Here are 4 remarkable gardens

These are typical of gardens that inspire me through both my nose & my hands to add aromatic plants to my designs.

All 4 are destinations that take a 1/2 day or more to enjoy since they are large & have many unique features. But each has a lesson to offer about garden environments stimulating all the senses.

Off to France

Grasse: Where roses became perfume

In France there is a museum in the hills northwest of Antibes in Grasse with gardens dedicated to the art of fragrances in perfumes, naturally called the International Perfume Museum or the Musee de Grasse.

Each May, some 50,000 roses are imported from all over France and Italy for the four-day Expo Rose, during which this venerable capital of perfume is dressed up with thousands of garlands.

Grasse was the center of the perfume industry in Europe for centuries, but in the last 30 years, production has moved to Africa, China, & India.

Luckily the expertise remains in Grasse to be shared in a conservatory environment at the museum. And better yet for us, there are gardens to visit that were created in 2007 as another part of the museum.

Entry in 2019 is still a modest 4 Euros

In their gardens, crops of species grown traditionally for perfume are alongside broader landscaped areas highlighted by various collections of fragrant or aromatic plants.

The gardens’ primary purpose is to contribute to the conservation of diverse species traditionally cultivated for the perfume industry.  Roses have been an integral part of that for centuries and are on display everywhere – even on trellises.

Details are on the museum’s website, with further links, here.

Loire Valley: A castle of French fragrance

In the Loire valley, The Château of Le Rivau rosery is like no other, because all its roses have been specially chosen for their fragrances. This unique selection has led to the creation of a one-of-a-kind conservatory dedicated to fragrant roses.

The gardens boast a collection of 450 rose varieties listed by the Conservatory for Specialist Plant Collections (CCVS) in Paris.

More side Valley sidetrips within 30 minutes:

Fontevraud Abbey In place for over 1000 yrs

Castle of Azay le Rideau A gem of the Renaissance

Castle and Gardens at Villandry  With large french gardens

Castle of Langeais With a large attached park

Royal Fortress of Chinon Stronger than a castle

Tip: 1 Le Riveau full ticket = 1 reduced fare at these 6 other historic sites.

~ Be sure to show your Riveau ticket when at their ticketing desk. ~

Back to England

Cornwall’s whimsical aromatic garden

Antony’s formal gardens, set in an imposing landscape with beautiful views down to the River Lynher, feature expansive lawns, hedges, a summer garden, & borders with fragrant roses and mixed shrubs.

The beautifully proportioned house at Antony sits high above three terraces on the north west side. The planting scheme on the terrace emphasizes the white ‘Iceberg’ variety of rose which grows in a rolling, tumbling fashion with a mass of flowers contrasted with muted purples and blues.

Now this National Trust property might look like a typical 18th-century estate from the outside, but take a closer inspection and you’ll find that all is not as it might seem.

Inside there’s a wonderland – Alice’s Wonderland to be precise – where you can enter a fantasy world from the Lewis Carroll novel.

Take the larger-than-life caterpillar who sits smoking a hookah pipe on the lawn, for example.

Then there’s the ‘rabbit hole’, which leads to an over-sized garden where you suddenly feel like you’ve shrunk.

After you’ve done battle over a game of croquet or on a giant chessboard, why not head inside the house, where there are Reynolds portraits, 18th-century furnishings and a looking glass or two adorning every room.

You can even take time to reward yourself after a day of exploring with a cup of tea and a slice of cake in their tea room.

Details about Antony House’s operations are here

A formidable castle in Devon

Famous for being the last castle built in England, you’ve still got to be stunned by the brooding fortified manor house of Compton Castle, complete with curtain walls, towers, and portcullis. To the rear, steps at the top of the lawns lead you down into the fragrant rectangular rose garden.

In the summer months the heady smell of roses and scented wisteria hits you before you finish climbing the steps, and then the sight of many roses climbing the pergola and lining the paths takes your breath away.

Details about Compton Castle’s operations here

These gardens should give you plenty to think about for your garden. I wish this was smell-a-vision, rather than just electrons as text, to convey an atmosphere.

Fragrance can surround our castles too

In the last part of the 20th century, fragrance had been engineered out of many available garden roses in the interest of emphasizing color & hardiness.  The industry (and it is an industry) had focused on easy-to-grow products for their target market of the next generation of home & community gardeners. 

Luckily, at the request of that new generation of rose lovers, fragrance has made a comeback.

“The English Roses are famous for the diversity and strength of their fragrances, with many varieties having won awards, both nationally and internationally, for their delicious fragrances which can be Old Rose, Tea, fruity, myrrh, musky or almost any mixture of these elements.”

David Austin, David Austin Roses

Fragrant rose catalog at David Austin Roses here

There are also some popular & fragrant roses among the ARS James Alexander Gamble Award winners. These are awarded for being considered the most fragrant in municipal and private gardens throughout the entire United States over a five-year period.  Great reference. . .

The Gamble Fragrance Award list is at ARS here

Everywhere I turn now, I find dedicated artisans in many crafts, but the legacy of fragrance – from garden to boutique is so precious – is so delicately human. Discovering that is one of those things travel to gardens is for.

I hope this helps you find more fragrant roses for your garden – especially to set up close to the walking areas where your passing-by will spread the scent into those special, quiet, reading spots. Enjoy the memories they evoke.

Sources: Wikipedia, Musee de Grasse, ARS, David Austin Roses , CCVS, Castle Le Rivau, Walt Disney Studios, Compton Castle, Antony House, The National Trust,