A walk through the gardens this week yields an incredible feast for the nose, as several of our most fragrant plants are blooming at once. We can’t share the sweet scents with you via computer, but here are some photos to get your imagination rolling.
The magnolia blossoms in the Tree Grove are just about done for the season, but the giant blooms have been showstoppers for the past few months.
In the Flight Encounter and in the outdoor butterfly garden, the Sweet Almond Bush (Aloysia virgata) is almost overpowering. These tiny flowers produce fragrance all out of proportion to their size!
Probably the most popular bloom of all, though, is the Maypop passion flower (Passiflora incarnata).This showy bloom also fills the air with its distinctive fragrance, and the Tree Grove is full of it all summer long.
Isn't the almond bush just great! When I got mine I had no clue that they would get so tall. It has become a standard with the foliage at the top beyond my reach. Another favorite is from the same aloysia family - lemon verbena. I love its fragrance and for using to make tea! I am in the Orlando area.
ReplyDeleteBetty
beautiful blooms!
ReplyDeletewe have LOTS of the passion flowers here...in G'ville...i LOVE the flower!!
your anole picture by the passion flower is awesome!!