And I have to say that your photo is very clear but not of those leaves really favor the photo at the top of this thread which I was told was Cuban oregano nor does your vicks leaf favor my vicks plant. Many varieties as well as fragrances I guess.
Citrus trees. The leaves smell wonderful when bruised.... 8 )
Favorite foliage fragrances... what an addiction!!!
Yes I guess there must be many leaves.
I love my Kaffir Lime tree leaves when I crush them....they smell wonderful also, I have yet to make Thai food out of them yet, which is the main reason I bought the tree in the first place.
"smelly leaves" - ROTFLOL....only WE can get away with a statement like that....too funny...laughing WITH you, though my friend - you know that. Funny thing about that Vicks plant....God love it...if it isn't the easiest plant there is I don't know what is!! I moved it from the kitchen to the living room...DD came up with a horrid look on her face and said WHICH plant is that and can it be traded!?!? You know you've been on DG too long when your kids (she's 20) start asking questions like that?!?
?? Bay rum ???
C- You don't have a bay rum? This is the one that makes me swoon- literally.
By the way, C, if there is plant that your kids don't get......and you need a secret place to store it, and then visit it......over and over again.....because of its tradable value.......I have no idea where that would be.
ASTCgirl, when I cook a Thai dish, and I just zest lime peels. In fact, it's funny because I recently totally 'made up' a recipe and used lime zest. I'm not an expert by any means in Thai, so I would like it a lot if you Dmailed your recipe with leaves. :-) To that end, we get more limes and leaves than we know what to do with if you ever want some extra!
Ahhhh "guyssssss" - ya'll are killin me!!! Correct me if I misunderstood....this "Bay Rum" is another TREE correct??? But it has its scent as an infant - correct, again?? Is it fragrant all by it's little self or must it be petted like Rosemary??? Anyone have any ideas how they fair container grown??? And let's see "a place to store a plant to visit" - might the owner of that establishment cook thai????
Bay Rum??!? LOL I am all ears? The Allspice is a "petter" but I'm a toucher and so are you Chantell.
Someone, quick ~ please share the Bay Rum info... don't keep us in suspense! 8 )))
Here's the PF link for 'Bay Rum' : http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73504/
I'm sticking with my Sweet Bay, as I just don't want to do without its leaves for cooking... no place for a Bay Rum, especially not after I get hold of an Allspice and a Cinnamon tree! LOL
Wouldn't a tropical forest greenhouse of all these trees be wonderful! Yum!
Um, er, um, or a job where you get to work with those plants everyday? That does sound like a fantastic greenhouse and I do believe many zoos and botanical gardens have "sense" or "scented" type gardens. But, too have your own! Critter- way cool about the cinnamon, and if you don't have a nutmeg I also highly reccomend that one. But, not cheap those 2, and I wish for them myself!
Chantell, the bay rum has to be petted, like the rosemary. Or crushed. The leaves are also still aromatic once they are dried, too. They do great in nursery pots, so I would say definitely container grown would do well. It is a tree, however, I bet it would respond just fine to pruning, and you could probably train it to be a bush and stay in a pot for a long time, unlike the Posoqeuira we talked about once. I don't always know, being that I work with large sizes and have recently started many of these things from seed myself so I am waiting to see how it goes, but that would be my guess. So, should I get some lime zest going for tonight? ;-)
Are there fragrant foliages that will exude the fragrance without some stimulation?
I have a blind friend. For him I have touch plants that release scent or feel nice (Lamb's ear). A touch garden is an excellent way to bring the joys of gardening to people with sight disabilities. :)
For a touch garden I'm fond of lavender, thyme, oregano, sweet bay magnolia, scented geraniums, basils, and mints, sassafrass, hyssops, Lamb's ear, poppy leaves, sage, and some artemisias. Hens n chickens can provide an interesting texture. So can bumpy leaves, soft leaves, or leaves with interesting edges. You just have to be sure that there are no allergy risks.
Also, obviously, don't plant cactus. :P
-Joe
Nutmeg, also?! You're killing me, here! Maybe I should just ask my local nursery if they can find Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Kaffir Lime, &/or Bay Rum for me and let the cards fall as they may...
I found the PF entry for nutmeg: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/863/
Also found a *hardy* (to 6a, anyway, good enough for me!) evergreen called "Chinese Nutmeg." PF says the foliage is "aromatic" -- like the spice, nutmeg, or like a Christmas tree? Anybody know??
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/82899/
Jill - your nursery connection...hmmm forgot about that....feel free...
F4F - yummy...I'll head out now.... LOL Re the Posoqeuira - mercy you've got a good memory...now I'm trying to remember which one we were discussing the Posoqueria longiflora or the Posoqueria sp Belize
Joe - no cactus...OMG...that so would be horrible...many succulents though are nice a soft to the touch just not hardy http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/140549/
ALL - I'm brain dead and completely confused by these "bay" trees...I think I need to start at the top of the thread and work my way down again.
Wow ~ yes! Lambs ear is a favorite. How could I forget it. I love the texture and the fragrance!
Cool Echie photo ~ Chantell!
Hmmm ~
Bay or Laurus nobilis
Allspice ~ Pimenta doica
Nutmeg ~ Myristica fragrans I think this is the edible nutmeg?
Bay Rum ~ Pimenta racemosa
Cinnamon ~ Laurus winteriana ? One member has this one for trade http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/67619/
Anise ~ Illicium anisatum or I. parvaflorum?
Please correct me on the ones I am wrong about.
edited to add:
How could we forget the Clove Syzygium aromaticum tree to add to our spice orchard. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/59698/
This message was edited Feb 1, 2009 2:11 PM
Commercial cinnamon comes from trees in the genus Cinnamomum. There are 2 types -- Cassia or china cinnamon, and Ceylon or "true" cinnamon. See the article I wrote on them: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1970/
Excellent... thanks for pointing me to your article.
Oh look....the tax return can take a care of a plant or two....MERCY http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi
Chantell, have you ordered from them? There seem to be some mixed reviews in GWD. If I can't get the tree from "the Florida truck," then I'd consider ordering a cinnamon from them... their shipping charges are high, but if they do a really careful packing job then I'm OK with that. What do you think about ordering this month, though? I'm thinking it might be better to wait.. although I'm not expecting much in the way of a refund, LOL.
I've actually never ordered from them...I was 1/2 teasing. Sad as it is, Jill, I generally use their site more for reference purposes as well as finding fragrants that I didn't realize I "needed." LOL Maybe ask Becky though...I can't remember if she'd ordered from them or not.
I'm going to go up to DPF this week and see what they can tell me about the possibility of getting any of these. Please remind me the other plant you were hoping they could find for you... I can't find it in my Dmail.
Gathering and sending ...
Podster, you are so right! How could we forget the clove tree?!?!?!?
Critter- great article. I am now trying to think. I "think" that the cassia cinnamon has fragrant leaves, and the ceylon cinnamon does not. I will have to check into that unless I missed here where someone already knows. Good luck with your wish list at the local nursery!
!! Clove tree ?!?!? ...I'm signing out now...this is sensory overload for me
OK, can't track down the cassia. The zeylanicum is fragrant, but you really have to crush the leaves to get the smell. They seem to be so similar botanically.
Thanks! Maybe I'll stick to the Allspice and try to track down a Bay Rum instead of the Ceylon cinnamon...
The PF entry for Clove says the leaves are strongly fragrant. :-)
Does anybody know about the fragrance of Nutmeg leaves?
I found some interesting info and photos of many of these spice trees here: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph16.htm
okkkkkk....then I "need" the clove..following behind Jill and F4F while they research...
Many of my other favorites are common weeds. I love the carrot smell of Queen Anne's Lace, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/688/ . I also love the clear citrus smell of iron weed, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1998/ , and the smell of aster foliage, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1280/ .
Oswego tea, bee balm, or bergamot http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/302/ , has a delicious sweet fragrance (makes a good tea too.) No one mentioned laurus nobilus, the classic laurel http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/814/ , or northern bayberry, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73818/ .
Sumac leaves have nice texture, and I have always liked their aroma when crushed. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73818/ .
-Joe
I adore southern bayberry, aka wax myrtle, but I was advised by a native plant nursery that my inland garden with its clay soil wouldn't make them happy... they need that sandy loam and beachside climate.
I wonder if the northern bayberry is more adaptable...Are you growing them in Ohio?
Chantell, if we can find them, do you think we "need" two trees of each of these, or just one between us which we could attempt to propagate?
Ohhh just thought of a site...yipee...will go check there in between patients Jill...IF I can remember the proper names to these that we're ISO. I kill most things I try to root - You and Joe...ya'll are the propagators...(LOL sounds like the Terminators - now of course I've got: "I'll be baaaakkk" in my head). Unless they're some horrible price I'd like if we could each have our own little tree...but if they end up being so pricey then I'll leave the mama in your able propagating hands. Why Joe doesn't simply move down to the Mid-Atlantic area is beyond me...think of all the goodies you could grow!!!!
BTW - !! KRISTI !! you are SOOO bad for starting this thread...just LOOK at the trouble you're getting everyone into!!
We'll see if we can find smaller plants, then, rather than $50-60 larger trees.. but I'll be happy if we can just find them!
I couldn't head over today (migraine... that 1 beer last night was an error), but I'll get over to DPF asap.
Oh Jill...take care of that head...yikes! Just got off the phone with that sweet gal at Nurseries Caroliniana - unfortunately they only carry things that do ok in zone 7 & 8 is what it sounds like. She recommended Logees (although noted their plants were small) and Glasshouse works...so I'll mosey on over there and peek about
OK, you guys have me running all over the nursery today sniffing leaves. I found that there can be variations between the zeylanicum, but in general both C.z and Cc don't smell a whole aweful lot like cinnamon. The C.z is closest, but is not a strong smell. It also seems to be a troublesome plant to grow, at least from my casual observation seems to top and get off color a lot. C.cassia has a more pungent odor, but smells like a spicier version of it's cousin camphor, and I think should have smaller leaves than the pictures you find on google searches (haven't had time yet to check plantfiles.) I think between the 2 I might just rather have cinnamon sticks are to sniff and I still think bay rum is the best, but stopped off at the dioica, too. Allspice is quite nice, and is similar to bay rum but more peppery. OK, let me see if I can track down the nutmeg, and yes, the clove leaves from what I remember are quite fragrant. Tah tah for now.
PS- had a bayberry candle for Christmas. Was so nice!
Yah, I did it to myself. Opted out of an hour long drive to another party because driving (especially with bright light or headlights) tends to turn a little headache into a big one, and then I thought I was fine later and indulged in an adult beverage (half a beer! what a cheap date!). *sigh*
Fauna4Flora, thanks so much for "researching" for us! I don't need "troublesome," so I think I'll concentrate on Allspice, Clove, maybe Bay Rum or Nutmeg...
Ok, found 'em. OH,OH,OH that clove is amazing. Like sniffing a Brunfelsia americana, but more intense and slightly spicier. The nutmeg is nice, but like the cinnamomums the leaf fragrance is not intense and not quite like the actual spice smell. But, nice. Doesn't seem to be too fussy and I would add it if I happened across it and it were reasonably priced.
"amazing"
OK, clove is on my new must-have list!
Thank you!
In my best thick Austrian accent:
"I am de propagator."
"Come vit me if you vant to root."
So sad to be sitting here by myself giggling away...I work for a psychiatrist for God's sake - Joe, can you imagine what the patients are thinking!!!
F4F - you ROCK!!! Very sweet of you to do the sniffer test for us. I sure everyone has at one time or another finally got that plant they HAD to have to only realize the thing had little to no scent - and that's after plunging your nose into the pollen...so sad...very, very sad!!
Speaking of pollen (gold color) - How about them Steelers!?!?! LOL
F4F how could you.....I found a clove tree for sale.....ahhhh it's $249.99 at jene's tropicals....I did buy 1 seed from tradewinds for $3.00 so hopefully in a couple of YEARS I'll smell that "amazing" scent......anyone else find a cheaper place.....maybe we could all put in and then babysit the "clove" tree 3 months at a time .....HAHA.
Jene's also has the allspice for $34.99 for those interested.