Thought this might be a useful thread for some of our newer members - or newer to the "fragrants" Might be nice to list our favorites to window shop as well as favorites to actually purchase from & why (i.e. price, s/h fee, plant size, communication, variety etc)? Wouldn't hurt to name any place to avoid as well if you've not been happy. I know we have watchdog but I think this thread would provide a good reference for specifically fragrant plants.
*Of course I love Tops Tropicals for reference purposes...one day when I win the lottery, I'm going to buy one of everything http://toptropicals.com/index.htm ...or maybe 2 or 3 so I can share ^_^
*Personally I like the way Bluestone http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/index.html backs their plants - no questions asked. The couple of times something hasn't "made it" - I've contacted them and whhhaa laaa - come spring a new baby arrives in the mail. And of course then there's their 1/2 price sale.
*Nursery Carolinia http://www.nurcar.com/ Shrubs galore - gardenia, sweet olives...also jasmines...all kinds of good stuff - LARGE plants - WELL rooted.
*Rick's Custom Nursery http://www.rickscustomnursery.com/ another good one for shrubs etc. READ - Daphnes, Viburnums etc
* Ebay - a few sellers I've had good luck thru the years with are: mda1515, hibotanical, emeraldgoddessgardens (wonderful gal - great plants!!), dogwooderitternet (very nice selection - reasonably priced on both plants and shipping - good for those that don't mind starting out with baby plants - always arrive with a healthy sized root ball)
Alrighty come on DG fragrant fans....help me out here! Hugs!! ^_^
This message was edited Jan 8, 2009 4:08 PM
This message was edited Jan 8, 2009 5:53 PM
Your Favorite Fragrant Nursery/Vendor - talk to me...
Logee's usually has a good selection www.logees.com The plants are small and a bit pricey, but always good quality.
I also like Kartuz www.kartuz.com They also have very small plants but the quality is always good.
Gardino Nursery www.gardinonursery.com is another nice one--they're more like Top Tropicals in terms of size/price and their selection is a bit smaller, but in my experience having bought from both, their plants are usually nicer than Top Trop (not that TT's are bad though, I've always been happy with what I've bought from them)
Great list!! Any ebay sellers you've had good (or bad) luck with?
Honestly I don't really do Ebay--I've bought from there all of twice for plants that I absolutely couldn't find anywhere else. I don't recall the sellers' names or whether they had any fragrant plants (the ones I ordered weren't).
Plant Delights Nursery! They have a catalogue that is chock full of neat plants. Not a wide variety of fragrant. You have to sort thru for the fragrant but... tis risky but worth it! LOL http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/page23.html
What are you doing??? Trying to get me in trouble? LOL
I have never focused on getting fragrant plants, but this is all very tempting. And I love to learn about good ebay sellers -- so thanks a million, Chantell, for this thread!
Happy to enable...now, see Kristi I'm not THAT bad
Chantell -- don't misunderstand -- I wasn't saying you weren't bad!
Bad girl! NO! No! lol
Hey now...play nice girls!!! I'm simply trying to "help" and just look at the grief I get!! LOL No one's gonna be fussin' when their yard smells glorious..hmph!! Hmmmm, why hasn't Nery chimed in yet?!?!?
I just posted this on a Mid-Atlantic thread - but will "here" too just in case:
For those ISO of hardy gardenias etc.: http://www.gawalternursery.com/hardy_exotics_list.htm I'd forgotten where I'd ordered my 'Frostproof' gardenia...just found the link. Very good prices!!! And as I said my 'Frostproof' is still doing well.
Chantell: What fragrant things do well in our area that survive in the shade? I'm not interested in annuals -- too much work!
I second Gardino's! My favorite EVER. Another one I've ordered from and been really impressed with the quality is Zone 9 tropicals.
http://zone9tropicals.com/
Shade, Happy? What's that???? Ok, I know you're being serious...but my place faces south so shade is something I have little to none of. Do you mean complete shade ALL day? I know the 'Frostproof' gardenia needs part shade...also the Viburnum x burkwoodii 'Mohawk' needs part shade, if I remember correctly...a lot of the Daphnes do as well. I planted mine beneath my dwarf Magnolia.
I think the Osmanthus fragrans or sweet olive would be o.k. in moderate shade. Perhaps it would do in a sheltered area of 7a.
Mine is busting out in blooms right now! What a wonderful odor in the middle of winter. Off to tour some of your nursery sites. I'm doomed!
Thanks! I have a lot of fairly deep shade -- bright, I suppose, but very little direct sun hits it if any. I know I am zone 7a, but my soil gets very wet in the winter and a lot of plants that are supposedly zone 7a don't make it. I know a 7b wouldn't like it here unless it likes wet winter feet. Sad though that makes me.
I have some areas in the shade that aren't very visible. I thought I can put some less than beautiful, but fragrant, shrubs there -- if I only knew what!
This message was edited Jan 9, 2009 10:43 PM
happy - I'm sorry I dont' know about any specifically for full shade...I know the part shades that I mentioned above...as I said my daphne is planted beneath my tree as is the VIOLA odorata 'Queen Charlotte http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/VIQCS.html from Bluestone....wonderful scent. What about Lilly of the Valley? As for Sweet Olives (smart suggestion, Kristi) - I was told 'Aurantiacus' should be hardy here - I'm getting differing opinions on lighting though, so I'm a tad confused.
I bought Queen Charlotte last year -- but too late to catch its scent. And I do have some lily of the valley (a gift from Wrightie). Sweet Olive sounds like a wonderful idea -- I can wrap it in the winter, no?
Ixora odorata does well in shade, also Gardenia vietnamensis. There are also many fragrant orchids. Does anyone have any Begonia odorata? Not sure how amazing it smells, but it would also do well in shade.
Thanks, Fauna. Sadly, the Ixora isn't hardy here, same for the Gardenia vietnamensis and Begonia odorata. I wonder if they will go dormant over the winter, or will do ok as houseplants?
Happy, that Clethra Hummingbird that I planted this year is the sweetest smelling, thirstiest shrub I've ever seen. Maybe it would like your damp shade. Mine is in part shade.
I moved 2 Daphnes out of deep shade to lighter shade and they are doing better. It seems that my Skimmia is getting scorched with sun that only hits after 4PM. It is slightly fragrant. Maybe it would work in your garden. The males's flowers are so so, but the females' berries are brilliant and long lasting. They are also evergreen.
Viburnum Mohawks, I have these planted under Maples and they are thriving, so are the Viburnum Pragues, which are evergreen.
I hear my name. I'm afraid I have no input to contribute that hasn't alread been mentioned here. C, when it comes to the latest fragrant deal, I follow you like my pooch follows me.
All my osmanthus is in bright shade. I had one in full sun. Only diff I noticed was the one in sun location grew faster, but not too much, it is an overall slow grower. My shrubs are in full bloom now, oh how delicious. Can you believe it though? Hubby cannot smell them. I stuck his nose right into a flower cluster and he said: "nope". Sometimes I wonder if he's doing that just to tease me.
I think that might be true. My mom could not smell mine, either. It was hard to believe. I made her stand away, too. She and I have different allergies, and I am also the one that is immune to poison ivy and she reacts to the pollen in the air.
Also, had a client in the nursery one day sniffing acacia flowers. He was just agog. I couldn't smell a thing, and went back several times to sniff and sniff. I finally did one day smell a nice sweet scent, but there was a much bigger flush altogether on one of the larger plants.
LOL on following like a pooch Vossner! You won't do!
How odd you mentioned folks not being able to smell the fragrance on the Sweet Olive. A friend was over on Sunday and said he couldn't catch that fragrance. Must be genetic with the sniffer...
Ohh happy you'll love Queen Charlotte - her scent doesn't really carry (maybe once mine spread out some) but if you're near by....such a great scent. Bluestone said it was their heaviest scented viola - when I asked last year. The folks at the nursery I got that sweet olive say it's hardy to zone 7...I'm sure if you wrapped it and/or place it by the foundation of the house it would be just fine. I know you weren't looking for annuals...but two that came to mind that don't like that direct sun are: Stock and Sweetpeas...just a thought...I think one or both reseed themselves as well. As for the Gardenia vietnamensis - I don't have it...it's on my "want" list...but I've heard all kinds of good things regarding it's tolerance of being container grown. F4F knows more about that then I - so we'll wait to hear her thoughts. As for your "wet areas"....I'd be picking up bagS of Turkey (or large bird) grit at you local feed store i.e. Southern States and put a nice THICK layer of that beneath plants you're concerned about if it worked for my cactus bed it should work for just about anything.
As for the Sweet Olives - to my nose they most definitely have a scent.. the scent doesn't carry though...although again this may be b/c they're juvenile plants still...and maybe humidity (outside spring/summer) will assist that scent upon the breeze.
Nery, my friend...you are too funny...what a sweet way to recognize just how incredible cheap I can be when trying to find the best price on a plant...LOL
F4F - acacia? Hmmm why does that sound familiar??? Gonna go peek at my notes....LOL
Hm, what? Did someone mention my name? Chantell, I can only imagine how much energy you must have in person. Do you by any chance talk fast, too?!?!?! Just teezing- lov ya gal, just can't keep up with you!
Yes, Gardenia vietnamensis tolerates container growing very well. Overwintering I have no idea- would need a grow light for sure. Does that anwer the question?
Talk fast...moi? LOL Actually I've had to make an effort to slow down the talking...patients get "that" look like...ugh, heard 1/2 of what she said. ^_^ As for energy...only when discussing my passions i.e. Chloe (LOL), Plants, Photography and "those" type of dog breeds...LOL
Chantell, Acacia wood is being used in the making of knife handles, especially newer Asian types. It is attractive, durable and has natural antimicrobial properties.
Chantell: I have a growing "Word" file of all the new plants I want. I cut and paste comments into it. It is up to 23 pages. What will I ever do? I'm not going to pursue the Gardenia vietnamensis though; if I get even one more plant to overwinter . . . . I hate all that dragging in of plants in the fall.
Fantastic idea about the turkey grit. I have bags and bags of it in the garage I bought a few years ago to mix into potting soils. I never though about using it to underlay plants.
Happy, that Word document is a great idea.
No, Stormy, you are so wrong. It is dangerous and expensive.
See, happy...if you just focus on one type of plant i.e. fragrant...the list can only get so big esp. if you become a scent snob and only the strongest "bestest" smelling pass the test...LOL Just say yes to GRIT - it's become s staple in ALL my mixes...
Here's another one that I have ordered from. Pretty good list for for fragrants:
http://www.sunlightgardens.com/lists/good_fragrance.html
Opps, forgot www.selectseeds.com
Ohhh peeking at the sunlight site...didn't know about that one....ugh
Another fragrant list--haven't ordered but am on her mailing list, love the knowledge she provides.
http://www.anniesannuals.com/plant_lists/list_custom.asp?type=Any&color=Any&water=Any&account=none&Submit=Display%20Results&lifespan=Any&availability=Show%20All&view=Pictures&sun=Any&catagory=Fragrant&searchword=none&count=36&letter=Any&start=0
Aniie's is wonderful they send healthy decent size plants ans she has some unusual stuff!!!
Annie's is one of my favorites too--I'm lucky since I live close enough to go in person. Or maybe I'm not so lucky--it's impossible to get out of there without spending way too much money!
Their shipping is really expensive, too. I've found Annie's plants at a couple of nurseries, so I take a list of the ones from the website I'm looking for when I visit those places.
shipping cost is what's kept me from getting stuff from them plus it seems every time I got hunting for something, it is the off period so n/a. ugh.