Jasminum officinale ‘Affine’

If one introduces an arch into a garden it is normal to assume that one wants to grow something over it.
I chose the Jasmine.
The Jasmine however, decided that it didn't want to pander to my needs and refused to give out a scent. Two years passed; This year the first blossom (shown here) arrived and after a few sniffs dark thoughts began to arrive in my mind... What use is an arch without a shrub that has scent growing over it? I decided to let it go and to replace it in the Autumn.
No prizes for guessing what Jasmine did next.
The scent is wonderful! It is almost the quintisential English garden smell.
And the sting in the tale?
It has been let go. Now an unruly mess that will require a lot of careful pruning to get it back into shape. It winds its way through the arch in a way that will, in future years, prove hazardous to the integrity of the structure. Meanwhile, I revel in the glory of the odour!