – and they’re delightful, both to look at and to smell. They do it for the bees, but we happen to love it, too. So bring great, big bunches into your home. Mix them up and have a festival of florals back in your life after a long, chilly winter.
