Fragrant plants: fresh ideas for aromatic leaves I can chart my year through fleeting flowery smells from the garden. From narcissi, via wallflowers, lilac, old roses, lilies, buddleia, basil, walnut leaves, to Christmassy quinces, each short-lived fragrance is the essence of that season, but there is a leafy year-round backbone to the scented garden, that is evergreen, drought resistant, easy to grow and often overlooked. Top of my olfactory hit list are bay, juniper, rosemary and eucalyptus, followed by lavender, hyssop, citrus, cedar, myrtle and lemon verbena. Most of these stalwarts (listed right) contain volatile compounds in their leaves known as essential oils, as do other garden favourites such as fennel, artemisia, cistus, nepeta, geranium, sage, santolina and pine that should be picked, crushed and sniffed each time you pass them. Pick bunches and bring them into the house. Steep a few in the stewpot, light fires with some, burn others on barbecues, but best on bright breezy days I use them as laundry accessories to my recently erected washing line. Stretched between wooden poles is a rope (more easily grabbed by wooden pegs than skinnier plastic washing line), that's hoisted with a cleft hazel pole, so fresh air gets to sheets and towels more efficiently than on the ubiquitous rotary drier. The downsides are bird droppings (damn those seagulls) and shower dodging, but the rainwater acts as a fabric softener and the smell of fresh air as you climb into garden-dried bedclothes is well worth the effort. You can, as medieval washerwomen did, spread clothes to dry on fragrant bushes or hedges, or select a bunch of aromatic leaves, crush them fresh to mix half a cup with a cup of carrier oil, or soak them in distilled water for a few months. Or sprinkle handfuls direct on rugs before hoovering up, or pop them in muslin bags to layer between laundry, in drawers or in the airing cupboard or maybe just leave them to dry in pretty bowls for potpourri. Herb grower Susan Collins 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. Selling her herbs at local Kent farmers" markets and from her website invictaherbs.co.uk, Susan believes we retain olfactory memories longer than visual ones, so herbs are useful for dementia sufferers and other therapeutic horticulture. She gardens on her hands and knees to be nearer her plants" sensory clues, beds them alphabetically to help with identification and thinks gardeners are a flower-focused bunch who miss out on many fragrant plants that provide year-round pleasure. Bay (Laurus nobilis) or sweet bay can be used fresh or dried as a culinary herb in bouquets garnis and for drying clothes on topiary or potted specimens or hedges. Juniper in all its varieties has a spicy, pungent astringent smell reminiscent of gin and tonic. Use the cones and young foliage in potpourri and to light fires. Rosemary to form low hedges on which to dry clothes and impart a clean fresh deodorising smell. Always use trimmings to light barbecues. Eucalyptus or gum tree is best grown as a stooled shrub with attractive juvenile foliage in a glorious blue grey. Useful for flower arrangements and potpourri. Lavender pinnata has aromatic grey-green fern-like foliage with masses of bright blue flowers and a more lemony, spicier smell than more common spiky lavenders. Hyssop has a bitter, minty smell and lovely blue flowers. It makes a good low hedge to surround herb beds when clipped. Citrus The lustrous dark green leaves of most citrus plants have a zingy smell, especially grapefruit and lime, if you can avoid scale insects and mealy bugs. Cedar Many coniferous trees have delicious pine-smelling foliage and cones which can be used to light fires and wood that is used to discourage moths. Myrtle (Myrtus communis), with its fluffy flowers and leaves that smell of eucalyptus when crushed, needs shelter, but should be grown more frequently. Lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora) needs winter shelter, but the leaves when picked or used in a tisane give the freshest lemon fragrance - even better than citrus leaves. Save electricity. Zero greenhouse gas emissions by not using a spin dryer. Less wear and tear on clothes from spin drying cycles. No static on clothes. Less lint on clothes and less "bobbling" of fibres. Pegged properly, from the hem, clothes get less wrinkled and need less ironing. Save money on fabric softener and enjoy the smell of fresh aired clothes. Sue Collins (invictaherbs.co.uk) found thrive.org.uk useful for disadvantaged gardeners, and carryongardening.org.uk. Also see scentedshrubs.com and ecowashinglines.co.uk. THIS WEEK I HAVE BEEN Planting a wild flower Growmat (growboxgardens.co.uk) in the orchard for the bees and other insects