ISO Advice: Scented walkway

Grenage

Medz said:

Grenage said:

Aye with everything above, including the path construction.

We have a creeping thyme lawn and while it's perfect for our needs, it is only fragrant when the weather is very hot and dry.  Corsican mint is fantastic for aroma, but it never survives in my garden for long.

Hi there - what happens to it that means Corsican mint doesn’t survive in your garden long?  Best wishes. 

It just tends to slowly die off; that that I won't try again at some point, nor would I discourage giving it a go.  It's a wonderful plant for both the foliage and the scent.

greenbee

Davesnave said:

Medz said:

Thanks everyone. 

I gather there are specific plants that release their fragrance in the evening when their oils warmed by the sun cool down. Could anyone give me some examples that I could choose to plant near seating.

Nicotiana: not the smaller ones.
https://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/nicotiana-alata-grandiflora/classid.2000018836/

I love Nicotiana alata. There was one year when I had masses of it, and sitting in the garden in the evening was fabulous. It doesn't seem to self-seed that prolifically though. Or maybe I'm just too keen when I weed... 

sheramber

night scented stocks
some varieties of pinks.
Lavender

theoretica

I tried lawn camomile and it smelled lovely and then died - I think it, like creeping thyme, likes well drained soils.  Rayless camomile is nice too, but will never grow where I want it - it comes up in cracks with not much soil.  Choose your lavender carefully to get a compact dwarf variety.

theoretica

Not personal experience, but the plant list here looks tempting: http://www.rareplantfair.co.uk/news-and-articles/alternative-lawns-to-increase-garden-biodiversity/

Medz

Hi there. The link doesn’t work unfortunately. It raises a 404 error/ missing page message. 

Davesnave

Medz said:

Hi there. The link doesn’t work unfortunately. It raises a 404 error/ missing page message. 

It works for me. Try right click, open in new tab, or copy and paste into browser.

twopenny

The old fashioned Jasmine. Amazing in the evening. You can keep it pruned as a small bush if you nip it regularly.

But Evening Primrose is one of my favourites. It used to grown in sand dunes/golf course where I used to walk and it glows in the dark.

Medz

Hello again,

I have now ‘bedded’ the pavers using sand and they are now secure. 

I have tentatively decided on Corsican mint for the gaps between the pavers. 

How many plants should I plant between each step to ultimately achieve complete coverage? 

What’s the most cost effective form to buy the plants given the amount I’ll need? 

Many thanks and best wishes. 

Apodemus

A lot of good suggestions above, but Medz needs to filter these lists for his actual location.  Latitude, altitude, aspect and exposure may well conspire to make some of the suggestions unviable.  Many of these lovely plants are from warmer and drier climes than ours and may struggle depending on where Medz is located - I’d love a Mediterranean garden, but sadly it’s just not possible for me in rural Inverness-shire!