Milkweed is drought tolerant and doesn't need any additional watering unless there is a prolonged severe drought. Like most things, new plants benefit from a weekly watering until well established. The plant has a long taproot. It may start small but will grow to 6 ft. and expand. Flowers do not always appear the first season but should the second season.
What is the most fragrant flower in your plantings?
Thanks, Cville -- sounds as if it might fit in just fine.
Yes! The common milkweed is wonderfully fragrant, and monarchs visit all summer. I keep mine in the border in tight clumps, and pull anything growing outside. Some call it a thug, I call it a wonderfully fragrant freebie!
Ok, so Asclepias syriaca it almost is. Here are my last questions -- is it drought tolerant? will deer eat it? is it long-lived? I hope the answers are yes no and yes.....
Yes to all except the deer. They will not eat it. It increases every year. Deadhead if you do not want seed. Or collect the seed and spread it around in the wild. The bees and butterflies will thank you. I have a lot of the milkweeds, and the common is still a favorite . It can stand very dry conditions, as it does in the wild.
I haven't found it prone to be eaten by deer but we don't have a large deer population to contend with. I suppose it depends somewhat on your growing conditions how much it takes off. We have a long warm growing season here and it does multiply very easily. Thug isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can be an affectionate term but it's generally understood by most gardeners. :)
Lavender4ever: Thanks for the assessment -- that's good to know.
Cville: I don't mind plants that are reasonably aggressive, and in fact I am looking for that for my awful front hill (quite sunny, steep, rocky) -- but I don't like plants that self-seed wildly, or that "run." And I especially don't like Aegepodium (bishop's weed) which does both. On my awful front hill, I hope to get it so I only have to tend to plants on it once or twice a year, so anything that runs rampant will not do.
I understand. There is some info here about A. syriaca in MD.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Habitat/WildAcres/habichat37.asp
I would say my hamamelis virginiana is the most fragrant thing in our gardens. It's also one of our first blooming and one of our most beautiful :)
Thanks, Sequoioadendron - - I've added it to my list. I really want to plant every fragrant native shrub I can get my hands on! Can you confirm you mean "virginiana" though? Apparently it blooms late fall, October - November); at least according to Lazy S, http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Shrubs/Cl-It%20Shrubs/shrubs_trees_F-It.htm#SHRU13690 , while Hamamelis vernalis blooms in the early early spring (January - April) ("Hamamelis vernalis Ozark Witch Hazel Ozark Witch Hazel is a winter-blooming deciduous Missouri Native with a rounded habit and noted for it's extremely early and 4 week long bloom period. Fragrant, round flower clusters to 3/4" wide have yellow petals and reddish inner calyxes producing a rusty orange effect. 2-5" long green leaves turn beautiful golden yellow in Fall. Royal Horticulture Society award of Garden Merit.")
Yeah it blooms so early that it blooms in fall...haha j/k ;P
Seriously though I put the wrong plant. The actual plant I have is Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise'
Sorry about that :)
Please don't forget Caryopteris "Dark Knight" (bluebeard) - it will multiply freely. The fragrance is picked up on the wind and is so sweet and spicy. If the shrub looks tired you can cut it way back and it will spring back. Very attractive.
Hmm...I don't remember my Dark Knight being very fragrant. I guess I'll have to sniff it again later in the season.
As I am gardening --- it wafts over. Took me a while to identify the source. Not floral at all -- spicey. Brush it. And it is stronger. Not to be confused with black knight.
Alright, I'll have to keep that in mind. Mine is sure coming up real nice.
Needs to be in flower for fragrance. That blue is piercing isn't it!!
Sure is especially for that time of year.
I was thinking the same thing RE my Dark Knight. Haven't noticed the scent, but then my sense of smell is not the most accute.
It took me a while to isolate the origin of the fragrance. It is like a Christmas tree- can seem like no odor and then a stong waft of wow!
Mmmm. I like the smell of Christmas trees. I'll have to pay more attention next time mine blooms.
Thanks to everyone for the milkweed info. I might have the wrong kind on my "want" list.
I think I know what you mean, Missingrosie. I wasn't impressed with the aroma value of prostrate rosemary. I had almost forgotten about it. Now, suddenly, it is scenting the whole front garden. The result of several days of rain after a dry spell, perhaps? I do notice the rosemary most when watering or after a rain.
Our Sweetbay Magnolia just bloomed for the first time today and not only is it beautiful but the fragrance is amazing!
Oh y'all are killing me. Devon - if you're finding any of these fragrants - please let me know where!! I would agree that all Rosemarys are not created equal as to scent. Mine was a NOID from Walmart yearS ago...planted right beside my stairs...love when I brush against it!! Not sure all family member have the same appreciation of navigating the stairs between the Rosemary and Gardenia...LOL
Speaking of fragrant shrubs - don't forget the Japanese Clerodendrum aka Peanut Butter shrub - the flutterflies LOVE it...it blooms from July till late September here in 7A. Wonderful lily-like evening scented blooms. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/772/ How's yours doing, Devon?
This message was edited Jun 8, 2013 10:48 PM
Chantell: My peanut butter shrub (for which thank you very much!) is still in its pot. I might get it into the ground tomorrow. I've been working 24/7 on my awful front hill, which sadly is not fragrant at all. Just one large ugly nightmare. Chantell, you're my source for all things fragrant, but if I find anything you don't already have, you'll be the first to know!
Sequoiadendron4,
I can definitely 2nd that on the SweetBay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana). It has a most heavenly aroma which reaches all over the garden. I have one in my front yard and love it, both the flowers and the scent. This tree grows wild in the forests here, so I'm guessing it might be a native. Excellent choice!
I have read about the peanut B shrub. It sounds devine but I am afraid of it popping up many feet away in many places. Can it be grown forever in a pot? And if yes, does it grow so fast the pot needs change frequently? I lost a huge daphne this year - just up and died after many years. The heartbreak of daphne strilkes --- but how sweet beautiful it was for many years. If i could put the PB plant where the daphne was planted, would be great.
DOS: I read that it was evergreen in the south and can grow huge. Up here our leaves turn yellow and drop. I also think its smaller up here, only about 25 feet or so. At least I hope so or it will get too big for its location :)
Sequoia- in the south the leaves turn yellow and drop too. I have a big pile that I picked up yesterday. Magnolias are very messy. - the size and the mess is why many don't plant -- but oh those creamy huge fragrant blossoms .... Are you saying you totally lose the leaves to bare limbs?
Yeah but maybe it was because it was its first year.
I will check it out curious because told my daughter to check it out. She lives in NE.
It depends on which magnolia you have - and probably where you live in the south. Here it is almost certainly much warmer (and less cold in winter) than in NC, even though both may be considered the south. Here fall is just spring with fewer flowers. (I have flowers blooming in my yard all year round.) Winter here is the last 2wks of Jan and the 1st 2wks of Feb. During that time we may make it down to 28F maybe 3 to 5 times in the overnight hours. Most of the time we still get back up to the 60s or 70s the following day. Daffodils start blooming here no later than the 1st week of Feb, and other flowers are quick to follow. We typically only get a light dusting of snow once every 10yrs or so. Winters here are so mild that I have a split-leaf philodendron, usually considered a houseplant except in Florida, growing in a large tub in front of my garage where it has lived year round now for 12yrs.
As to magnolias. I have a SweetBay magnolia (M. virginiana) on one side of my front yard and a Southern Magnolia (M. grandiflora) on the other. The Southern Magnolia is the one with the large, white flowers and leaves which are so dark green as to be almost black. The leaves are glossy, dark green on top and cinnamon colored on the bottom. The Southern Magnolia grows very large, and is often seen with large sprawling limbs that dip down close to the ground. The Southern Magnolia IS evergreen here. Its glossy dark green leaves remain intact year round. Thus it does not make a mess on the lawn, and there are no leaves to rake. On rare occasion a single leaf may be found on the lawn, but it does not shed its leaves in fall like most other trees do. Since I hate raking, this is one of my favorite trees in my yard as it requires virtually no care.
The SweetBay Magnolia (M. virginiana) in my yard is relatively small and slow growing. I have seen many SweetBay Magnolias growing wild in the forests around here, and they have always been relatively small trees. Mine is about 20yrs old and is maybe 15ft tall. My SweetBay Magnolia does shed its leaves, all of them, in fall. In that respect, it is a messy tree, and what's worse most of its leaves end up in my neighbor's yard, so some years I end up raking his yard, too. Despite our very mild winters, despite the fact that I usually still have the AC running on New Years Day, my SweetBay Magnolia spends winter as a statuesque but leafless structure of barren twigs, even as the stately Southern Magnolia wears a full cloak of healthy, green, and glossy leaves just a mere house-width away.
So, yes, to M. grandiflora being evergreen here. No, to M. virginiana which looses its leaves in fall even here - or, at least mine does. (I've never actually paid attention to the wild ones and thus cannot say for sure whether they loose their leaves.) I've scratched my head over this, and read a number of rather confusing comments from others regarding whether or not M. virginiana looses its leaves in fall. Some who live in colder areas say, no, while others say, yes. Some say the leaves turn brown but stay on the tree - mine very definitely fall off, and I think I prefer it that way. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to where the respondents live vs whether or not their M. virginiana looses its leaves. I've decided this probably depends on the cultivar as well as where it is located. There are now quite a number of named cultivars of this species, and my guess is that some of these vary in terms of whether they retain or drop their leaves in fall in warmer climates.
Below, I've attached a few pics from my SweetBay Magnolia (M. virginiana).
In my next post, I will attache pics of my Southern Magnolia (M. grandiflora) for comparison. These are not the best pics, just some that happen to be on my laptop right now - and easily located. I could not locate a pic of the whole tree to show shape.
Here is my Southern Magnolia (M grandiflora). This tree never sheds its leaves, at least not here. (A godsend for the lazy homeowner such as myself who hates to rake leaves.) Note how much darker and glossier the leaves are vs the one above. Note, too the cinnamon colored undersides of the leaves of this one, a characteristic not seen on the SweetBay. Also note that the flowers of this one are much larger, at least 2x the size of the SweetBay blooms. All that said, the SweetBay blooms have a stronger and more intoxicating fragrance.
These photos do not do the tree justice. Its leaves are much more glossy than they appear here. A neighbor took it upon herself to remove (steal) the lower limbs of this one, so I have to do my best to aim up high over my head to take pics of it, and most of the time it's backlit due to its location.
Bottom line here, I agree as to the strong scent of SweetBay Magnolia. As to whether it looses its leaves, I suspect that depends on the cultivar and where you live. I'm showing the Southern Magnolia here for comparison. It also has a very nice scent, although not as strong as the SweetBay; however, this one does not loose its leaves in my area.
The 1st 2 pics show the blooms. Note how big they are compared to the leaves.
The 3rd pic shows the rust or cinnamon colored undersides of the leaves.
The 4th pic was added to show that leaves on new growth are much lighter than the normally dk green color. Also shows early bud stage.
The last pic is the only one I could find of the trunk and part of the canopy. Note the trunk of this one is darker vs the silvery, light grey of the SweetBay. (The lighter green on the far right is another, closer tree overlapping this one, not a magnolia.)
I brought the Southern Magnolia into the conversation, because I'm wondering if some of the info may have become confused between the two. The Southern Magnolia does grow very, very large here, but I have never seen a large SweetBay Magnolia here. My SweetBay does loose its leaves here, but the Southern Magnolia does not. Although the SweetBay bloom is less than 1/2 the size of the that of the Southern Magnolia, the two blooms look quite similar. They have similar fragrance, but the SweetBay has the strongest fragrance.
Thanks! Clarity! Southern - that's the heavenly devil I deal with. The leaves so thick that they ' clack' when raked.
missingrosie,
I had a feeling these two might be getting mixed in our conversations. Your "leaves so thick they 'clack' when raked" is a perfect characterization of the Southern Magnolia (M. grandiflora), and I think your comment answers a question I was dying to ask: whether the Southern Magnolia retains its leaves there in NC. From your comment, I gather it does not. Ouch. I can only imagine what a huge mess all those stiff leaves would make. Thanks for the info. I was just so curious about that. SweetBay leaves are fairly thin and almost floppy, btw.
BTW, I did some more investigating on my hunch that some of the named cultivars of the SweetBay Magnolia might actually retain their leaves. I found at least two such cultivars that are said to remain green and retain their leaves year round even as far north as Delaware and PA. They are cultivars 'Henry Hicks' and 'Perry Paige'.
We lose perhaps 25 % of leaves. Right at the time of bloom tho! So we have yellow leaves and blooms at once - not the best combo. When it is good it is good but when it is bad it is awful! The flowers are 8 inches or more across. I trimmed ours up so a tree with a trunk. I saw one with the entire top cut off ( I know...I know.... But the horizontal branching turned it into an umbrella shape and the property owner hung multicolor bird houses from the branches. It looked so good and I thought ---- cuts down on those leaves too. I am catholic --- I may have to go to confession If I did that to our huge magnolia. Do you think it would kill it???
Right now...my most fragrant blooms.....Patch of Iris g. 3-4ft wide and 125ft long (pix 1)...... Yummy!!!!
Pix 2 is Dictamnous purpureas
Pix 3 is Hesperis matronalis 10-15ft wide by 35-40ft long....very fragrant!!!!
Pix 4 is More Iris g.
Missingrosie - re the PB shrub - IMHO it gets too big for a pot...and I'm not sure if you kept it pruned how much blooming it would do for you. :-( Sorry, wish I could be more help...mine's been in the ground since I rec'd it
Thanks Chantell. I think I may try it anyway. Edge of the woods and far from currently cultivated areas -- if it doesn't need full sun. I don't have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel (grin) but no spring chicken either --- so I don't think in my lifetime I will have to deal with digging up unwanted offspring. And no neighbors on that end. So -- if it isn't on invasive lists here in NC - I will give it a go and visit it every now and again to take a whiff!
This message was edited Jun 10, 2013 10:40 PM
My milkweed colony, with buds.
