Thursday, June 13, 2013

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE GARDEN SMELLS? HERE ARE MY TOP 10

I should probably say what are your favorite garden fragrances?
But who knows, 
the smell of fresh rain after a thunderstorm is always number one.
And more so during dry summers!
So, what's your favorite flower or other scent?
I thought it would be easy to rank them, but some of these depend on my mood.
Here's the countdown:
Number 10: Clerodendrum bungei...flowers only, NOT the leaves. The leaves stink so if you  brush against them and then smell the flowers at the same time, it's like being kissed and slapped simultaneously. 
#9 Peppermint. Aren't the leaves splendid? A sprig in some tea would do nicely right now.
#8 Curry plant. At first, I did not enjoy this scent but loved the fine textured silvery leaves.
After a rain shower, the curry smell wafts across the garden.
I'm starting to get hungry for curry chicken just now. (Some say yes you can use this plant in cooking while others say no. I'm not sure.)
#7 Basil! I love fresh basil on chicken. I'm really getting hungry writing this post.
#6 Rosemary....on roasted potatoes! To go with the chicken.
Enough about the herbs, let's move on.
#5 Spearmint
I love spearmint even more than peppermint. 
As a kid, this plant would send runners into the lawn.
Then we'd mow over it and be pleasantly surprised. LOL
#4 Ginger
This ginger never blooms, but has such an exotic fragrance that I can't help but rub the leaves each time I pass by. I close my eyes and imagine I'm on a tropical island.
#3 Mint Marigold
The yellow blooms just add to the fun. This one is resting. 
It's the freshest fragrance in my garden right now and I highly recommend 
one for people who want to save money on a therapist.
#2 Four O'Clocks! I had these in my childhood garden, my grandmother's garden, and now in my own garden. The pinkish/mauve is a wild cultivar from the Hill Country.
#1 Plumeria or 
#1 My Neighbor's Magnolia tree
My Plumeria is finally blooming after about 5 years of waiting.
I'll bring the flowers in all summer and have them in a vase on my desk.
***
So that's it from here.
What are your favorite fragrances in your garden?
I'd love to know.
Thanks for stopping by! 
David/:0)

14 comments:

  1. Ha, too funny about the Clerodendrum bungei! I don't think I've seen that plant before to have the pleasure of feeling kissed and slapped at the same time ;)

    I didn't have too many fragrant flowers in my garden, but I did have a rose that smelled exceptionally sweet. I also love lilacs and gardenias!

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    1. Oh yes, I wish I could grow roses, but I have too much shade! :0)

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  2. Great choices! That Cardamon Ginger always reminds me of Christmas pot pourri. I usually pot up some in the fall.

    Here are the rest of my 10 as I thought of them:
    1. Gardenias
    2. Magnolia grandiflora
    3. Datura -- nighttime
    4. Nicotiana and Petunias -- nighttime fragrances
    5. Tea Olive
    6. Roses: Rose de Rescaht, Reine des Violettes and Julia Child
    7. Epiphyllum oxypetalum -- another Vespertine
    8. Daffodils: Tahiti and Sweetness are my favs
    9. Sweet Shrub, Calycanthus

    I'm big on year-round fragrance.

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    1. Oh my! What wonderful choices. I forgot about Gardenias!!! We have one on the border with our neighbor. I'd put that in the top 5 as well.
      David/:0)

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  3. Jealous of the Plumeria! Mine are:
    10) Lavender
    9) Tomato leaves (I know they stink! They just bring back such great memories...)
    8) Tagetes lemmonii, Copper Canyon Daisy
    7) Montanoa grandiflora (Smells like cupcakes!)
    6) Heliotropium aborscens 'Alba', white heliotrope (Even more smelly than the purple)
    5) Jasminum polyantha
    4) Rosa 'De Rescht'
    3) Citrus blossoms (If I had to pick only one, it would be navel orange)
    2) Passiflora
    1) Alltime favorite: Philadelphus mexicana 'Double form' (The smell is really intense, not your average mock orange, like gardenia and Jasminum sambac rolled into one)
    -Max P.

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    1. Oh yes, great list! I love orange blossoms and lavender as well.
      I have Copper Canyon Daisy and it's growing on me...but very strange and not like anything else in the garden.
      David/:0)

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  4. Nice list there David, and the scent of Plumeria is absolutely stunning!

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    1. I have two as of this morning. I can't wait to take a smell comparison test today. David/:0)

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  5. Fun! That's a great list, as have been those in the comments. It's hard to choose, but I guess my favorites in my garden are the roses, gardenias, jasmine, lavender, rosemary, lemon blossoms, thyme, basil, oregano, and so many sages. We recently planted a small tea olive. I understand that those are very fragrant and I can hardly wait!

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  6. Great list! I used to grow thyme and that would have been on my top 10 as well. I'll have to research tea olive. David/:0)

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  7. I have never saw a real plumaria so I am missing out on that fragrance. You have a lot of wonderful herbs too David. I think Lilacs and Honeysuckle is top of my list.

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  8. Sweet Almond Verbena would be at the top of my list right now.

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  9. Great list and great additions from the other comments. I would add Lemon Balm too!

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  10. Hey David, just found your great blog! I would have to say my favorite scent is Peonies, but as I can't grow them on the Gulf coast, Butterfly ginger drives me nuts! After that, Angel Trumpet, Banana Magnolia, Sweet Olive, Winter Honeysuckle, Rose 'Clothilde Soupert', Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum),......

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I always appreciate your comments & questions! Happy Gardening from David/ Tropical Texana

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