About this box
A patio is where you sit at the end of the day, so it is where scent counts most. The Scented Patio Collection brings together five flowers that grow happily in pots and window boxes, three of them chosen for fragrance and two for soft colour and height, to turn a back step or a small terrace into somewhere you want to linger on a summer evening.
Night-scented stock looks modest by day, then opens as the light fades and gives the strongest scent of any hardy annual; a pot of it by the back door will scent the whole terrace. Alyssum Carpet of Snow spills over the rim of a pot in a low white mat with a honey scent remarkable for such tiny flowers. Dwarf Sweet William Indian Carpet makes a neat mound of bright bicolour flowers with a clove perfume, ideal for the front of a container. For height, Thunbergia Amber Eyes twines up a cane wigwam or an obelisk in a large pot with warm amber flowers round a dark eye. And Californian Poppy Thai Rose Chiffon brings ruffled dusky-rose flowers over blue-grey foliage, perfect for a dry, sunny pot that gets forgotten.
Four annuals flower the first summer, and the Sweet William follows the next spring.
Container Growing — Two Golden Rules
Drainage first — ensure pots have holes in the bottom and add a layer of gravel or broken crockery at the base to prevent waterlogging. Feed and water consistently — plants in pots cannot search for moisture like those in the ground. Put the scented pots where you sit or pass in the evening: by the door, beside a bench or under an open window. Full instructions are printed on every packet.
Five full-sized packets in our signature eco-friendly packaging — a thoughtful gift for anyone who loves to sit outside on a summer evening. For flowers through the seasons, see The Patio Flower Garden Collection.
