I just came in from watering all the pots since I'm going to be gone for a few days. My orange jasmine is in bloom for the 5th time this year! The scent is absolutely overwhelming! The previous owner planted three trees - one would have been enough! As much as I love the smell, it's almost too much.
Also have a couple of orchids blooming with a light scent. Fortunately they are on the back patio and not overwhelmed by the orange jasmine trees in the front.
What's smelling where you are?
What smells good where you are?
I have a few fragrant things blooming for me right now.
My Dombeya Wallichii is in full bloom. It smell like sweet butter. The blooms are beautiful!
Blakea Gracillis is also blooming for me for the first time. I purchased it 2 years ago because the description said it was really fragrant- but it's not :-(. Oh well it still has a pretty flower.
Aloysia virgata is blooming for me. This is probabaly my favorite smells great and always has flowers on it.
Osmanthus fragans is blooming. It has such a sweet smell, kind of like apricots. Yummy!
I just purchased a "knock out" rose that is blooming from Lowes on clearance for $1.30 and it has a slight scent.
My fragrant gingers and my orange jasmine just finished blooming about a week ago.
My gardenias are starting to load up full of buds. I can't wait till they start blooming!
I love fragrant flowers!
Oh,, the tea olives smelled wonderful today at Masse Lane Camellia Gardens. My one smells good, but it really takes several of them to enjoy..
Also have a few early daffodils blooming. And the usual paperwhites (I don't really care for them, but pretty from a distance)
My gardenias, brugs, phlox,,, won't bloom for a long time,,,sigh,,,,I love those fragrant flowers too. Elaine
Tea olive, brugs and jasmine officinale are my only fragrant ones right now. My gardenia also has buds forming, it seems a little early though, must be the weather. My orange jasmine just finished too. I forgot- duranta "geisha girl" is blooming too, very light sweet fragrance. Wendy
Coming into bloom soon, two climbers (in pots, as they are rampant if you plant them in full ground): Japanese Honeysuckle, white flowers fading to light yellow, and Caroline Jessamine, little yellow bellform flowers. Both very fragrant. When the bloom is over, I cut them back to about 3 feet.
In summer we have citrus flowers, lavender, and the queen of them all, Brugmansia. They have huge bell flowers, in all colours but purple and blue, single or double flowers, and their smell will take you away! In my bed, with the windows open, I can smell them. People walking by stop to see what is smelling so good!
Winter blooming honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) blooms for me in Jan-Feb. It is a large shrub--8 ft high and 5ft wide-that comes up from suckers (needs room). I'll admit it is not especially attractive in appearance, but the fragrance has been described as mix of lilies and jasmine and it permeates the garden. The flowers are small and creamy white and only come on mature wood, so if you need to prune it do it immediately after blooming which gives time for the new branches to mature by next year. Sunset Western Gardening describes it as deciduous in cold winter areas and semi evergreen in mild winter climates like my Zone 9 garden. This is not a tropical shrub. I first read about this bush being used in England in mixed hedges and blooming in the winter. The fragrance is so rare and welcome in Jan and Feb when little else is blooming for me. I cut branches off with buds and bring them into the house to open and they pump out the wonderful sweet scent. Naturally they only last a couple of days that way--longer if left on the bush in cool damp weather.
Just made my first spring, OK really early spring, plant purchase! Our Lowe's had a few perennials out and I picked up two pots @ $2.97 ea of Viola odorata "Columbine". The flowers are streaked white and a lavender/lt blue. The only other places I've seen that variety online was Select Seeds and Garden Crossings LLC. Select seeds wanted $4.95 for a 51/2 in. pot and Garden Crossings wanted $11.95 a pot. Now I really feel good and they smell so nice:)
I've never heard of an orange jasmine tree, sounds neat! I have a meyer lemon tree that smells so sweet!
The only things fragrant around my house are lots of stock in the garden and around the house, petunias (especially the purple ones), paperwhites in pots outside, old old honeysuckle on the fence line AND all my new plants picked up recently....
Oh I have a meyer lemon tree also. Do I need to do something special for it now that spring is coming? It hasn't started blooming yet in my zone, oh but they do smell sooo good when they do. I fell in love with mine at the nursery last year. That's when it found it's way to my house. LOL
I have daffodlis and hyacinths blooming now- aaahhh!!
Funny thing - the strongest smell in my garden right now is dead! One of my lavendar plants died when we had a cold snap and is all dried up. It smells so good, I can't bear to throw it away.
that is the way I feel about rosemary......we can't even grow it down here unless I put in pots, but I have to have that fragrance in my life!!!!
good question on the meyer....not sure what special care it may need. still waiting for those sweet blooms!
Ginger.It has white flowers and I can smell it from yards away but forgot the name of it . Fran
The fragrant naricissus like 'Avalanche', 'Trevithian', 'Erlicheer', 'Grand Monarque' and 'Saint Keverne' are all beginning to bloom or in full bloom. I cut bouquets for the house and mix them with branches of blooming rosemary 'Tuscan Blue'.
The warm weather for the last few days has made the dutch hyacinth buds just pop open--my favorite fragrance, when it's fresh.
Just inhaled my neighbor's saucer cup magnolia.... looks like spring is coming..
Elaine
My agarita and mexican plum are in full bloom and quite fragrant right now.
I saw a gorgeous Mayer Lemon Tree today in a 5 gallon container...it was very pricey but I want it so much....someone is going to have to tell me how hardy it is...since they can get 15 feet high the card read, I guess I would have to plant outside....It had a fragrance better than anything but Rosemary!!!
Here's a good website with info on a bunch of different citrus trees:
http://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/solver/varietyinfo.html
They say to protect Meyer lemon if temps drop below 32, but with most citrus the protection is needed most to preserve the fruit, the trees themselves can survive a bit lower temperatures than the fruit can. Meyer lemon is a good citrus for growing indoors, so you could always do that too. And there are probably some mail order places that you could order smaller ones from if you don't want to spend the $$ for the 5 gal container. If you grow it in a container, it won't grow as big as it would if you planted it in the ground, so you could easily keep it less than 15 ft if it's in a container. Many citrus are also available grafted onto dwarf rootstock.
thanks so much, ecrane3!!! I will check out this site and book mark it....
All our herbs are in good scent just now -- lavender, rosemary, four different kinds of mint (I'm a mint freak), Mexican Mint Marigold, and ...oh yum ... BASIL.
We've got a lot of flowers in bloom just now, but none of them are real scent throwers, though the bees and the butterflies are beginning to hang out. :-)
My Satsuma Orange trees are in full bloom right now. They smell so good it almost makes you drunk.
gee, I'm way north (for this crowd) in Maryland. My crabapple is in full bloom and in its full year, alternating years of good and poor bloom. I love this scent. We had one by our patio in my childhood. Only a few days a year to smell it but I treasure it.
Also a poeticus type narcissus, and dutch hyacinth.
What a funny coincidence- took a walk the other day, came across a Lonicera frag. which I didn't know about before, came home and IDed it. So it's in bloom here now.
Boy am I jealous! Way up here in Wisconsin my Hyacinth aren't even blooming yet! I just checked today maybe another week. Then I will drag my lawn chair and favorite book over and enjoy for the short period they bloom. I love my Magnolia, but have to wait until Mid/end of May to enjoy. Also made the stupid mistake of planting it on the lot line at the back of my yard so my neighbors enjoy more than me! I bought a miniature orange one year and fell in love with the scent of orange blossom! This year I purchased a Meyer Lemon from Spring Hill. With all the reviews of this tree I am really looking forward to it. I also love the smell of my Butterfly Bush. Will have to wait for summer for that one. Reading these boards I am beginning to really envy all you southern gardeners :)
Honeysuckle is in bloom! Yeah!!!! Also Orange Jasmine tree, gardenias, gloriosa, and a couple of citrus trees. Smells heavenly down here - come on down!
Right now, the Brunfelsia also known as Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow... A delightful fragrance and one of my favorite colors.
Sweet Olive which is a new addition this spring. Haven't decided where to plant it yet but I love the huge fragrance from the small blooms....
Just plain old Iris whose fragrance evokes childhood memories...
And coming soon! A fragrance which lasts for about 30 days ~ I love it!
Confederate Jasmine ~
This is a paler shade of fragrance but still delightful ~ the old time swamp Iris.
I'm envious of your yesterday, today and tomorrow. We had one blow down in the hurricane. We propped it up and it seemed to be doing okay, but it doesn't look so hot now and definitely isn't going to bloom. Loved the pictures!
Bocaginger ~ I feel so bad for all the gardeners in hurricanes' way. There are so many beloved and cherished plants that are set back or lost. I can't imagine what it would be like. We live in the woods and these past summers have been too dry. When there have been fires, I sort and gather plants that I hope to save and will be sad if I should lose the rest. I do hope your YTT comes back. Does it bloom through out the summer or only in spring? It must have been a large tree. Mine is only about 3-4 feet tall and in a large pot. It now has lots of suckers from being rootbound.
IO1 ~ I think they are the same plant though there are many variations. One book says they most commonly bloom in fall? This one is a newcomer in my garden and still in a large pot. No telling what the grower did to it to make it bloom in the spring like this.
The reading I have done says to plant it near a seating area, a window you open frequently or a walkway to savor the fragrance. I haven't decided where to plant it yet. Is yours in sun or shade?
Hi Podster:
Mine is in the sun near a patio where I like to sit and read. They are blooming all over town, so I'm afraid mine is done for. Right now we are on water rationing - only can water twice a week, so I'm sure that doesn't help. I have been watering a few things that really need it in the late evenings - the "water cops" aren't likely to be around then.
Where are you in Deep East Texas? I'm originally from what Texans call Deeper East Texas - Lake Charles, LA. My grandfather was a horticulturalist there and had a camillia nursery. I miss growing some of the things that we can't down here.
IO1 ~ I wonder if they need any special fertilizer or care? The references I have found indicates they are low maintenance. I was going to plant where it will see more afternoon to evening shade as summers can be brutal here.
Bocaginger ~ Here is about as east as I can get. 12 miles from the La border above SH 21 and deep in the pineywoods of east Texas. My only complaint is I can't stay in the woods all the time! I love it! I have never been to Lake Charles. What sort of plants won't grow in Fl that did in La? I would have guessed the climates would be similar.
Why are you on water rations this time of year? Water conservation should be on all our minds and I try hard with good intentions. And then I go plant shopping... : ))
I wish Tx would wake up on the water problems! It is a very real problem with the exploding population but they haven't curbed our water appetite at all...
This one is a willing and fragrant volunteer in our area every spring. No water necessary ~ the woodlands Phlox...
