The MGS Forum
Miscellaneous => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Umbrian on April 28, 2012, 05:48:14 AM
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Yes please Marilyn - let's start a new topic for scented plants, something very important to me when choosing additions for the garden. Regarding Calycanthus its scent reminds me of Freesias - especially the purple ones - sharply peppery. By the way have members noticed that the purple varieties of some species have a much stronger perfume than other colours? I am thinking particularly here of Petunias that I use a lot in pots for summer colour. :)
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Some of my favourites or should I say favs are Choisya ternata and "Aztec Pearl", Coronilla valentina, several Jasmine species, Citrus, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Eleagnus species, Araujia sericifera, Mandevilla laxa.
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For me, scents don't have to be strong. With visuals, one can appreciate a stunning smack-you-in-the-face display of vibrance, yet also appreciate much littler, subtler visual impacts. And just so with scents: I quite like a big waft of jasmine, Philadelphus or orange blossom; but I also like to have to get more intimate to discover the offerings of some violets, Sarcococca, pinks... I do find some scents problematical: some of the more-strongly scented Viburnum give me an almost immediate sinus headache. That's as regards floral scents.
But scented foliage is important as an appreciative dimension, especially in a mediterranean setting. On a big scale, I love the smell of a pine forest, and the anticipation as one approaches it. Of course, we can't do without rosemary, thyme, lavender et al. In many cases, the scent is not really apparent until one touches the leaves. I find that with lemon-scented Pelargoniums, Verbena and even with Helichrysum italicum if planted singly (curry plant).
One of the nice things with scent, be it of floral or foliar origin, is that it can creep up and surprise you. I know you are 'with me' on this. You'll be focussed on doing something in the garden, then you'll stand up straight and look around, saying to yourself or out loud 'where's that scent coming from?' or 'what's that fragrance?'. Sometimes you know it and track it down, sometimes you are left puzzled.
But I think the best thing stems from us humans having little ability to 'visualize' scents (perhaps I could say 'olfactorize'). With things we see, we can imagine them. We can't do that with smells (good or bad) - at least I can't. That means we can know what a plant smells like, but in order to experience it, we have to actually smell it. So as we approach the plant, we can't dilute the experience by imagining the scent before we get there. Only when we arrive and sniff do we get the enjoyment. That works for me especially with pinks (flowers) and raspberries (fruit). Anybody nodding their head in agreement, or am I alone in this?
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Earlier this year I was asked to give a presentation at a Mind, Body & Spirit Expo. This was a bit of a challenge as I had no idea what a MB&S Expo entailed. Anyway, I settled on the subject of a 'Sensual Garden', an appreciation of how much we experience a garden via our senses. This sounded reasonably MB&S, to me anyway. Obviously, scent featured very highly, also the overlapping of the senses, such as touch and smell, as you point out, Mike.
Incidently, John Tradescant, Senior, one of the earliest and greatest of the plant collector/gardeners, had no sense of smell. A horrifying thought until you realise that as he's never experienced it he'll never miss it, I guess.
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:) Lovely posting Mike and thanks for reminding us that foliage has an important part to play as well as flowers. I always have pelargoniums with scented leaves close to the house and sitting areas in the summer so that I can touch the leaves as I pass and carry the scent with me.Also a plant with leaves that smell strongly of lemon when rubbed the name of which I can never remember! In fact sharp citrusy scents are my favourites and like you, although appreciating the strong scents of some Viburnums, find them almost overpowering. Top of the list for me is probably Lonicera fragrantissima because it flowers in the dreary, colder months of the year and its pure ,sharp yet sweet scent enlivens the dreariest of days. Then we have the wonderful scent of the inconspicuous flowers of Eleagnus ebingii that suddenly wafts in the air in autumn. It always catches me by surprise as I set about the autumn clean up.
Scents are also great memory joggers, they can take you back to childhood days, being sent into the garden for mint, or to wonderful holidays wandering over moorland or hills covered with thymes and lavenders etc.
At the moment the air in my garden is full of the scent of Wisteria close to the house and Eleagnus angustifolia farther away making my early, daily morning walk a real olafactory pleasure! :)
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Just catching up on the board and discovered this lovely offshoot from my Bauhinia question. Some lovely suggestions there from everyone. Scent has always been a huge component, for me, of what makes gardens (and being outdoors in general) attractive.
There are the refined perfumes, of course: Jasmines various (I love them all), Hedychium coronarium (!!!), tuberose, Gardenia, Trachelospermum. I would put Pinks here too; that clovey richness sends me into transports of delight...
Roses deserve a category all of their own, or perhaps separate categories for the different kinds: old English, Hybrid Teas, ramblers, rugosas... and their foliages also have often interesting and pungent scents. A couple of my favourites off the top of my head are Sweet Juliette (almost citrussy) and Mmme Isaac Pereire, but I could go on for AGES. For now, I will just to add the fragrance of a single white rambler rose that grew in one of my gardens, which I suspect was Rosa filipes "Kiftsgate".
The pungents that hang in the air, often at some distance from the source plant, I also love - Eleagnus, Daphne, honeysuckle, Lily of the Valley, Pittosporum tobira. On the subject of mock oranges, is it just my impression or does the dwarf Philadelphus "Manteau D'Hermine" have a much sweeter, finer fragrance than the slightly club-hammer hit of the majority of them?
Soft scents, those that you have to get your nose in to appreciate: Iris, jonquils, Phlox, violets, lilac.
Nighttime scents: Cestrum nocturnum, Brugmansia, stocks.
The mediterranean plant spectrum of course contains a lot more scented foliage - oily saps and all that - some of my favourites are Calaminta nepeta and a particularly good Origanum marjorana variety I had the luck to find last year - like perfume. Aloysia triphylla, Melissa officinalis, Thymus citriodorus and Cymbopogon citratum give very different expressions of the lemon scent that comes presumably from similar compounds. Going into scented woods, I saw (and smelled) the cinnamon tree for myself for the first time last year in Majorca; a Cinnamomum species. Delicious! And what a treat when I discovered that the leaves of citrus fruit trees smell like their fruit (lemon, lime, grapefruit…)
But I have to conclude the list with an appreciation of the compound scent of the Algarve air; it changes through the year and according to where exactly you are in the landscape, but the foundation ingredients are Cistus ladanifer gum, oleander blossom, toasting pine sap and fig: unfurling fig leaves, later ripening figs. Truly, heaven is a place on Earth.
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In my garden at the moment, it is the roses and the pinks that are the most noticeable.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/059-1.jpg)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/058-1.jpg)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/120.jpg)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/121.jpg)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/108-1.jpg)
Pat Austin smells just like fresh mangoes.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/088-1.jpg)
I don't have a description for Buff Beauty's perfume, but it is gorgeous.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/027-5.jpg)
The same goes for Teasing Georgia!
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/049-2.jpg)
Daisy :)
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:)Lovely photographs as always Daisy, can hardly believe your garden is on Crete!
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I want to confirm that Pancratium maritimum (see discussion on it by clicking here (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=395)) is a fascinating plant, and the most amazing thing about it is its heavenly SCENT! We find this plant on the beaches, near the Rhône delta, in July and August; just to inhale the fresh, kind-of-daffodil-but-more-exquisite perfume is to experience a rare epiphany. It's our reward for having to walk a long way in the hot sand dunes in order to rediscover the plants where they appeared the previous years.
On a scale of 10, for the most delightful fragrance, I would rate Pancratium maritimum a 9+.
And Hedychium gardnerianum, now in bloom in my garden, would rate 7.
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Having read Jean's posting I did some research and found that by typing in "perfume in the garden" I found many postings where the scent of plants was mentioned. Also in Miscellaneous there are already some postings on scent in the garden I think...?
Anyway I am pleased that perhaps we shall rekindle discussion on this important aspect of plants. The garden attached to my new house was formerly cultivated by Nuns who cared for blind children and so I am planning to make it a scented garden both in their memory and for my own pleasure. It is small and so I shall have to be very selective. I have been jotting down the names of plants with strong perfumes for months now but shall soon have to come to some decisions as I hope to start planting in the autumn :)
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You're quite right, Carole - and in fact you started a discussion about this yourself, here! So I've now added Jean's thoughts to that original discussion, which as you say is well worth reviving. Thanks!
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Apart from the many roses picked out for their fragrance, the lavenders and the various scented jasmines, you can also find discussion of other plants particularly praised on the forum for their scent by clicking on their names:
Aponogeton distachyos (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=89.msg281#msg281)
Araujia sericifera (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=140.0)
Artemisia gallica (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=554.0)
Backhousia citriodora (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1164.0)
Brugmansia arborea (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=297.msg1510#msg1510)
Buddleja officinalis (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=537.msg3219#msg3219)
Chimonanthus praecox (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=122.0)
Dianthus turkestanicus 'Patricia Bell' (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=74.0)
Eleagnus angustifolia (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=378.0)
Frangipani (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=841.0)
Gardenia thunbergia (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1471.0)
Hedychium densiflorum 'Stephen' (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=106.0)
… and other hedychiums (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=476.msg4531#msg4531)
Itea ilicifolia (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=100.msg208#msg208)
Lonicera fragrantissima (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=643.0)
Mandevilla laxa (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=893)
Muscari armenaicum (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=107.msg8871#msg8871)
Narcissus viridiflorus (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=348.msg9079#msg9079)
night-flowering cactuses (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=245.msg1595#msg1595)
Osmanthus fragrans (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1067.0)
Paeonia rockii (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=222.msg866#msg866)
Pittosporum tobira (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=793.msg5207#msg5207)
Quisqualis indica (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=1077)
Spartium junceum (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=927)
Zaluzianskya capensis 'Midnight Candy' (http://www.mgsforum.org/smf/index.php?topic=85.0)
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My favourites are:
Jasminium officinale especially in the evening its glorious ...
Pittosporum tobira...we have many of these and in Spring ..wow.. the smell pervades the whole garden!
Stephanotis floribunda
Leaves of Salvia guaranitica
The plant smell I detest the most is leaves of Rue Ruta graveolens Although its such a pretty plant and I do have it.
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This is more about scented gardens than particular scented plants. There is no scent as evocative as the smell of rain on dry ground in the garden. This week, in this part of Toscana I have registered 50 mm of rain, following a long dry summer. The powerful scent suggests relief from the heat and, especially in drought stricken environments, it allows some hope that conditions will improve.
I have heard that the smell can be attributed to reviving bacteria in the soil, particularly Pseudomonas. Is anyone able to confirm or deny my hearsay?
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Make mine Jonquils and Tazettas, Azara microphylla, caraway thyme, santolinas, Daphne odora, Pelargonium x 'Mabel Grey' and a curious 'soft' shrub which we know as Citronella which looks a bit like marijuana (don't ask me how I know!) with square stems and a powerful scent when the leaves are brushed or crushed.
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I've been following this thread which is slightly surreal to me at the moment as I've had influenza and I've currently got no sense of smell at all! I'm a big fan of scented plants in general.
I was wondering, are gardeners in other countries familiar with our native Boronia megastigma? It really is a unique and hauntingly beautiful fragrance and a favourite of many Southern Australians, including myself.
Hi Trevor - could your soft, scented shrub be Cedronella canariensis?
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I am so looking forward to being able to cultivate bulbs again (no fear of marauding porcupines in my new walled garden!) Scented Jonquils, Hyacinths etc are high on my list since they will provide not only perfume but also some welcome flowers in the early months of the year. I am already the proud owner of a large Chimonanthus praecox that, last year filled the whole garden with its spicy scent on sunny days.
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I have a lot of favourites and right now the winter flowering honeysuckle is delicious!
This is a pic of a South African corm which has fleeting flowers which to me smell like lemon meringue pie!
cheers
fermi
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For sheer stopping power the scent of Cestrum nocturnum has to be hard to beat.
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Cestrum nocturnum showed a different sort of "stopping power" for us - we failed to establish it, on a monthly-watering regime. But I agree with John about the amazing fragrance (and have fond memories of the late Meye Maier telling me about the popularity of this "Dama de Noche" in old Andalusian gardens, though not so much the newer ones, when to her delight we came across one in a sunbaked farm courtyard there).
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Fully agree with you Fermi about the winter flowering Honeysuckle (fragrantissima). It is on my list of "must haves" and definitely won't be discarded for lack of space - winter scents are invaluable for cheering up the dullest of days :)
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:) Yes Fermi, that's what it is - Cedronella. I find Boronia too short lived in our Winter saturated soils but I have grown several kinds of Mint Bush, Prostanthera sp very successfully. It has a delightful scent especially after rain.
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As I write the powerful scent of Cestrum nocturnum is wafting in from the garden for the third time this summer. It has grown to 1.7m in the space of 3 years, with only the occasional soaking. It has to be my favourite scent.
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We had planted a Cestrum nocturnum just outside a bedroom window. The scent at night was heady and almost overpowering. Lovely, though. Unfortunately it died about a year later and since then we have failed to establish any more.
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Since several people have recommended this plant for its scent I did some further research on the internet and was horrified to read that more than one person described the scent as reminding them of bubblegum! Many agree that it is almost overpowering and if indeed it does resemble bubblegum then it certainly is not for me. The problem with perfumes is that our perceptions can vary greatly but as I tend to appreciate sharper, citrusy based scents I rather think this would not be for me. ???
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I think you might like the Cestrum, Carole - but perhaps not too close! I think bubblegum is unfair.
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I miss Vitex agnus-castus from your list of scented plants, the leaves are very aromatic. I know some people don’t like it, but I do.
My neighbour tells me that their mattresses were stuffed with leaves from this bush when he was a child, and whenever he touches the leaves today, it reminds him of his childhood and the wonderful feeling when the content of the mattresses was replaced with fresh leaves.
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Your friend's Vitex-stuffed mattress was presumably protection against fleas, bedbugs and lice, Jorun, but do you know if that rather pungent scent also repels mosquitoes?
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I’m sure they used it to keep those human companions at a distance as well. There are lots of general references to the plant being used as insect repellent and insecticide, and I found at least one reference from a highly reputable group of researchers in Germany published in Parasitological Research ( 2005 Mar;95(5):363-5. Epub 2005 Jan 29:
Extract of the seeds of the plant Vitex agnus castus proven to be highly efficacious as a repellent against ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and biting flies.) by Mehlhorn H, Schmahl G, Schmidt J.
The abstract says that: ‘About 70 plant extracts were tested for their ability to repel the attacks of blood-sucking arthropods. It was found that a CO2 extract of the seeds of the Mediterranean plant Vitex agnus castus (monk's pepper) can be used as a spray to keep away especially Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks from animals and humans for at least 6 h. In addition mosquitoes, biting flies and fleas are also repelled for about 6 h.’
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I agree with Alisdair about Cestrum nocturnum. You want it somewhere from where the scent wafts gently from time to time.
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The information about Vitex agnus-castus could prove very useful, Jorun. In early summer I was suffering from terribly itchy bites, which I am almost sure were from fleas from the cat (though I rarely saw any and the cat was treated regularly with the usual commercially available products).
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Your flea bites could be from other sources than your cat, though, such as old bird's nests or rodent sites.
I don't know how reliable this (http://www.infobarrel.com/Natural_Insect_Repellents) source is, but it may be worth trying: 'simply crush the fresh or dried leaves between your hands, and rub your hands on yourself, or pet your pets with your hands after crushing the leaves. By doing this daily, you will help keep fleas to a minimum. Basil is also considered to be a good mosquito repellent, and the scent is of course nice.
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Thanks, Jorun.
I will see what works.
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On Wednesday my new Italian garden helper came to remove one of three large Laurus nobilis towering over the western end of my new garden ( although never happy to see mature trees done away with I had come to the conclusion that three was one too many - more about the felling in another post)
Between this tree and the house is the large Chimonanthus praecox that I have spoken about in previous postings. It's wonderful perfume fills the whole garden when in full flower but it had become very tall and misshapen due to its struggle for space and light. I wanted to release it from its prison and give it a new lease of life :) once the tree was removed I set about remedial pruning, removing one or two of the oldest stems completely and reducing the younger growth to encourage new growth lower down. Being in the "Centro Storico " - old town centre now and unable to have bonfires any more I had to load the resulting debris from the morning's work into my car and take it to the local tip where, by the way, there are excellent facilities for the disposal of all kinds of rubbish including garden waste that is recycled. This meant quite a few journeys as you can imagine and just before I could finish the job the rain came and I had to stop, leaving a full load in the car overnight. Thursday dawned bright and dry and my first thought was to get to the tip. On opening the door of the car the most wonderful scent hit me, the final load consisted mainly of the Chimonanthus prunings and I was amazed to realise that even the woody parts of this shrub exude perfume. Before dispensing with all of it I cut some pieces to put in a bowl in the house to see how long the scent lasts. Meanwhile I am enjoying driving about in my car that still smells so lovely :)