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Scent-sational climbers

This month I am looking for climbing plants with great fragrance. I asked clematis expert, Charlie Pridham, who also grows a wide range of other climbers for his top picks. For clematis Charlies selected C.montana 'Elizabeth' a pale pink from the 1950's which particularly good in the spring and for later in the year C. 'Betty Corning' with its pale blue bells and C x triternatarubromarginata which produces mass of pink and white vanilla scented flowers.

Honeysuckles are well known for their scent, and our native species Lonicera periclymenum is one of the best in the world for scent. In flower for most of the summer it is best in shaded from the midday heat and equally scented, but with a hint of spice and earlier into flower is Lonicera x italica.

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Lonicera glabrata which flowers in August and September, highly scented and evergreen. From a garden perspective I think all honeysuckles benefit from being pruned from time to time to take out the oldest wood and help them renew themselves from the base”.

Roses are renowned for their scent and the rambling rose group gives good results with very minimum effort. The wichuriana types like 'Alberic Barbier' and 'Francois Juranville' have flexible stems for tying in and apple-like scent.

More recognisably rose scented are ramblers like 'Rambling Rector' and 'Pauls Himalayan Musk' which are best for growing into trees and hedges".

The last mention goes to Wisteria floribunda. This flowers like crazy and apart from looking fantastic in early summer the perfume is absolutely gorgeous.

Charlie will be attending the plant fairs at Dorothy Clive Garden on Easter Sunday and Monday and Hodnet Hall on Saturday, June 10, and Sunday, June 11, with climbing plants from his nursery, Roseland House.

Janet and I run Plant Hunters’ Fairs, specialist plant fairs at wonderful locations offering special reduced entry rates to the gardens on the plant fair dates.

Planet Fair Dates: The Dorothy Clive Garden on Sunday, April 9, and Monday, April 10, Garden and Fair £5; Cholmondeley Castle Garden on Sunday, April 23, Garden and Fair £5; Weston Park on Sunday, April 30, and Monday, May 1, Garden and Fair £4;

Battlefield 1403 Farm Shop, Shrewsbury on Saturday, May 13, Free Entry to Plant Fair

; Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield on Sunday, May 14, Gardens and Fair £4;

Hodnet Hall & Gardens, Market Drayton on Saturday, June 9, and Sunday, June 10, Garden and Fair £5;

Sugnall Walled Garden, Eccleshall on Saturday June 17, Garden and Fair £1. For further details go online to: www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk.

Martin Blow

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