THE COASTAL GARDENER:

There is something magical about a garden that excites our senses. For many, the most powerful and memorable garden experiences occur when all of our senses are working; not just our visual sense, but taste, touch, sound and smell.

Espe- cially smell.

Too often, a garden is visually pretty, but it doesn’t awaken our senses completely. Something is missing. The experience of seeing a well-designed garden is paramount, but there is more. In a garden, after sight, smell is the most important sense to stimulate.

In a garden, we call this fragrance.

Typically, most local gardeners, when attempting to incorporate fragrance into a garden, will use copious additions of roses, jasmine, gardenia, plumeria and similar plants.

But wait, we live and garden in Southern California, a Mediterranean climate. Surely the most prevalent trend in the design and execution of a garden is what I will summarize as “garden matching place.” The founding principal is that an Orange County garden should, at least somewhat, seem like it belongs in Orange County. This principle is the basis of California Friendly gardening campaigns, sustainable gardening efforts, native plant popularity and so much more, and it accounts for the huge surge in the popularity of those plants that seem to “fit” our climate and our location.

So, if we put these two concepts together, arousing- our-sense-of-fragrance and garden-matching-place, the tactic of a wise gardener begins to become clearer.

In locations like Southern California and other places with a similar climate, architecture and lifestyle, fragrance is often not achieved through flowers, but through foliage. Specifically, the fragrances of these places are from plants that are rich in aromatic and fragrant oils.

A brief walk through an Orange County hillside will confirm a rich aroma and a unique fragrance. The aroma will be unmistakable. It will be very “California,” composed of the resinous foliage of sage (Salvia), wormwood (Artemisia) and others. Unlike the perfume from flowers, these oils come home with you, on your clothes. They will perfume your house for the rest of the evening. It will be the fragrance of California.

A walk through a hillside in southern Europe will yield a similar fragrance, although the contributors will be rosemary, lavender cotton (Santolina), bay laurel, wild marigold (Tagetes) or even Italian cypress. Stroll along a southern Australian hillside, and your clothing will soon yield a comparable aroma: eucalyptus, melaleuca, mint bush (Prostanthera) and tea tree (Leptospermum).

These plants contain volatile oils in their foliage and stems and sometimes even in their flowers. These are the characteristic resinous fragrances of Mediterranean areas around the world. And because they are oil-based fragrances, they work overtime in a warm, sunny, dry climate like ours. Volatile oils will vaporize and diffuse into the air around them, especially on warm days. As with any volatile liquids, the warmer the air, the more fragrance they release. How perfect. It is no wonder these plants are used almost exclusively in aromatherapy products that promote physical, spiritual and physiological well being.

Why do certain plants have such resinous and aromatic foliage, and why do they seem to be so characteristic of a Mediterranean climate like ours? Plants can’t run away from their enemies, be they bacteria, insect pests or browsing animals. Plant defenses might employ thick bark, sharp thorns, poisonous foliage or stinging hairs. In the case of these plants, their defense is in their oils.

Unlike vegetable oils, which are mostly extracted from seeds, these oils are found in any or all parts of a plant. Oils found in leaves are there to stop pests and animals from eating them. Oils in stems and roots also work to deter harmful microorganisms and even certain pathogens. In fact, rosemary oil and occasionally lavender oil is sold by garden centers as a natural pest and disease control. Artemisia is a terrific repellent for silverfish. Mulch made from lavender cuttings naturally deters insects and animals. Marigolds control nematodes, santolina in a closet drives away clothes moths and certain geranium oils are burned in oil lamps to deter mosquitoes.

You move into a new dimension of gardening when you stimulate all your senses, especially smell. The drifting fragrance of resinous, aromatic foliage subtly reminds us where we are. It makes the connection, garden-to-place.

ASK RON

Question: In June I acquired a Black Jack Fig tree. The figs it sprouted were absolutely marvelous! I got HUGE figs, so full of richness in every bite. Now, it’s autumn, and it’s not producing fruit any more. I haven’t a clue as to what particular things to do for the tree, especially in autumn. I’ve read several sites and forums on fig trees, but they are so general.

Vanessa

Answer: There is not a lot of maintenance to a fig. Be sure it is planted in a sunny spot, and mulch the soil around the tree to conserve moisture. This time of year, begin reducing irrigations, as the weather indicates. Your naturally dwarf Black Jack fig shouldn’t need any pruning this year. Put your fertilizer away until the plant begins to sprout and grow again next spring. Then feed it lightly with an organic product about every six weeks through July or August. Once the tree is established, avoid heavy winter pruning. It is better to prune immediately after the main crop is harvested in summer, if at all. If you wish to keep the plant especially small, prune half the branches about 1/3 to 1/2 one summer and the remainder the following summer.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener@rogersgardens.com, or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar