More intoxicating than any exorbitantly priced, famous perfume, the fragrance which wafts from the brown and gold bell shaped blooms of Boronia megastigma has captured the imagination of generations of gardeners. The flowers open in spring and for weeks on end the perfume wafts on the air, far from the bush. The flower colour is comparatively subtle, but it’s the sort of shrub that you start to walk past, then the scent halts you in your tracks and you look around to see where it’s coming from. The flowers are good for picking too and a vase of them will scent a room. A little vase of them on their own is ideal, so you can pick it up easily and bury your nose in them for a truly intoxicating experience.

The only problem with Boronia megastigma is that it tends to be short lived. It will live longest in a soil which never has lime added, is rich in compost, is well drained but never dries out. Sun for at least half the day is important. One of the fertilisers as recommended for rhododendrons or camellias is good too. But if getting it to endure is a problem, it’s worth buying a new bush every year, so uplifting is its presence in the garden. Plant it near a window that’s usually open, so the fragrance can waft indoors, or near the front door. If you’re regarding it as a temporary plant, why not pop it into a container. What a welcoming statement and guaranteed talking point it will make for callers.