I got some of these b/c I have always thought they were reputed to have such a wonderful fragrance. Mine have absolutely none! When the blooms opened a few days ago, I repeatedly went to the plant to sniff but got nothing. I thought maybe it was a evening fragranced plant but alas, no..... :(
What happened?
that's strange. they're supposed to be intoxicatingly fragrant.
Mine haven't even surfaced yet, but they do have a scent if kept in a greenhouse. The sun heating it up in the morning seems to fill the air with a light but pleasant scent which you notice when first opening the doors.
Is the ground very dry where they are planted? If so water real good....they should share their fragrance .......... have you asked someone else to sniff?
Thanks all.
The area isnt dry at all, and my DH couldn't smell anything either.
Perhaps its just an aberration? I also have several planted in another bed. These haven't bloomed yet. I am VERY anxious to see if these have fragrance.
The scent isn't at all strong if you put your nose in it, rather like most freesias, they are supposed to be fragrant but few are and if warm and enclosed it's like getting a delicate whiff. People generally do have different scent detectors also. They are different though and the foliage grows to be quite tropical looking.
Mine put out a barely noticeable fragrance, usually at dusk. I was disappointed, having chosen to grow this specifically for fragrance. Well, OK, because it's exotic-looking, too. Hymenocallis festalis, I believe. There are other similar ones that may be more scented.
I got a Sulphur Queen this year and it has just emerged, if I get flowers I will find out!
I'd be happy fragrance or not if mine would bloom. I've had it for 3 years...lots of leaves but nary a flower :(
Todd I didn't get any last year, but I had split them the autumn before and because they had multiplied so much I put several in larger pots and put them in my shadier greenhouse. They had been in my neighbours hot, sunny greenhouse. I also on the odd occasion gave them tomato food when I fed tomatoes, so I really need to do that again if I can find space! The pot was crammed full of bulbs, I think I lost some by transplanting in autumn but still have some so need to do something about it. I think they like to be crowded but need food, the roots were going out the bottom for miles under the peat bed it was stood on. They probably send out roots under rocks in their native location.
I do not notice any smell from mine but then they are planted under a very large brugmansia and do not stand a chance. Lol.
I planted some last year in containers (bought them from Bleek's company) and they had a mild scent. You had to stand near the plant to notice it, but it was there.
I had some a couple years ago that smelled so awesome, storng scent too. I traded for some last year because I couldnt get mine out of the ground. No scent on these at all, I was disapointed about the scent but the blooms are so beautiful.
My tuppence:
My Hymenocallis x festalis bloomed and the scent was wonderful but very light. You had to put your nose in there. Wish it would have been stronger so you could enjoy it without having to get on all fours!
Robert.
Mine have no fragrance at all..
Larkie
I feel ya Larkie!
Here is Peruvian Daffodil in full bloom. Better known as Ismene, 'Sulphur Queen'.
I will stick my nose in this beautiful bloom to smell if it is fragrant.
Shirlye,
Well- was it? LOL!
berrygirl~
Is your Hymenocallis the "Zwanenburg" selection?
Robert.
Maybe it's my nose, but I don't think it was fragrant.
Robert,
I am not sure what mine is. Got it at Wal-Mart and it was simply labeled as Peruvian Daffodil/Isemene.
Shirley,
sorry to hear that. It sure is pretty though.
My Sulphur Queen has a funny first bloom, but two others are half open and tonight I smelled them. They both have a strong smell hard to describe. Whether this will change once fully open, or in the day time I will find out.
On hitting the flower with my scent detectors, the first impression is not pleasant. It has a strong smell reminding me a little of the old cakes of soap that were unscented. Once that smell has gone another one filters through, in a way pleasant, in a way not. It is best described as a sponge cake with lemon oil, or perhaps 'uncooked custard powder' with lemon oil.
My freaky flower
It's still pretty even though it looks like have the flower opened. It reminds me of an oriental fan.
Guess your nose "knows"! Everyone's is different. What is fragrant to one is not to another.
It is so, my neighbour can't smell roses that I can. I can't say I like the smell, but they are very unusual flowers so who cares. This one is strong, the freak one does smell but not as strong as the half open ones. I have it outside under the shade of a bath tub, perhaps that makes a difference?
Lovely Sulphur Queens.
I had the same thought about the Oriental fan.
Robert.
Here are some of my Peruvian Daffs. I got them from the co-op that Cheryl_IL hosted. These 2 are gone now, but I have some others blooming.....I bought 9 bulbs in all. I don't remember them having a scent, but I just went out and smelled the other 2 that are blooming. They have a wonderful, light, sweet scent....reminds me of my irises. I had to put my nose up to it to smell it though.....the scent wasn't "in the air" like it is with the heliotrope I have in my yard.
This message was edited Jun 24, 2006 11:51 PM
They are beautiful! If they were enclosed in a greenhouse you would smell it in the air when you first open the door. It is a delicate but pleasant scent, unlike the Sulphur Queen.
Yes Robert, I am much more impressed with them than I thought I would be, the pics you see normally don't do them justice. I love the vivid green stripes and the corolla looks to have a texture of linen-textured silk.
I got annoyed with the storage and replanting requirements and junked mine this spring. Now your comments are making me feel guilty. Ah well, it's just gardener thing.
andycdn~
I guess it's too late to suggest growing them in pots........
Here's (most of!) what I'll have to move indoors this winter. There are some Hymenocallis in the upper left corner: tall ones down from the pink Hydrangea.
Robert.
edited to correct brain malfunction on plant name. D'oh!
This message was edited Jul 9, 2006 11:54 PM
Robert I thought I was bad! What are spare bedrooms or anyway? And spare spaces on the floor, table......
andycdn, there are more bulbs in this world.........try again!
Hi all,
I bought the same bulbs at Walmart last year. It was early spring, so I potted them in the greenhouse and they almost immediately bloomed. I did not detect any fragrance.
Then I planted the whole rootball (4 bulbs) in the vegetable plot for the summer. When fall arrived, I mulched with 8 inches of leaves and left them in the ground for winter (zone 6). They came through the winter just fine and are still blooming as I type. I will have to go stick my nose in the flower again, but so far no fragrance has been noticeable.
Just thought some of you zone pushers might want this info.
Toxi
A friend has had a big patch of x festalis by the mailbox on his cul-de-sac in 7b for some years now. I imagine being by all that asphalt and in a residential community development has helped in creating a warmish microclimate. I started my "sSulphur Queen" and x festalis in pots and will put them in the groung next season when I have enriched the soil nicely.
Glad to hear they'll do in zone 6!
Robert.
Mine also has no fragrance...
Wow,
I had no idea there were this many folks who share my experience with this plant!
They produce huge quantities of offshoot bulblets. A Scot by heritage and nature, I couldn't let the free bulbs go, and was overwhelmed by the potting-up task. Hence my decision to toss them. I still feel guilty. This is only one of several pots. If it were fragrant, I might have kept it going. Am I fickle?
Bummmmmmmmp!
I was just reading that most Hymenocallis are considered nocturnal and that would mean their scent is released after dark.
I, for one, always sniffed mine during daylight hours and never once even went near them after dark, so i didn't even accidentally catch a whiff.
Maybe they're fragrant after all, just not when we're there?
Robert.
That might explain why I could detect the scent in the morning when going into the greenhouse, that is H festalis.
H Sulphur Queen had a strong scent any time of the day and it was outside, not a scent I really like though but interesting.
'Sulphur Queen was pointed out as being one that wasn't in the 'nocturnal' group.
Just re -read the notes, and it didn't actually say it was also diurnally fragrant.......just that it was one of the two non-white ones of the "ghostly white, nocturnal genus". But your sniffer may be proof that it is day-scented.
An interesting note: it is native to the high deserts of Peru and therefore takes a different culturing from the more tropical ones. Meaning humidity is a negative.
R.
This message was edited Nov 7, 2006 10:48 AM
Bummmmmmmmp!
I was just reading that most Hymenocallis are considered nocturnal and that would mean their scent is released after dark.
I, for one, always sniffed mine during daylight hours and never once even went near them after dark, so i didn't even accidentally catch a whiff.
Maybe they're fragrant after all, just not when we're there?
Robert
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Robert,
Hi! No, mine were NOT fragrant at night- nor any other time- hence my starting this thread- lol!
