Fragrance Underfoot

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Pinks (Dianthus spp.)

Many kinds of Dianthus are natives of alpine areas, so they are well suited for rocky, well-drained areas of your garden, such as on a pathway. Smaller, mat-forming varieties of pinks, such as D. microlepsis, D. glacialis, and D. pavonius, produce 1/2- to 11/2-inch-wide pink or purple flowers each summer above tufts of silvery gray to green leaves. They prefer acidic conditions, and they really don’t like to get their feet too wet, so keep them out of spots with standing water in winter.

Alpine liverwort (Erinus alpinus)

Ideal for crevices in paving or stone walls, this tufted, semi-evergreen perennial is a native of the mountains of central and southern Europe. It produces short racemes of pink, purple, or white flowers 1/2 inch across from late spring to summer, grows about 3 inches high, and is adapted to Zones 4 to 7. For deep pink flowers, try the cultivar E. alpinus ‘Dr. Hähnle’. Alpine liverwort needs light to moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade and very good drainage.

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)

Although this delicate ground cover reaches 6 inches in height when it blooms in late spring, a light shearing in early summer will keep the scented leaves at a more manageable 4-inch height. Best in moist shade, sweet woodruff is hardy to Zone 4 and will grow in cool woodlands as far south as Zone 8. This is an ideal plant to grow in drifts along the edges of a shady stone walkway, with creeping stems and volunteer seedlings allowed to spread slowly inward between crevices.

Cranesbill (Geranium spp.)

Cranesbills are the more than 300 species of the genus Geranium. (The plant commonly known as the geranium is in the genus Pelargonium.) Cranesbills that might accompany you along a garden path include G. dalmaticum, a dwarf, creeping variety about 6 inches high with glossy green leaves and pale to bright pink flowers. It is adapted in Zones 5 to 7, and is evergreen in all but the severest winters. Another choice is G. farreri, with red stems and cup-shaped pale pink flowers, 5 inches tall. Both species grow best in humus-rich, sharply drained soil in full sun.

Corsican mint (Mentha requienii)

Most mints are so aggressive that they will quickly overtake a walkway, but not little Corsican mint, which features dainty, 1/4-inch-wide green leaves that grow into a fine-textured mat less than 1 inch tall, topped by light purple flowers in midsummer. Adapted in Zones 6 to 9, this mint requires excellent drainage and tends to suffer in extreme heat with no break from the midday sun. It offers a fine minty fragrance, so it’s worth trying in different spots to find a place that suits its needs perfectly.

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