First of all… nobody laugh at me. OK? Secondly, Georgia is the closest I can come to home. Alabama doesn’t have a group here at DG. My wife travels to Atlanta several days a week for business – does that count? Can y’all adopt me?
I am utterly new at this. Never did plants. Dogs, and lately cats, under duress. That’s about it. Oh, yeah, grew some hot peppers. The other day one of my patients brought me a couple of cuttings off her Winter Daphne shrub and I was transported in time to 40+ years ago in Hungary… those lilac trees (yes, trees, they were so old you could climb them) and their heavenly perfume.
Well, anyway… I decided to become a winter fragrant shrub gardener. I am reading as fast as I can, but I am lacking even the rudiments of knowledge: how do you plant one of these things, do you have to water immediately, any special needs new plants have, etc. We live in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Have about 1 ½ acres, ¾ acre woods in the back. Rest (both front and back yards) are shaded by large old oaks and some very tall pines. Not much sun (hydrangeas do well with my wife – the summer gardener), unless the sun is straight up on the sky (summer midday). I expect the soil is alkaline (lots of lime around here), but I can have it checked if it’s critical.
So far, I am considering all of these:
Winter Daphne (Daphne adora)
Lily of the Valley Shrub (Pieris Japonica)
Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima)
Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)
Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans)
Sweet Lavender (Lavandula heterophylla)
Please help me get started. If my questions are silly, just point me to the right source for learning.
1. Will these guys thrive in the South – winters in Birmingham are like winters in Atlanta (Zone 7b)?
2. Is there any reason why I should have them all – like clashing smells (if there is such a thing)?
3. How do you get these plants (I want shrubs)? Locally from a nursery or by mail (via the Internet)? What do I ask for: a plant, a sapling, a seed?
4. What’s the best source to learn about planting? Is there a seminal book that every new gardener must read? Is there a book that would walk me step-by-step through the process of planting my first Winter Daphne, for instance?
5. Any other suggestions?
When am done with these I will start on fruit trees.
Kind regards to all,
AyJayAr
I *REALLY* want to start a winter fragrant shrub garden
Hey, I'm from Arky, and I've sneaked over here to Georgia on my Mind, to check out this thread, I'm interested too, I do know that Gardenia is good. What is your zone AyJayAr??? I have Sweet Olive and Winter Honeysuckle but they are youngsters...
Hey AyJayAr,
Yeah, Alabama is close enough to count. Hungary is a long way from here but I'd imagine a lot of things there should grow here (except the lilacs). Lilacs are best in the north where they do become trees. Atlanta is a struggle to get lilacs to do well because of the summer heat and humidity. There are a couple of lilacs that supposedly do well here but they aren't the French lilacs but rather the Korean ones if I remember right. Check with your neighbors to see if any of them have any luck with that plant. I know you can grow them up in TN where they do okay but nothing like ND (small trees in Bismark).
Sounds like you picked some good plants to start with but pieris is not known for fragrance. Daphne and winter honeysuckle are hard to beat for fragrance but daphne can be finicky - I had two and lost both. Pieris can be picky too but given the right location it should do fine. Winter honeysuckle is native I think because it grows in the woods. The other plants I haven't tried growing although my daughter is growing the sweet olive. It will be a while before it becomes big enough to make much of an impact. I take it that the sweet lavender will be used for its fragrant leaves? In that case you might consider rosemary too. There are some early blooming viburnums as well but I'd get the later blooming ones instead. Some of these can be very fragrant. Native azaleas have a spicy fragrance but bloom around the time as the ornamental ones. Wisteria (if you don't mind chopping it back every year) is intensely fragrant. Mahonia blooms early as well but I don't know if it is fragrant.
1. Most of these should do very well in the south. If you ever get a chance to go to Callaway Gardens then you might get some ideas on other plants plus see how big some of these shrubs can get.
2. There is no reason you shouldn't have them all. They usually will bloom at different times anyway plus you probably want to spread them about your property.
3. I would buy them locally if you can. Come to Atlanta since there are lots of nurseries here. If there is a particular variety you really must have and the local nurseries don't have it, then by all means buy it. When you buy locally you will usually get a bigger plant for less money than buying through the mail. You also get to pick the cream of the crop if there are several to choose from. Take your list to the nursery and have someone show you to each one. As for mail order, you should read up reviews on them. Some are very good, some very poor, some expensive, and some downright cheap. Expensive does not equate to excellent plants though - just a very attractive catalog in my opinion. Some of the cheap ones may be okay but a lot of times "if it is too good to be true, it usually is".
4. Read books, magazines, and even the newspapers for starting. Learn from other gardeners (DG is a good source but local gardeners is probably a better way to get started). Watch TV programs but this is not immediate learning since programs vary week to week. HGTV and DIY have some good programs but some of the older programs were better than they have today. Victory Garden on PBS (Saturdays at noon here) has had excellent programs in the past and still has some good programs here and there.
5. Get your plants, soil amendments, and tools together; then get out there and start playing in the dirt (soil is a better word). I'd wait until March or April to get your plants unless you can find them this time of year. You just might try forcing some bulbs for now for fragrance such as hyacinths, paper whites, and some daffodils.
If you need a groundcover for your shrubbery, why not try the winter blooming and scented "Sweet box"
Also think of Jasmine Nudifolium. Not scented, and often completely naked but those bright yellow blooms cheer of the drear of brown we have during winter.
Quince are nice too, especially to bring flowers indoors. Again, not really scented, but a happy shrub to see!
GGG
My tea olives smell great most of the winter and will grow where you are. So go for Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) for sure. They can get pretty big by the way. 20ft tall. I don't know about where you are, they like heat and humidity so they might not grow as well for you.
I've yet to find jasmine that likes SE Arky, except for Confederate, but not shrubby jasmine. I get great foliage, moderate blooms, just once a seasn. I will check the 'sweet box' and 'tea olives', I'm not familiar with either one. Thanks!!
Some of the Viburnums are fragrant. You might also consider bulbs like paper white narcissus in sheltered spots. There are some clematis that bloom in winter or very early spring that are fragrant.
The main problem I had with lilac in Birmingham was mildew. My plant was an older form and bloomed very well untli my nephew pruned it to the ground. It never recovered from that.
Check out the local public gardens. The Birmingham Botanical gardens and Japanese gardens, Aldridge's Display garden and Petals from the Past display garden. Also check out Pike's nursery and Hannah's Nursery in the Inverness area of Highway 280.
Beth
First of all, THANKS ALL for the very thoughtful replies. I am learning a lot. Y’all are just as kind and helpful as I hoped you would be. Indian Springs, where we live, is a natural country-like area not too far from a huge state park. Houses have large plots and everyone does some gardening. Personally, I prefer an “organic” look. Organized chaos, if you will. So, if a large oak gets uprooted (by a tornado) in the woods behind the house, we leave like that and it becomes a habitat for bunches animals and wild plants. Neat. We also have a large “natural” area in the front where we dump grass cuttings, oak leaves, pine needles, etc. Huge trees in it, so it’s very shady. We scattered about 60 azalea bushes and lilies in the natural a friend sent me from Chicago. Slow growing, but there are there. I am going to put a bunch of these fragrant winter shrubs in there and see how they do. I ordered a few beginner gardener's books, so I am going to be learning as I go. The nurseries Beth mentioned are only 4 miles from our house and I drive by them every day to and from the clinic. I will report back to y’all as soon as I have some results. Again, thank, everyone. You are all VERY dear people. - Andrew
Do tell if, and, or, how you are watering your plants, or will be watering them - are you in zone 8??
Hi - You might also want to consider Carolina Jasamine (vine). It starts to bloom very late Feb/early March and has a great spicy aroma. It usually starts to bloom around the time our daphne stops (see pix at link below). And no - we never had problems with aromatic "noise". More like a symphony when you can smell more than one heavenly aromas at the same time.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2796764
jo
ayjayar,
Fragrant Camellias might be a great option for your winter fragrant garden. Most gardeners think that all camellias are not fragrant, but many hybrids and species have wonderful fragrance and they bloom in the winter.
One of my favorite fragrant camellias is a hybrid called 'Sweet Emily Kate'. I have included a picture of it.
I'm a 'most gardeners', I had no idea there is are fragrant camellias and yours is a beauty!!!
SherryLike,
Another beautiful but fragrant camellia is one called 'Fragrant Joy'. I have included a picture.
Wozers!!! Really beautiful - what time of the year should these two beauties be planted & where might they be located???
SherryLike,
Fall is a good time to plant most camellias in the southern part of the country. I would suggest fragrant varieties to be planted under some protection such as trees with high canopy. I think that planting them near entrances to homes or near patios where people tend to spend time outside is great for the flower enjoyment along with the fragrance.
I am delighted to hear there are fragrant camellias. I've always thought they were so beautiful to provide blooms in the dead of winter. I will search out the fragrant varieties and hope I can keep them alive. I haven't been too successful with camellias but love them. Thanks... pod
I just have to second the sweet box (Sarcococca) suggestion. I have S. ruscifolia (Fragrant Sarcococca) and the groundcover species, S. humilis. They smell heavenly and are very low maintenance tho I have to say the groundcover grows agonizingly slowly.
Also someone mentioned winter blooming clematis. I love my clematis armandii. Large luscious white flowers and the fragrance is stunning.
I have read not to place clashing fragrances together but so far I've not had a problem. I'm not sure what would clash. I have winter honeysuckle, osmanthus, sarcococca and the clematis armandii and I think they all go together well.
I have a half dozen mahonias which are prolific bloomers but not a single one of mine has any fragrance.
As a beginning Gardener my "Southern Living Gardening Book" has been my bible. My books that are specific to teh south have been much more help than the others I bought. So many plants just can't take our heat and humidity (tho the ones you mentioned are fine). I also have some books specific to Georgia which I really like. "Tough Plants for Southern Gardens" by Felder Rushing is a very entertaining read and informative altho you are tackling more challenging shrubs than it covers - it's all about low maintenance, couldn't-kill 'em-if-you-tried plants.
Is there a "dwarf" version of Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) or Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)? I am limited on space for trees but am convinced I need some winter color and fragrance. pod
Edgeworthia! The fragrance is heavenly and it blooms in February. Nothing like it!
Sterling