I don't know if it's my soil or just the variety I've gotten, but I have noticed several that were supposed to be aromatic and just aren't.
Like: Yarrow, Artemisia, and a Piper auritium. They all LOOK like the right varieties, but are not aromatic.
Any ideas? Or did I just not get what I thought I got??
Anyone have any idea why my fragrant plants aren't so much?
Found this which says fragrance can be lost in breeding plants. It can get more faint over time.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3146948/Scientists-can-genetically-boost-the-smell-of-flowers-and-even-implant-new-scents.html
The plants you mentioned Yarrow and Artemisia usually don't release their scent until you crush a leaf, also their scent is stronger in warmer temperatures.
Thank you both. I'm not sure exactly what's up with all these. I know it's not my nose b/c I can definitely smell fragrant plants in the stores.
It's just hard for me b/c I had such beautiful, fragrant plants in my garden in Benbrook. Since I've moved down here, nothing seems the same. I'm really trying hard, but it's just not as rewarding as my garden there was.
Happy Gardening,
Carole
It could be too much moisture in
th ground, or too much humidity
in the air.
I have brugmansia I could share with you and I could guarantee fragrance, especially about 6PM when it's time for the big moths to come out. I also have a Lantana that for some strange reason is fragrant. It was bought at Home Depot and it is salmon and yellow vs the pink and yellow that is the usual one we see. It smells nice, something like magnolia. I also have butterfly (white) ginger whose flowers are very fragrant. Let me know if you want a start of any of these and when I pass thru your way I can drop em off somewhere for you.
hmmm-- fragrant lantana? I have stinky lantana. Will have to sniff some next time I'm out at a nursery
Cleveland/New Caney areas are definitely more humid than Benbrook. Winter is the nice season. Try raising the ground above the normal yard level. Check nutrients for those plants- Thats an old town prone to floods and may have something to do with missing performances.
Thanks again! The yarrow I had in Benbrook was AMAZING! Ditto the Artemisia. I have to assume it was the variety. If i had know it was going to be so hard to find, I would have grabbed them up before I moved!! My Lantana (leaves) have always been fragrant--almost a minty scent. Love them too; mine are "Confetti"
@steadycam, give me a little longer to get my garden back together. i love the sound of your butterfly ginger! i have never grown Brugs. are they finicky?
Brugs are not finicky..lol...they take their own time to produce flowers..I know since I have alot of them here..I am about 45 mins south of you, Carole..My daddy lives in Cleveland, Tx....since my yard is all over 5 acres here, I have to go to that bed and smell the scents..lol..
Carole, Come to our RU round-up in Arlington on the 21st or to Hempstead on the 27th and you can get some more yarrow and many other things you might want. Have you read the thread for the Arlington Round UP?? It will give you a good idea of what it is like. I lived in Irving for 8 yrs and my first RU was with Arlington so I feel connected to them. I always enjoy it soooo much. You could ride with me if you like. The car will be full of plants but the shot gun seat is always open. chuckle.
As for the brugs, I do not find them challenging at all. Im a zone below you and mine did freeze to the ground in that monster of 2009 but they came back from the roots very well. They smell wonderful!!!! I usually get about 3-4 flushes of bloom a year. Last year the white fly bothered them so much they did not bloom but twice but this year I think I have that under control. You can also grow them in a large pot and roll them inside during the winter. My pink one is about 8 ft tall and stays about that. My yellow one is shorter and more parasol-shaped. Think about it and Dmail me if you have questions or want to sign up for the shot gun seat. Marty originally from Louisiana.
I've been to three or four RU, maybe more (?) but haven't put anything together for a swap right now. I think it might be something I could plan for either in the fall or next spring. Seriously, it's just a mess out there right now. i'm working on it. probably a couple of weeks away from a good start for 2013. still trying to amend soils, redefine beds, plan, plant, fertilize, etc. Some plants I just need to figure out why their growth has been stunted. again... i'm getting there ;-)
just need a little longer. I've made a promise to myself not to buy or obtain any new plants or seeds until I get what I've got in the ground and growing. it IS frustrating right now b/c my soil is still so crappy, even after years of trying to amend. it's crazy. it's like it's almost worse now than it was before. if I could figure out how to get the rich soil I used to have in Ft. Worth, my garden would be amazing (again).
ok that's enough. thank you for letting me rattle on about my garden and soil and mediocre success ;-)
Carole have you had the soil tested? I thing your county extension agency would be able to tell you where you could get it tested, then you'd know more specifically what you need to put in the soil to amend it...
Thanks, Jan. They have kits at our co-op. I'm thinking too much drainage may also be a factor. I'm purely guessing here. While I know most of these plants are drought tolerant, this sand holds virtually NO water.
I'm still kind of in shock to see so many plants that survived on their own at least a year, some two years.
The one that surprised me the most is the Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow.
need to go get something done out there. Such gorgeous weather here.
Cleveland is really warmer than anywhere north- say Livingston even. Just watch the low areas in rains cuz those houses on stilts like out in Tarkington if there are any left usually are the only things the army corps of engineers couldnt figure out how to find the swamp plug with the all the gators sittin on em