Treats for the nose

There are the many different varieties of thyme - lemon, caraway and orange spice that tempt you to brush your hand over, as you pinch off a few leaves to add to a vegetable dip, soup or salad dressing.

Basil has a deep, rich aroma that puts one in mind of hot climates, olive oil and plump red tomatoes. There’s the appley delight of mat-forming chamomile that is said to grow even better the more you tread upon it, and the mouthwatering ferniness of dillweed.

I have many of these herbs planted alongside the fence of my patio, and have tossed a few branches of rosemary onto the crackling fire in my chiminea just to release it’s sharp, piney scent.

I picked up a pot of lovage the other day, simply because I missed its potent celery presence in my garden. This tall, slim herb grows to six feet and has such a concentrated celery-like essence, you need only simmer a short length of it in a stew or soup for 20 minutes. Its hollow stems are also good for sipping bloody marys through. It’s always a good year when I’m able to snag a pot of lemon verbena - a tender perennial herb with such a heavenly fragrance I can’t resist riffling my hand through its strap-like leaves every time I pass by.

But fragrance is not confined to the herbal family alone. Who can resist inhaling the full-headed beauty of lilacs, or sniffing a rose? So many of these softly petalled blooms now carry the old-fashioned attribute of a heady perfume.

Even some perennials provide the bonus of an appealing scent. I get a kick out of watching the reaction of those I encourage to stick their nose in a mountain bluet (Centaurea montana). It smells just like cotton candy. Run your hand over the spent blooming wands of lamb’s ear and you’ll notice a distinct blueberry fragrance. And who can dispute the olfactory fame of lily-of-the-valley or lilies?

Others that appeal to the nose include stock, heliotrope, mignonette, honeysuckle, sweet peas…. the list goes on and on.