Choisya ternata, an evergreen shrub with fragrant spring flowers, what’s not to like? Actually, the foliage has a pungent odor, which I find invigorating, but others are turned off by it. I knew someone who decided to buy this plant, but after purchasing it and putting it in their car, the scent was so unappealing to them in the enclosed space that they promptly returned … Continue reading Choisya
Daphne is the lilac of winter. An unassuming shrub in foliage and form, yet unsurpassed in fragrance. A fragrance in February is not forgotten. A fragrance of flowers and bees, of sunshine and smiles, a fresh, floral, flowery feast. With insects in short supply during the cold winter months, Daphne seeks them out with its potent scent. To ensure pollination, it produces a potion … Continue reading Daphne, the Lilac of Winter
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Seven Swans a Swimming. These swans remind me of beautiful white plants. Plants that are elegant and royal, like the Mallorn tree, the treasured elven tree described by JRR Tolkien. “Its bark was silver and smooth, and its boughs somewhat upswept after the manner of the beech; but it never grew save with … Continue reading The Seventh Day of Christmas—Bright White Plants
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Six Geese a-laying. Geese led me to think about farms and all the delicious vegetables that grow there. But then I remembered that those lovely geese migrate, they move from location to location, just like some plants I know. Sometimes it’s not a good thing when plants migrate. They become invasive when they … Continue reading The Sixth Day of Christmas—Invasive Plants
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Five Golden Plants. Dazzling, bright, sunshine, contrast, color, yellow, gold….Here are a few (I couldn’t pick just five!) that will make your garden worth it’s weight in gold. Continue reading The Fifth Day of Christmas—Five Golden Plants
Rainyleaf 