Nice smelling front garden ideas

[Esbm2015]

Trying to decide what to do with this space. It's at the front of our house and our bedroom overlooks it.

Ideally would love for it to be colourful and smell good for when we open our bedroom windows/people walk by.

It's south facing but not sure on soil type as its been compacted down with stones for years. We're hoping to dig it over and pop a good top soil on initially before putting anything in.

Forgot to attach image!

How much work do you want to do looking after it? Shrubs might work well but you would need to keep on top of them size wise. I've borrowed a couple of good books from the library by Alan Titchmarsh about garden design and plants that I strongly recommend. Also the why doesn't my garden book is great too

Happy to do some work on it especially to keep it looking nice through the year.
Thanks for the book recommendation - will take a look if my local library has them too.

I have planted lavender and a white climbing rose in my front garden. Smells lovely

If you can accommodate a climber, then Jasmine would smell wonderful in summer. For the winter, Sarcococca confusa - sweet box, which has small insignificant flowers in December that have a wonderful scent, and doesn't grow very large.

I have lavender all through mine and lining the front path. Only problem is that it’s grown too well and we have to walk round the path now instead in down it! The bees love it too.

A cottage garden style would look lovely there. What about a David Austin rose, there are some very strongly scented ones. I would have Hollyhock and cornflowers. Jasmine and honeysuckle if you have somewhere for them to climb.

Viburnum burkwoodii has a beautiful scent in late spring, early summer. It’s an evergreen shrub so would give structure to your garden.

I have a very smelly garden in a good way. Roses and Jasmine here. I find the deepest colour roses are the most pungent.

Is there space for fruit trees? Some blossoms smell nice?

I would work with the conditions and plant a dry Mediterranean (herb?) bed that requires minimal watering. Then perhaps a tree or shrub in a large pot to conserve moisture.

A fig would work with Mediterranean planting. I've got one in a brick planter and it's so easy to care for and fruits well.

I saw the topic title and came on to recomend Sarcococca confusa - sweet box but NanTheWiser beat me to it. I have it along our front hedge and it really does smell amazing in winter, it's evergreen as well so can give you structure but also scent in the winter when everything else is a bit dull.
I'd be tempted to grow it in a low hedge along the wall just like you would a low box hedge. Perhaps a row of lavender for scent in the summer and a lilac for spring smells.

Something like this, maybe

www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/lonicera-periclymenum-strawberries-and-cream/classid.2000023628/

There's also one called Rubarb and Custard which is a bit bigger, I think

Thanks for all your ideas. Especially love the thought of sarcococca and the honeysuckle too,along with English garden which had been my first thought

Daphnes are another lovely evergreen with beautifully scented flowers.