fragrant dogwood?

Is there any such thing?

I guess nobody knows! I for one am not ignoring you, I just never tried to smell them. There are so many oher reasons to plant them that I bet others have never tried to smell them either. Still, if they were VERY fragrant, that surely would have been noticed by someone somewhere along the way.

Guy S.

THANKS Guy!
I have just determined to not grow any more trees in my yard unless they are fragrant. I already have a dogwood so I guess I'll not get any more unless there is such an animal as a fragrant dogwood.

This message was edited Dec 27, 2005 11:05 PM

I've never quite paid attention. I have horrible allergies and I doubt I would have missed anything that was potent. There are a few dogwoods around here, nothing special but come to think of it... they can't be all that fragrant if they ever are at all. I notice quite a few other plants that are fragrant and I stay away from them to avoid having to bond with my kleenex but I've never felt the urge to escape from a dogwood.

There are so many aromatic plants -- if that's what you seek, then find something with true pungence either via the flowers or via scratch-n-sniff. Sassafras, Lindera, some Carya, Juglans, Calycarpa, some Viburnums, Gardenias, Syringa, Juniperus, Pinus, Lavendula, Rosmarinus, on and on . . . c'mon everyone, let's give her a shopping list!

Guy S.

Did somebody say shopping list? Oh what fun! Do we really get to spend somebody else's money or is this just pretend? Georgia is an awesome state and y'all can have so many wonderful smellies that wouldn't stand a chance up here-

I'll second Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Let me toss all the plants below in to the mix of fragrant smellies (and pretties) for Georgia-

Sweet Azalea (Rhododendron canescens)
http://www.gwf.org/piedmontazalea.htm

Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
http://www.freewebtown.com/njbotany/Itea_virginica.html

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/c/clealn/clealn1.html

Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina)
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=TS0466

Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Diospyros+virginiana

Witch Alder (Fothergilla major)
http://www.gwf.org/fothergilla.htm

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
http://plants.usda.gov:8080/plants//nameSearch?keywordquery=Callicarpa+americana+&mode=sciname&submit.x=15&submit.y=10

American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
I love the trunk and the bark on this tree and I love the rippled leaves but it isn't exactly really smelly but it does have a distinct fragrance about it. I'm tossing it in because it is such a magnificent tree and it really does smell a little bit...when it is in bloom... and if you don't have clogged sinus cavities...
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/american_hornbeam.htm

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)
http://www.missouriplants.com/Yellowalt/Rhus_aromatica_page.htmlhttp://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plants/Detail.asp?Scientific_Name=Rhus+aromatica

Pipestem (Agarista populifolia)
Not a lot of info out there on this plant out on the web yet but it is understated elegance and definitely fragrant. It is gaining in popularity so give it a few years and there will be lots of photos of those delicate drooping blossoms
http://www.gru.com/Pdf/2003SpeciesFacts/pipestem_agarista.pdf#search='Agarista%20populifolia%20PIPESTEM%20fragrant'

Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/cafl.html

Fevertree (Pinckneya bracteata)
I couldn't find any great photos which is a shame as this is a gorgeous tree but I did find where you could buy one-
http://www.we-du.com/pots.htm
http://www.gwf.org/fevertree.htm

Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
http://www.gwf.org/redbud.htm

I've already got several on the lists and am enjoying them immensely.
But there are several I don't have so y'all have given me some ideas. Going to look in my ForestFarm catalog now- LOL!

I don't know if it would do well for you in Georgia, but I find Pagoda Dogwood (C. alternifolia) to have a nice fragrance. The only thing I can compare it to is Fruit Loops cereal. Sweeeet! It's really a great little native tree that is a star in my garden. I wouldn't be without one.

Maackia,
I will look into that. Since I LOVE Fruit Loops it would be a treat to have it-LOL!
THANKS so much!

Make a list of fragrant plants and not list Hamamelis? Osmanthus? For goodness sakes, Magnolia (especially M. virginiana)?

I'll second the Cornus alternifolia, and suggest use of the shrubbier dogwoods like C. amomum and C. racemosa. The inflorescences look nothing like C. florida, though. They have scent, but you might not like it as much as a Rosa species. They do fruit productively, which will make your winged friends happy.

Maybe Equil or others will teach/coach me how to hyperlink, so I can be more helpful.

Why yes there is but most likely not in the since you were thinking of.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/45623/
Beautiful but not a true dogwood.
Caren

Hello ViburnumValley. I clicked on you and you just signed up and you are wonderful! I've read two of your posts and they are great! Welcome to you.

Save the image you want to share to a place that is easy to find such as your desktop. From there it is as easy as clicking on the browse button below. Find your desktop and then look for the image you want to share and click on that so that the location appears in the Image box and press preview. It may take a few seconds to load but you will see your photo and if you approve of the image, just click send and it will appear as a thumbprint in the post. Those interested can click on the thumbprint to see the full image you shared. Before you do this, go into your personal profile and make sure you have selected a watermark. Your image will be credited to you automatically and if you so desire, your user name can appear on the image or the standard Dave's Garden watermark can appear.

Also too, you may not be aware of this but if you make a mistake in your post or change your mind about something you typed, there is an edit button and you can correct your posts. Lots of people don't realize Dave provides us with an edit feature. It's really nice.

I have a few Viburnums here. Nothing special but I love them nonetheless. Again, welcome to you.

Viburnum and Maackia (aka Basic), great to see that both of you have come over from the Dark Side!

If you just want to insert an image, go below the "your message" box to where it says "image - browse" -- that browse button will take you to a search of your hard drive, where you can select the image without having to link to an external album like Photobucket. It's so much simpler than it was at GardenWeb.

Guy S.

We visited Dan Hinkley's Heronswood a few years ago. We smelled this heavenly sweet scent and wandered
around 'til we found it. Cornus Alternafolia. Though its a bit messy & self seeds, I find the Catalpa's have
just a gorgeous scent when in bloom.

So there is such a thing as a fragrant dogwood!
So far I have Pagoda and alternafolia.

THANKS all!

So there is such a thing as a fragrant dogwood!
So far I have Pagoda and alternifolia.

THANKS all!


Edited to say I looked up alter in Forestfarm and it lists its common name as Pagoda so I assume Tammy and Maackia are talking abut the same tree. I should have paid more attention.

Berrygirl, you'll need to make that pagoda dogwood think it's living in Wisconsin if you want it to thrive down there in your summers. Shady site, north-facing slope, moist soil, mulch, etc. -- maybe even a big block of ice sitting under it!

Guy S.

Ooohh...... that doesn't sound so good!!
I guess I'll pass then. THANKS for the heads-up, Guy before I spent $$$ on a tree that would deep-fry here in July!

You might be able to keep it going -- just give it the coolest place you can find, and don't let it get hot feet or thirsty. It's at its best in places like the Adirondacks, Ontario, the UP of Michigan, etc. and in gardens in the Pacific Northwest (where folks don't know what real he-man weather is all about!) --

By the way, Tammy, I just saw Heronswood for the first time this summer, and I understand he's relocating! Know anything about that?

Guy S.

I found a nice shot of African fever tree here:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/CF/plants/species_detail.cfm?ID=142

hi Guy Herronswood is staying, just Dan Hinkley is moving. The garden used to be his home and now he's rich so he has a beautiful home on the puget sound he has moved to. Herronswood will still have Dan overseeing the nursery and collecting for Burpee. Quite the nursery isn't it. I saw the place before Dan even started. Boy has it changed!

Hey PGZ5! Are you in the right thread? Got any protective outerwear for a Fever Tree? Those can put some Hawthorns to shame.

Ceridiphyllum japonicum, KATSURA TREE, very aromatic/fragramt leaves, people say burnt sugar, once I was waiting for someone to bring me pizza for lunch and it seemed to take ages and ages, and I thought theye'd come back because I could smell it, lo it was the Katsura, I find they go through drought well, others say supplemental moisture, others that as its related to Bradford pear....etc Chris.

Hi Chris, you're right about the Katsura being fragrant, and yes it does need moisture. But please keep the Bradford out of this thread! We have enough "rancor" about that already in the other thread, and the two trees share nothing in common.

Sofer, good to hear that Heronswood will remain intact. Hard to imagine what he'll do for an encore in his new garden!

Guy S.

It is georgeous! His property overlooks the sound and there is no limit to what will happen there. Of course time is on the side of his old garden and I know he misses it very much. He is still collecting specimens and is hard to catch at home. I am going out to see him (I hope this spring) Though I never know if I can catch him at home. I'll check to see when his mom is headed there and then we will get to talk.
His mother had a group of 5 of us young boys who she took us around our upper Michigan area looking at and learning about tree specimens. We called ourselves the "nature boys" before that was a bad thing. We collected lots of hardwood and soft wood specimens and waxed them in pages. I still have some.

Wow! Your "Nature Boy" childhood was a wonderful way to begin venturing into the natural world! When you see him, please tell him for me how impressed I was with my all-too-brief visit to his garden and nursery. He is a rare person, and he taught me a lot about hydrangeas that day.
Guy S.

Chionanthus, Cladrastis