Flowers and shrubs that I like
Fickle Daphne are garden heart breakers that we continue planting for their unforgettable winter fragrance. They need perfect soil; they hate to be transplanted; they can’t be bumped; they will turn up their toes if watered incorrectly; but we have to have them. Their strong fruity scent escapes from pinkish or white blooms in late January to February. Most garden centers offer winter daphne (Daphne odora, USDA Hardiness Zone 7-9) and the Burkwood’s daphne (Daphne x burkwoodii, USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9), which both have grow to 3-4 foot high and wide and are hardy to 7. I have always wanted one of these as I heard they smell good.... but some have variegated leaves, which I don't car for.
I have always heard False Holly or Scented Tea Olive is a nice tree for the winter, however it is native to the SW so not sure of it handling our humid summers. False Holly or Fragrant Tea Olives (Osmanthus spp.) are intensely scented evergreen shrubs. The sugary, fruity smell of their flowers cause garden visitors to stop in their tracks and inhale deeply. Distinguishable by their opposite leaves (remember “O” for Osmanthus and opposite, whereas true hollies have alternating leaves) these hardy plants are very tolerant of difficult sites and almost trouble-free once established.
This seems like a beautiful Azelea; there are fragrant natives at our workplace with an brown/orange flower that smell oh so good in the spring and have beautiful foliage in the spring and fall. Like this flower better if it is fragrant as well.... but would tolerate the native azaleas off to the side of the garden if the fragrance paid off like it does at work!! ;-)
Not for our garden as it is not hardy here. Love confederate jasmine, but I have not had success growing it here.....nor do I have a dark backdrop to really make it pop - but that fragrance is lovely. Funny story - I have had success with a clematis that was supposed to be fragrant, purchased it from Roxbury by the botanical name. When it did have fragrance, the nursery just told me that sometime they have fragrance sometimes they don't, even within the specific plant type - I am sure that was a fib to get me of the phone... that clematis grew wonderfully, but never provided the wonderful vanilla/baked cookies fragrance that it was supposed to have.
Love purple cone/corn flower
Q