The little surprises you can get from plants never cease to amaze me.
I was attracted to the plant Rhododendron roxieanum var. oreonastes because of its interesting foliage, unique from the usual rhododendrons you see around. It is pot grown as our soil is not acidic enough for its requirements, and placed on the side passage leading to the middle and bottom part of the garden where it gets some dappled sun.
What I wasn't expecting though is that the plant emits a sweet and refreshing fragrance, difficult to describe any other way. And by coincidence I've put it on the best spot where you can appreciate its fragrance even more. Everytime you pass by you get a whiff of its sweet scent and anyone else who goes through there never fails to notice it. It makes you slow down and breathe deeper, taking the lovely aroma.
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| Springtime Bloom |
The scent was a complete surprise for me. I didn't buy it knowing that it's scented, nor can I find online references saying it is. The scent seems to come from the leaves only as when it bloomed last spring there wasn't any fragrance coming from the flowers. It's a bit of a mystery for me, I'll have to research even more.
It carries on emitting its lovely fragrance even during the depths winter. When alot of plants are looking weary and its gloomy outside, I catch the sweet perfume wafting in the air, instantly cheering me up.
Plants are wonderful things :)
Mark
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Hi there - I wonder if your internet search turned up this article, which suggests that your plant also smells wonderful to... cats! http://www.victoriarhodo.ca/Archives/Todd93.htm
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! I caught myself taking a deep breath just reading about it!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting...I have never before encountered a rhododendron with scented foliage before.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article Landscapelover, made me smile reading it :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a couple of cats and they don't seem bothered with it, but the effects on humans is more profound :)
aloha,
ReplyDeletethats wonderful to note...here in hawaii we have tropical vireyas (rhodies) that are also scented as well and the perfumes are wonderful especially in the morning when they are more noticeable. Combination of vanilla, jasmine and plumeria overtones on many of the scents - truly magic
Aloha Noel :) I'm familiar with some of the tropical vireyas, wonderfu plants indeed with their lovely and flowers. There are some available here but most require humidity and heat than I can currently provide. Would like to have a few once one our greenhouses are sorted out.
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