Smells Like Autumn

For avid gardeners, the sense of smell is an important part of the process.

Damp soil, fresh cut grass, the scent of roses….and for many Gabriel Ash customers the amazing tang of a beautiful red cedar wood 

Gabriel Ash greenhouses and cold frames rely on the traditional properties of red cedar wood –supported by discreet aluminium elements –to hold reinforced glass. As many customers point out, it’s the smell of a Gabriel Ash structure, as well as its beauty, which tell you it’s a greenhouse for true gardeners.

How do you use your nose in gardening?

According to an article in The Telegraph, herb grower Susan Gollins relies on the smell of plants when gardening.

She was just 25 when diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic and progressive visual impairment, so being able to smell her plants is vital.

She sells what she grows at farmers markets and on her website invictaherbs.co.uk

We can’t help wondering too, how many folk planning their 2013 projects are using the scents as a building block for what they include in their greenhouses?

How about growing a Helichrysum italicum, with its curry-scented leaves, alongside Lavender, or Chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus; which has beautiful deep red flowers that give off a chocolate/vanilla scent.

Sensory gardens are a wonderful place to mix up fragrances – one school in Norwich found children naturally gravitated to the shrub that smelt like peanut butter!

Whatever you plant this Autumn and whatever you are planning for next year, don’t forget to follow your nose.