DREGEA SINENSIS

This easy summer flowering climber seems to have a mistaken reputation for tenderness. It is at its best on a sunny wall and can be cut hard back during the winter. It begins to flower in late June or early July, producing panicles of white flowers with a hint of pink. The flowers have a curious and evocative scent. Each time I sniff I am strongly reminded of the smell of a child’s swimming bag, opened after spending a couple of days under the bed, – of damp towels and soggy rubber.