Spring 2011 - Share your pictures and scents

Well my garden is finally blooming and emitting such lovely fragrances that I just thought I'd like to share with all my fragrant friends and see what you have blooming in your gardens (there maybe something I "need" to put on my list) haha

Enjoy and please share your fragrant beauties :)

As always my faithful, trusty Rangoon Creeper....I love the smell of melons. Such a pretty plant and never attacked by bugs or disease. I chop it down in the fall and each spring it graces me with it's pink, white and red fragrant blooms, over and over again.

Michelia Alba

I always wait anxiously for this plant to bloom each year, I love the fragrance even though it doesn't waft as much as my rangoon or some other plants I have. I can smell it in the evening when it's humid and I am watering the garden, especially when there are about 4-5 blooms on my tree. It's smells like sweet bubblegum to me right now (8am on a humid morning), quite strong.

I have it in a large container and it's been in there for 5 years happily, about 4ft high and in morning/midday sun.

Jasmine - Grand Duke of Tuscany

Heavenly fragrance. One flower in a vase of water in the house permeates the air for 2-3 days.

Wrightia religiosa - Water Jasmine

A beautiful plant with a faint perfume

Love, Love, Love gardenia's. This one is in the ground and in it's happy medium of part shade in the afternoon sun.

My faithful Abraham Darby rose....old rose fragrance

Samantha - Big hello and I am soooo jealous...LOOK at all your pretties!!! The Michelia Alba is the one plant I miss that didn't make it...I loved that scent!! Maybe I need to rethink getting another Grand Duke...I have no earthly idea where mine went...fairly certain I had one...sheesh. How are you girl??

HI Chantell....I knew I'd see you on here, I'd been missing in action there for a bit but I can't stay away for too long, Dave's is addicting, especially when the soil warms up and there's no one else to share picture's, stories or questions with.

Yes that Michelia Alba is a favorite of mine, she's been so close to dying so many times, I think I've finally found her spot in the garden that she likes. I do drag her in whenever there's a scare of frost though and the large pot she's in is a pain but she's worth it.

You lost your grand duke? I'm going to try and root some cutting so if any take I'll send you one, but so far every time I try I kill them off by either watering too much or forgetting them before their fully rooted. I'll let you know if any take. My neighbor wants one also.

I'm actually moving more towards veggies and fruit in my garden but I'll always keep my favorite fragrant flowers....I just can't bare to get rid of them. But my rule to be a plant in my tiny garden is you have to either give me something to eat, smell yummy or be an amazing flower.....tough criteria I know but space is very tight! HAHA

Well I hope we'll see your flowers soon....I'm sure yours should be waking up now and gracing us with their scents.....do show please. :)

Samantha - I had to laugh when I read your criteria to be a plant in your yard. I have the same exact requirement for mine with one qualifier - in addition to being an amazing flower, you get a bonus point if you can double as a cut flower. I just recently did away with the last of my front lawn and turning that section into a raised vegetable bed.

I wonder if the grand duke will survive in zone 9a? Do you bring yours in when there is danger of below freezing? Chantell - was yours in a pot that gets moved?

I brought my mom a Michelia for mother's day years ago, and it is doing great in her yard, just finished blooming recently. Have either of you tried rooting cuttings from a Michelia? I tried once or twice, but I am not good at taking care of cuttings as they develop roots so 99% of all my cuttings end up dying.

Soilsandup hello again. I'd love to plant flowers for cutting and have a few but most of the cut flowers here that I could use get tall and I also have lots of shade in the front of my house due to a large oak tree taking up a lot of room. I do have lots of Caladiums though, they are actually a great cut "flower" so to say if you could call them a that...more like a leaf but just as pretty as a flower with their beautiful designs. I did buy a lot of Chrysanthemum plants last year that were tiny and this year they are wonderful, although falling over everywhere, I think I need to take cuttings to shorten them once they have flowered.

As for the Grand Duke, I'm not positive it would survive outside in 9a, mine looses all it's leaves and I try to cover it whenever it's getting below freezing here so I have never let it fend for itself, however I don't drag it in during winter, the pot is too big and it is so tall now. I have heard people grow them in a pot in a sunny window though.

I tried rooting the Michelia but as usual with all my rootings, I totally forget about them or water them to death when I do remember them. Sadly I've had no luck so far.

Here's one of the Caladium Leafs

When does your caladium break ground? I planted a few bulbs a couple of months ago, but no sign of growth yet. I have them in the shaded area of the yard, so maybe that soil has not warmed up enough yet. And you are totally right in that they look great in arrangements - I never considered them until I saw them being used like that a few years ago.

With the few chrysanthemums that I have, I pinch them back around July so that when they flower in the fall, the stems would not be too tall. They root really easily - I pinched one of my yellows and stuck them in the ground next to the mother plant and about 5 of them rooted.

The caladium really didn't wake up until it got hot here, middle of May. Some are still just waking up so I think for yours just give them a bit more time, they will pop up when it gets warm enough for them. The great thing about caladiums is that in a vase they last a long time, usually outlasting any other flower I put in with it.

Thanks for the tip on the Chrysanthemum's I will try that this time round and also try rooting a few.



Even though Brugs aren't too good for cutting, they smell so divine on a humid night.

Astcgirl, I'm jealous of all those beautiful, fragrant plants you can grow in zone 9. I have zone envy really bad. LOL Your photography is wonderful too! Ooooh, I wish I could smell that AD rose! I might have to find me one of those.

I've only just discovered "fragrance" in the garden in the last year or two. I've been gardening for about 12 years now but my main focus was always on big, bold blooms and exotic foliage. I've discovered fragrance quite by accident and have become obsessed I'm afraid. LOL

One of my favorite fragrances comes from my moonflower datura bush. I love this plant. That lemon-Pledge fragrance it emits after dark is just divine!

I do have some fragrant roses like Grenada which will knock your socks off.

I have irises and a few other scented flowers too. But most of my scents come from herbs and mints. I have about 25 different mints. Chocolate and Ginger mints are my favorite. And Lemon balm is just divine. But nothing beats the sweet smell of basil. Cinnamon basil is probably my favorite. I love to put it along pathways so when I brush against it, that fragrance is released. It's just awesome! People often seem surprised that I don't cook or use my mints and herbs in any culinary way. But I just love the smell of them. I do cut the mints and herbs and give to friends who do cook, and they love it. One day, when I get my gardens "done", maybe I take time to cook with herbs. But when weather permits, I just don't have time to be stuck inside with cooking and cleaning. I've got to get dirty! :-)

ButterflyChaser...Thank you for the compliments....I can understand the obsession over fragrant plants.

Your datura looks beautiful, I haven't go any datura yet, but will put it on my list for next season. My mints are dying down now that the heat is setting in, I love my Kentucky Mint and also the Lemon Balm, I don't use them enough other than Mojito's with the neighbors....that's really the only main reason we all grow it for our Mojito parties :)

Great pictures everyone. I just planted a new Grand Duke as mine died this past winter. We had a freak freeze and it got down into the teens!! I used to garden for unusual flowers until my friend introduced me to fragrant flowers and plants, now that is mostly what goes in my garden.

My Grand Duke impressed me! Left in its pot outside by the (heated) pool all winter...and we had FREAK weather. Actually had three straight days where we didn't get out of the 20's! Not long after that, the foliage all turned yellow. I was heartbroken, cut it back to the mulch (a rather thick 4" layer) but kept up weekly waterings because...you never know. Sure enough, it's now about a foot tall and going strong. :)

You all are so lucky...be able to have those jasmines outdoors year round!!! I did happily notice a few buds on my confederate jasmine outside. Thank goodness...I've only seen blooms on that girl a couple of times in the 4 years I've had her in the ground. I should snap a couple pics...now that I think about it...

Blooms are just beginning in my garden, has been a cool spring and rainy. Yeah rain. Blooming........Iris--dwarf and intermediates just opening.......thermopsis......dicentra luxuriant.. would have been blooming but a 4 legged bandit ate the blooms as they were beginning to open...*****!!!!!***!!.lol. jj's. Centaurea montana and m. alba......AND one of my favs. Hesperis matronalis...yum is so fragrant....common name is false phlox. Lilacs any day now, another yum. And many to come, yeah!!!!!

Pretty purples warriors, what a beautiful background. Now lilacs.....that is one flower I "WISH" I could have in my tropical garden. It was one of my favorite fragrants growing up and I always picked a bunch from our garden for my mother whenever they bloomed. Sadly I can't grow them here in Florida (even though I did try). Please post a pic when they do bloom.

Chantell.....yes please post your confederate jasmine, I'd love to see it. I started fertilizing my Grand Duke after it finished blooming and it sent out another flush, so I'm so excited right now with my morning walks. One of my plumeria's started blooming so I'll have to take a pic of it....smells of peaches.

Good to hear that everyone elses Grand Dukes are happy.

Well as I was inspecting my garden guess what I found? A shoot where I thought I pulled up the dead Grand Duke! I would say that is one tough plant.
Definitley pretty flowers warrior. I too "wish" I could have lilacs. astcgirl I tried to grow lilacs here in the desert. I failed miserably....

Don't have a picture, but today I could smell my cape jasmine gardenia in bloom. Every day, I will go out and smell the fragrance until it quits blooming. Luciee {;^)

Fantastic news marieortiz that your Grand Duke is shooting up again. It's always so exciting when a plant you think you've lost decides it's not done yet.

Luciee that must be a wonderful smell in your garden right now.....and I totally understand about going out to every day to sniff until there is nothing left :)

Here is the promised Plumeria....such a peachy scent. I really love this one, it's the strongest scent out of all my other plumeria's.

Look what opened for me tonight....My Queen of the Night. I actually had about 10 flowers blooming on 4 different plants so I picked one and took it inside so I could watch it open up. Such a wonderful fragrance also, almost a perfume.

astcgirl

I'm so thrilled to see your wonderful plants. I'm new to the area and have been trying to figure out what to give a try growing here. I know it won't be the plants I had up north, but gosh I've just got to some of them...LOL and now after seeing there are some great choices I'm starting to feel I will be gardening down here.

You aren't too far from me, do you ever open your garden for a tour?????

Jan

Hi Jan....welcome to Florida, your going to have lots of fun down here with plants....LOL I'm still learning about what survives the frost and what doesn't and even if it does survive, some winters like the last one just wreaked havoc on so many of my topicals, however I do baby my favorites and they earn their keep inside my warm cosy home during the winter time LoL, I'm in zone 9b so I have a little more heat but there certainly is still a lot of beautiful plants that will survive down here in Florida. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have (from my experience) and there's also the Florida forum that has a wealth of knowledgeable Floridians that know lots more than me.

As for the touring my garden....I had to laugh.....the great thing about taking pictures of flowers is that you don't have to see the amount of "no garden" that I really have....I literally have a path around the house and that's it.....it is however packed full of plants, top to bottom, mainly fragrant or edible, some in pots or the ground if there is a space.

Here's a snapshot of my backgarden....if that's what you could call it...hehe

This is the Queen of the Night finally fully open and just so breathtaking...I can't stop sniffing in the intoxicating perfume it's emitting on this humid night.

That is one beautiful pathway!

astcgirl

I love your backyard, incredible how you have it set up... Yes, well you aren't off the hook yet in regards to a tour.... just look at all those plants... oh my goodness.... I would so love to see them... so hows that for a self invite.... 8 ~ )

Jan

Thank you marieortiz and Jan.

I was so excited yesterday, for the first time I had my Portlandia Grandiflora or Bell Flower bloom. I have it in a pot so took it inside during the night so I could enjoy its fragrance....warm hot chocolate....yummy.

Here is a closeup...the inside is so shiny.

Warm hot chocolate fragrance. Sounds like the perfect plant. Can I ask where you bought it? I googled and did not come up with much other than TT which is very cost prohibitive!

I just posted on bulbs forum about the regal lily I had grown from seed. Maybe I should have put it here since it smells wonderful. Luciee {;^)

Marie it really does smell delicious. I think I bought it at Gardino's at the Spring Plant Festival at USF. They are online and great people, you could call them up and ask if they could ship you one. I can't remember what price I paid but it was less than Tops. http://www.gardinonursery.com/product_info.php?cPath=3&products_id=208

Yes please post here Luciee I'd love to see your regal lily, what does it smell like?

Ugghh they do not ship to Arizona!! Oh well I probably do not need anymore fussy plants. I will just keep enjoying your!!

Sorry to hear that Marie....I will keep a look out for you and let you know if I see any other vendors cheaper than TT that ship your way. I don't think mine is old enough to take cuttings yet since it's only one stick at the moment, but it is supposed to grow into a bush/small tree.

astcgirl, I will have to have the film developed before I can put it on this forum. I might finish the roll and be able to do that by July 4th. It is yellow inside and purple outside. Luciee {;^) P.S. it smells like perfume, I do not know what kind.

This message was edited Jun 3, 2011 5:19 PM Actually, the longer it stays in bloom, the stronger it gets until now it fairly reeks. It has a cloying scent that I would not be able to stand on a regular basis. Luciee

This message was edited Jun 8, 2011 5:46 AM