The blossoms emit a sensuous cologne that is best described as sweet apricot with a heady after note of sharp freesia a pungent scent that carries from the far reaches of my garden. From September to November, lacquered green serrate leaves partially hide stems lined with tiny, parchment colored flowers. This handsome plant is one of the glories of autumn. The more I garden the more I’ve come to appreciate every season. Photo: Paul Bonine/Xera PlantsĪ hybrid tea olive with a scent that’s a treat: Osmanthus × fortunei ‘San Jose’ Part shade is best in the Willamette Valley, full sun in the Puget Sound region provide rich, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil and regular summer water.Evergreen growth to three feet tall by three feet wide.If you’ve always longed for success and the romance of gardenias, ‘Frostproof’ will not disappoint. It should never be allowed to dry out completely, and after several seasons of robust root growth that will be less of an issue. Slow growing and compact, the plant must have rich soil that drains well but retains moisture. In my Portland garden, it begins flowering in early June after we’ve had a few truly hot days, and during some years it continues to pump out flowers until Thanksgiving. Gardenias are heat-loving beasts, but this cultivar doesn’t need to swelter to get its bloom on. You will thrill at the two-inch, fully double, famously fragrant, corsage-quality flowers for months at a time. Gardenia jasminoides ‘Frostproof’ is completely hardy and thrives west of the Cascades. Either plants that were purported to tolerate extreme cold froze or they would just stall and not grow-languishing and longing for the heat and humidity of the south. I’ve trialed more than a dozen “hardy” gardenias with less-than-stellar results. The gardenia for the Pacific Northwest: Gardenia jasminoides ‘Frostproof’ Provide full sun to part shade in average, well-drained soil and light summer water.Evergreen growth to twelve feet high by six feet wide. Be on the watch for new cultivars of this handsome species as several large nurseries are selecting seedlings and developing hybrids with even better characteristics. This moderately fast growing shrub, formerly known as Michelia yunnanensis, is always at its best. New growth emerges and next year’s flower buds ensconced in deep brown fur nestle in each leaf axil on year-old wood. Sculpted, round, deep green leaves with a subtle layer of brown indumentum are an ideal backdrop to the spring show that continues for up to three weeks. As the four-inch wide flowers open, they emit a powerful lemony sweet perfume that is detectable at least 20 feet away on a warm mid-spring day. This relatively rare evergreen shrub is not only dapper and restrained in size, it greets mid-spring with a bodacious show of large ivory flowers that emerge from brown velvet-clad buds. Photo: Greg Shepherd/Xera Plantsĭiscover a nose-bending evergreen magnolia for small gardens: Magnolia laevifolia
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