Its hard to beat the freshness of the British countryside in May. Gardens are bursting with new growth and the trees are full of blossom and birdsong. We gardeners are full of optimism of what we hope will be a spectacular season ahead, keeping a steely eye on the clouds and thermometer and braving some of the more tender plants out in the open. The scented leaved pelargoniums can now safely be planted outside and are the hard working underdogs of many a patio pot-garden. They provide a fresh foil to more showy neighboring blooms and don't mind at all if you forget to water them, in fact rewarding you with even stronger smelling oil rich leaves. I try to always have a pot by a path or seat so that a leaf can be pulled and crushed while having a five minute day dream ( a gardener's perogative ). There are many varieties with scents from cedar to lemon sherbert, although I love best the classic geraniumy, resiny, musky, zingy smell and vigorous growth of ones such as "Radula", "Candy Dancer" or the variegated "Lady Plymouth".
By Will Vincent