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, your safest bet is the white double Dianthus 'Mrs Sinkins' which smells like the wrists of wood nymphs. It's one of the old garden pinks (great scent, short flowering season, most of them about 30cm high) and was originally bred in 1868 by John Sinkins

Although the time for roses is long past they can be remarkably resilient. Here we are at the beginning of December and I have two flowering in my garden at the moment - Rosa 'The Prince' and R. Moonlight. It is true that neither bloom is much

sink is the flowering currant with its limply hanging pink flowers. Not only is it extremely boring but the slightest contact with the leaves releases an unmistakable smell of cat pee. (I could just about accept Ribes sanguineum King Edward VII if I

. Persicaria officinalis (or orientalis) is about 2m high with sturdy stems that don't need staking and heavenly hanging pink flowers. In America it goes by the name of Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate, which is another big selling point.I'm sure there are lots

-sized shrub with ditzy white flowers dotted along its semi-naked branches. It has a sharper, slightly spiced scent - more aftershave than soft florals.The most common is Viburnum bodnantense, which has boudoir pink flowers and smells of a Duchess's swansdown

colour, from frilly-knicker-pink and daffodil yellow, to navy blue ruffs and watery marmalade. Some seek to combine all the colours of an ice-cream shop in one flower - which I think is a bit of an insult to a noble stalwart. Personally, I prefer

-leaved variety that will light up a shady spot like a 100w lamp. The other is Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace', which has lacy purple leaves and flowers with a slight pink tinge.The most famous contemporary reference to the elder comes in Monty Python and the Holy

family audience).Since then I have used it a lot - especially in slightly shady corners. The insignificant flowers are a pretty insipid pink, and the leaves - though abundant - are never going to inspire sonnets but in October the whole plant

we have the spectacular Tulipa 'Paul Scheerer', T. 'Jackpot' and a few T. 'White Triumphator'. Apart from that there is the lovely early flowering Geranium 'Bill Wallis' and a very pretty pink cow parsley (Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum') but it

garden should have one. There are a couple of varieties that make excellent garden trees. In particular Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet', which has spectacular double pink flowers, and Crataegus laciniata which is much more compact.Fortunately we have