Musky orange, honeycomb and sweet pea

There's a rose in the garden which has goblet-shaped cupped flowers and smells sweetly of musky oranges. The colour is pale apricot fading to yellow and unfortunately I cannot remember its name; I'm fairly sure it's one of the David Austin English roses (I'll check his catalogue), as they tend to be the roses that I favour; they repeat flower well and are generally highly perfumed, which is a quality that I really value in a rose. Some are a little prone to black spot, but if you cut out the affected leaves and stems, feed, water and mulch the plant well, then they resiliently send out fresh new shoots with flower buds. As we garden organically, insecticides and pesticides are not an option, so I just have to know my roses well and deal with any problems before they get a serious grip on the plant.

Books about roses

A garden of perfumes and scented plants is a sensual feast as you can almost taste the range of different flavours. I have two plants of Jasmine 'Clotted Cream'; one is entwined around the porch, partly under open cover and partly outside. The flowers are a pale creamy yellow and are highly perfumed, with a scent reminiscent of the rich, almost sickly sweetness of honeycomb. They are particularly effective near gates and doors because you smell them every time you go out or in. The other is around the door of our studio, mingling with the flowers of the pink thornless rose 'Zephirine Drouhin'. Together they make a lovely combination, as do another two or three plants in a bed of oranges, yellows and rusty reds, Rosa 'Summer Song' and the yellowy orange Day Lillies. The rose is another of David Austin's small miracles.