My Favorite Phlox

White Phlox paniculata 'David' with
'White Swan' and 'Prairie Splendor' coneflowers. July 2013

Tall, sturdy and fragrant. I love phlox 'David' for so many reasons. While other varieties have cross-pollinated into different colors, David has remained pure white. 

The show is big this year as I cut back the Knock Out® roses to give this mass of David more space. No regrets—the roses bloomed beautifully and will repeat. However, the crepe myrtles along the outside of the cottage garden fence will soon shade this area enough for me to replace the roses with hydrangeas. I hope David will continue to flourish here in part shade.

Difficult to see in the photo: Spiky, deep pink persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail' is beginning to bloom behind David to repeat the purple coneflower color. I love this persicaria and look forward to masses of spikes as the perennial gets established in this new spot.

(Note: After two years of growing the persicaria in the deer resistant garden, I removed it because it's not resistant at all. The deer love it and reach through the fence to pick the blooms.)

There are also new clumps of white liatris 'Alba' in the cottage garden border. Because we sit on the front porch in the evenings, I'm using the white to light up the garden along the fence.

Another view of same phlox in the cottage garden. July 2013

Another group:
Recent divisions of phlox 'David' are underplanted
with geranium 'Rosanne' and daylily 'Joan Senior' for now.

I've repeated divisions of David along the cottage garden fence. One group is underplanted with geranium 'Rosanne' and 'Joan Senior' daylily. I want to move that daylily to my pale yellow garden section for next year and replace this one with a daylily that will echo the color of the geranium.

Another group is planted with salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'. I don't have photos right now because those clusters of phlox aren't yet in full bloom. But I love the cobalt blue salvia with white phlox. The hummingbirds approve.

In a larger cottage garden border, I'm still growing David with monarda 'Raspberry Wine' and oriental lily 'Starfighter' for a favorite combination (click the link to view the story and see the photos).

Grow phlox paniculata 'David' in full sun in zones 4-9, but part shade is working well here in my south-facing southern garden. This perennial is topping out at about forty inches with rich soil and ample moisture. It's so easy to divide in autumn or spring.

What's your favorite phlox?

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

A Carpet of Snow in December

Drifts of snow white blanket the cottage garden in December. On a sunny winter day, the few remaining pollinators buzz among the blossoms. So far undaunted by frost, Sweet Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow' still flourishes.The honey fragrance of the blooms makes it nearly impossible to resist picking a stem to deeply inhale the scent. Braving the cold morning, I snapped a few photos of the alyssum, just before the sun warmed up the garden.

Sweet Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow'
(8:00 am, December 3, 2011)

Alyssum with burgundy leaves of loropetalum.
(December 3, 2011)

I sow seeds the tiny seeds of Sweet Alyssum (lobularia maritima) from October through March. Known as a cool climate annual, the small investment in seeds was worth the effort here in zone 7b of North Carolina.My cottage garden is a micro-climate more like zone 8a.

The alyssum patches spread remarkably wider in 2011 compared to 2010 and I believe this is due to some self-sowing.  The height is relatively low, less than twelve inches. Beginning in April, the fresh and new alyssum sprouts bloom and they gradually spread over the next few months.

The focus of my mass plantings is an edge of the cottage garden path that is seldom seen until September. The heaviest blooms crank up from September until...we shall see!

During the hottest, scorching months, I grow taller annuals and perennials to shade the south side of alyssum. The blooms take a break on the hottest days, but the foliage is still lush until re-bloom. I've found the annual to be remarkably drought-tolerant and rabbit resistant. Given that the rabbits haven't touched the alyssum, I've sown seeds outside the fence in deer territory. I'm optimistic that the annual will be deer resistant.

I am so enamored by alyssum that I have already sown seeds in a new cottage garden bed that is based upon white with nandina 'Alba', phlox 'David' and a few other favorites.

Alyssum is the perfect plant for hiding the stems and ankles of taller plants. I've given thought to growing this versatile annual in so many spots! It is a wonderful companion for annual dianthus and verbena 'Imagination' as both are still blooming on this December morning.

With the low cost of seeds, the many months of blooms, fragrant scent and food for pollinators, Sweet Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow' has earned a permanent place in my garden.

Annual dianthus, verbena 'Imagination' as companions.
(September 2011)

Alyssum and tender perennial/annual salvia 'Victoria'.
(August 2011)

Alyssum blooms are fewer and smaller in the heat of July.

In the beginning.
The first white blooms of Sweet Alyssum in May 2011.
(Lower left hand corner)

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Big White Bloomers

White butterfly ginger. September 2011

Huge blossoms of white butterfly ginger, hedychium coronarium, fill the air with fragrance each September. My gardenia 'August Beauty' and my osmanthus fragrans are also in bloom and highly fragrant. It's tough competition among the white bloomers!

For zones 8a-11, I have a mass planting of ginger against the east side of my house. The ginger was a passalong plant from a friend, just after we finished building this house on Labor Day 2005. In spring, I divide the ginger into eight inch sections to transplant around the garden.

Because of being up against the house, the ginger likes to lean out toward the sun. This spring, I decided to cut it back after it was just over one foot high. This worked well, so I won't hesitate to reduce the height using this method for 2012. Uncut, the ginger easily grows to six feet in height.

The ginger likes moist soil and it is situated beneath one of our outdoor faucets where it catches whatever drips fall when the garden hose is in use. I've not intentionally watered the ginger at all this summer. It does just fine as you can see in the photo of the mass planting.

Part-shade works best, but I also grow this out in other areas of the garden in full sun, including planted directly into our water feature. The leaves can get wilted and scorched in the hottest areas of the garden, so you'll have to keep an eye on it during the summer. Heavily composted, rich soil is super for this ginger.

No critters eat the ginger—the deer, rabbits and voles haven't touched it.

White butterfly ginger is a great companion plant for a fragrance-and-white themed garden. I also grow star jasmine (trachelospermum jasminoides) and sweet bay magnolia (magnolia virginiana) in the same garden, and those bloomed in the spring. The gardenia bloomed in spring and is repeating now. The osmanthus blooms in spring and fall, too.

I plan to sow seeds for the white, honey fragranced, sweet alyssum for next year. The annual alyssum blooms all summer unless the temperatures are too hot. It is now blooming again.

All of these fragrance plants—perennial, vine, shrub, tree and annual—are wonderful performers. I'm happy to recommend these white bloomers!

Better give ginger lots of space! September 2011.

Alyssum 'Carpet of Snow'

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

A New Shrub for the Fragrance Garden

Evergreen, fragrant and deer resistant—attributes that I seek when adding a shrub to my fragrance garden.

I've had a longtime love for lily-of-the-valley bush (pieris japonica), having grown quite a few at a previous home. I now have enough afternoon shade to add one to my fragrance garden at this home.

This time, I fell for pieris japonica 'Dorothy Wyckoff' when I saw her abundant cascades of blooms. Her long-lasting spring blooms transition from a lovely red purple, to pink and then to white. Dorothy will slowly grow to five feet wide and high in moist, fertile soil and is suitable for zones 4-8.

With her evergreen foliage, Dorothy will be a year-round attraction in the garden!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks/copyrights/patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Sweethearts of the Garden

What plants make you swoon? To me, there's nothing more intoxicating than fragrance - from foliage to flowers. I tend to associate fragrance with fond memories, do you?

To appreciate fragrant foliage, the plant needs to be touched. I love to brush past lavender along pathways. The soothing smell of lavender is calming and a perfect scent to induce restful slumber. There are so many choices in lavender and it's a perfect nectar plant for honeybees.

Gathering fresh basil leaves is heavenly! When I pick basil for the kitchen, I create a bouquet to keep in a vase, just like flowers. Bury your nose in sweet basil, inhale and close your eyes - are you at an outdoor restaurant in Italy? It is easy to grow basil from seeds, or purchase seedlings in early summer to grow in pots or in the garden. Spicy Thai basil is a perfect herb to use as a filler with flowering containers, too.

Likewise, fresh mint reminds me of visits to Jerusalem and Morocco where hot, mint tea is served while bargaining for goods in the markets. I brought home teapots from both places.

On a summer day here at home in the humid south, sprigs of spearmint make a glass of ice tea even more refreshing. Since mint can run rampant in the garden, it is best grown in pots. There are many flavors of mint, too. Chocolate mint is one of my favorites to sniff, though I've not put it to any culinary uses so far.

Speaking of the south - fragrance from magnolia, osmanthus fragrans, jasmine, gardenia and ginger blossoms hang in the evening air. My fragrance garden is based on these beauties that surround our dining patio where we like to enjoy evening meals.

The blooms in my fragrance garden are most noticeable in spring and again in fall which are also perfect seasons for outdoor dining. The rest of the year, the evergreen foliage of the magnolia (tree), jasmine (vine), osmanthus (large shrub) and gardenia (medium shrub) keep the space looking lush and inviting. All prefer part-shade, moist soil and are deer and rabbit resistant, too.

Not a coincidence, those same white fragrant blooms sparkle at night, especially in the moonlight. Fragrance, beautiful blooms, moonlight... isn't that enough to make you swoon, too?

Favorite Fragrance Garden Blooms

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance may vary in your garden.

The Myth About Winter Daphne Is True

A year ago, I was so proud of my success in growing winter daphne. She started blooming in December and kept on going through February. She was gorgeous. She was fragrant. Her elegant limbs were overloaded with beautiful, pink blooms. She was only three years old.

There is a gardener's myth that says that if your winter daphne is blooming beautifully, do not tell other gardeners. Whatever you do, don't invite another gardener over to see your daphne. She will succumb to what is known as "Daphne Death."

On a beautiful day this summer, I noticed that my Daphne was her beautiful evergreen self, gently nestled beside her shady companion, sweet bay magnolia. Perfection! She was so happy. I started thinking about planting another daphne to keep her company this winter. Daphne is such an easy keeper. She doesn't want extra water or food. Daphne is evergreen and deer resistant, important attributes for my fragrance garden.

That same summer day, I got an email from an expert on gardening. It was The Grumpy Gardener (Southern Living Magazine) asking if he could come visit my deer resistant flower garden.

A few days later, I was on the phone with Grumpy as I walked around the garden telling him what would be in bloom for his upcoming visit. Then, I saw HER. I told Grumpy what was happening.

I tried to stifle my dismay, disappointment and outright pain. I didn't want to cry on the phone. Daphne was literally shriveling up before my eyes.

By the time Grumpy arrived in mid-July, poor little daphne was brown. She was dead. The myth is true.

If you decide to grow a beautiful, sweet daphne odora, please don't tell another gardener. Skip past her when you have visitors. Don't blog about her and don't post pictures of her. She wants to be ignored!

Words and photo by Freda Cameron

Fragrance Fills the Fall Air

Fall is a fragrant time of year in my garden. Ginger, gardenia and osmanthus are in bloom at the same time, yet the fragrances are complimentary.

The white butterfly ginger has been blooming non-stop since early August. Rated for zones 8a-11, I grow mine in a protected spot against the east side of the house. The ginger spreads by rhizomes and can be divided in the spring into 8 inch sections. It grows 4-6 feet high, so it is great for filling up a moist location in part sun.

Gardenia 'August Beauty' is also blooming right now. This fragrant, evergreen shrub is rated for zones 8b-11 in partial shade and grows 4-6 feet high and wide. Since I am in zone 7b, I am really pushing the zone on this one! The gardenia is located in the fragrance garden with the "mother" ginger and a large osmanthus. Other fragrant plants in this section bloom at different times. Those are Confederate Jasmine and Sweet Bay Magnolia. The Winter Daphne died this summer after blooming gloriously for several years in the middle of winter.

The sweet scent of osmanthus fragrans is everywhere in my garden as these shrubs are located on all sides of the house. Osmanthus blooms in the spring and again in the fall. This evergreen shrub is rated for zones 7b to 10b, so it is marginal for my zone. That said, I've been growing this shrub for years here in this garden and at a previous house with no problems. It has proven to be quite tough with no pest problems and can handle a variety of sun to partial shade conditions. This one grows 8-10 feet high but I've seen them even larger in other gardens.

All three of these fragrant plants are deer resistant in my garden.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; All photos taken September 26, 2009

Flowering Gingers in the Garden

The aviary at the NC Zoo™ in Asheboro, North Carolina is filled with tropical plants. Peering through the foliage looking for colorful birds, I spotted a tall, red torch ginger. A tropical plant, Etlingera elatior, is suitable for zones 10b and 11, not my zone 7. Although I can't grow the gorgeous torch ginger in my garden, I do have a ginger that never disappoints.

My white butterfly ginger is blooming early this year. During these late summer evenings, the sweet fragrance hangs in the air. During the day, you have to get close to the bloom to inhale the fragrance. This tall (4-6 feet) ginger has been divided a few times and is now in different locations around the garden. The mother plant, located in the fragrance garden on the east side of the house, is always the first one to bloom.

Hedychium coronarium is a tropical plant or tender perennial for zones 8a through 11. I'm pushing the zone by letting this ginger overwinter outside in zone 7b. The original ginger is up against the house, receiving morning sun and afternoon shade. After the frosts turn it to mush, I cut it back. The ginger gets covered with fallen tree leaves in the winter. In colder zones, it can be lifted and stored over the winter like other tender perennials such as colocasia, brugmansia or dahlias.

Expanding rapidly, you only need an eight inch root section to start your own clump of white butterfly ginger. Within a year, you'll have a mass planting and will start dividing it to give to all of your gardening friends. In spring, when the green shoots first emerge, you can take a sharp shovel or knife to cut off sections of the ginger.

The deer have never attempted to eat the foliage or the blooms. I now have a large clump out front at the top of the dry stream where the ginger is easily reached by the deer. The deer have no fear of crossing our patio to nibble on impatiens out of my containers, but they haven't tried the white ginger during their nightly food raids.

The late summer blooms are perfectly white and continue until frost. The foliage is a rich green and beautiful, so it's easy to use in a part shade, perennial border. For gardeners interested in a "moon garden" of white flowers and fragrance, this is a perfect perennial.


Photos and words by Freda Cameron; August 2009

How to Grow Lavender in Your Garden

By guest writer, Annie Greer Baggett
sunshine lavender farm, Hurdle Mills, North Carolina

Lavender is a very drought tolerant plant, once established, and spring is a perfect time to plant this lovely and oh, so fragrant herb. Especially this very rainy, cool spring! There are hundreds of varieties of lavender that grow throughout the world. There are a proven dozen (and still trying) that grow well in our Piedmont North Carolina region.

In my experience growing lavender, I have faced many challenges like most gardeners in this area. Clay soil, humid conditions, drought, long periods of rain, clouds, wind, hail… the list goes on! This is farming! I have also answered some commonly asked questions from gardeners throughout the US. The questions go something like this… “I have attempted to grow lavender many times and it either dies soon after planting or it lives for a while, then dies out. What does lavender need that I am not providing?”

Everyone should have at least one lavender plant in the garden! My aim is to help you grow the healthiest lavender possible by preparing the soil properly, spacing them well, and trimming them so that they will have abundant blooms for many years.

In North Carolina, our native clay soil and humid conditions are a challenge for lavender. Select a garden location with full sun (at least six hours and optimally on a southern or southwestern slope) and take the following steps to help you successfully grow this delightful herb.

Plants
There are many lavender varieties that grow well in our area. Typically the ones offered in your local garden centers and nurseries will thrive if planted and cared for properly. Just look at the tag to make sure the lavender you have chosen is hardy in your Zone. The Lavandula x intermedia varieties are good choices – Grosso and Provence. So are Dutch, Hidcote (Lavandula angustifolia) and some Spanish (Stoechas) lavenders. If in doubt, ask your favorite nursery which varieties grow well for them. (sunshine lavender farm is in Zone 7a.)

Soil
Requires well-drained soils. Raised beds and containers work well too.
Sandy, sandy/loam or gravelly.
Low fertility. To much fertilizer will cause the foliage to grow beautifully, however, the lavender may never bloom.
Soil pH: 6.5 – 7.5

If lavender is grown in a container, the temperature will be 15 degrees colder than if it is planted in the ground. With this in mind, winter protection is needed. It will be best outdoors by burying the pot, covering the pot with burlap, straw or some other protective covering. Locate the potted lavender on the southwestern side of a structure to capture maximum sun and warmth during the coldest months. Tucked close to a building will allow it to stay warm. A corner is a good spot so that it is protected from winter winds.

Lavender does not enjoy being an indoor plant since it can rarely get enough sun to satisfy it. If you do not have a spot as described and need to bring it in during the winter, just be sure to locate it in a sunny, warm window. You may take it outdoors on those gifts of days when it is sunny with balmy temperatures. By the time spring arrives, it should green up and do just fine.

Soil Preparation
Remember the saying. “Dig a $10 hole for a $5 plant?” This holds true more than ever for lavender!

Create an 18-24" high mound above the soil line with well cultivated soil working the soil to the full growth diameter of the lavender variety chosen. (For example, if growing Provence, cultivate the soil 4’ around, amending with stone for sharp drainage. The mound is created in the center where the new seedling will be placed.) The root system of lavender is fairly shallow, reaching 8-10” in depth and to be on the safe side, about the same diameter as the drip line of the mature plant.

Using a trowel, dig a hole just deep enough for the plant in the top of the mound. The mound will settle to 6-8” over time.

Place about 4 cups of 1" round stone (err on the side of more), ½ cup total of equal parts of bone meal, lime and well composted manure in the bottom of hole and mix well. The stone will allow the soil to drain well, the lime will improve the pH, bone meal and compost for a healthy start.

Planting
Water your lavender well in its nursery pot and let it sit for an hour or overnight is even better, before planting.
Trim the top of the plant to ensure a nice bushy, productive plant.

Remove most of the planting material from the root, loosening the root system, so that the plant will be placed in the ground mostly bare root. Lavender likes getting down into the native soil.

Toss a bit of unamended soil in the very bottom of the hole. Place the plant in the hole preventing the roots from touching the lime/bone meal/compost blend and pull the soil up around the base of the plant.

Depending upon the lavender variety selected, space plants 36"-48” from one another for good air circulation since they will grow quickly and fill in the space. It is fine for the blooms to touch. Just prevent the foliage from touching since the lavender will kill one another out over time when crowded. Leave 8-12” between plants.

Lavender sleeps its first year, creeps the second and blooms at its peak in its third year producing about 1000 stems.

Care
Herbs thrive on neglect once established. Care for young lavender as you would any new perennial, watering deeply every 7-10 days. Lavender prefers infrequent, deep watering versus frequent shallow drinks. When well rooted, lavender is tolerant of heat and dry spells. Water if there is a drought. (Over watering leads to root rot which will cause lavender to die. If the lavender has been planted properly with the drainage system in place, then root rot is much less of an issue.)

Prevent weeds by mulching with a light colored mulch like coarse sand, gravel or shells. Do not use hardwood mulch since wood shavings hold moisture in the soil and lavender prefers to be high and dry. The sun will reflect light, keeping the plants dry and help deter disease, and enhance bloom and oil production.

In our region, around Halloween, or three weeks before hard frost, prune 1/3 of lavender plant each fall, 2-3 weeks before hard frost. Rule of thumb is to leave 1” of foliage all the way around.

If you forget Halloween -- then remember Valentine’s Day and prune then – or when other woody shrubs in your region are pruned before they break dormancy. (Please go to our Gallery at www.sunshinelavenderfarm.com for a How To Prune Lavender photo step-by-step.)

Be sure to trim away any wayward branches that have a tendency to grow along the ground. Annual pruning will help the plant grow full and rounded and deter sprawling which can cause the main stems to split and break. When this happens, moisture gets down into the plant causing it stress, disease and it will eventually go to the great compost heap in the sky.

Toss a handful of bone meal/lime/compost blend (same mixture used at planting) around base of plant in the fall just before rain or water afterwards.

The lavender varieties that grow well in our area will bloom from about Memorial Day to July 4. So, look forward to summer and when your lavender blooms, sit back, breathe in its fresh delightful scent and enjoy!

Here is a list of some of the proven varieties that we grow and enjoy on our farm:

Fred Boutin, Grosso, Hidcote, Provence, and Spanish. Some white lavender, like White Provence also grows fine here. Hidcote Giant is a Lavandula x intermedia variety and is showing signs of longevity as well. We are now offering Goodwin Creek since some of our mountain customers enjoy this variety.

Petite lavenders, like Hidcote and Spanish for small gardens or containers, and larger specimens as a backdrop for big gardens throughout the seasons like Fred Boutin, Goodwin Creek, Grosso, and largest of all, Provence.

Sequence of bloom time is Spanish, Hidcote (around Memorial Day), Provence (early June), and Fred Boutin, Goodwin Creek, and Grosso begin in mid June in central NC.

Fred Boutin: One of the oldest lavenders on our farm, this plant is hardy and lovely. There are three bushes next to our screened porch that have that nice gray/blue foliage color in winter. The foliage grows so full and thick that I have to prune them back more often so that they do not crowd one another too much. The blooms are the most unusual periwinkle blue! A nice performer and one of my favorites. Begins bloom in mid June. Grows 24" - 30" around and tall.

Goodwin Creek is a pretty lavender with a dense habit and pretty grey-green foliage with scalloped leaves. The rich violet-blue flowers are incredible! Many from the mountains have raved about this lavender. A unique lavender and a nice addition to any garden. Try it against a sunny wall. Grows 24 - 30" around and tall.

Grosso: The lavender with the highest oil content of all of the lavenders. It has lovely, medium purple blooms beginning in mid June. Hardy and gorgeous. Grows 24"-30" around and tall. Sometimes larger. This lavender dries well and stays on the stem. Nice for wreaths and floral arrangements for lasting color and fragrance.

Hidcote: Blooms around Memorial Day, typically in Zone 7a where the farm is located. A small, compact lavender that grows about 18" – 24” around and tall. 8"-12" stems are a brilliant royal purple. Dries nicely too. Brides love this lavender!

Provence: Truly a specimen in your garden. This lavender is the largest of all! Grows about 36" around or more. It is an amazingly fresh and fragrant lavender when it begins to bloom in early June. Pale lavender flowers on very long stems. The stem length can be almost a yard long! Provence is nice for cooking and crafting since the florets naturally fall from the stem once spent or dried. Please do not get frustrated with this lavender for this reason ... just grab those florets and find a lavender recipe!

Spanish: The first to bloom in the garden here. I love it for that reason! It is a fun landscape lavender and does not have true florets ... really mini flowers topped with "feathers" or "bunny ears" petals . Very fun with a beautiful red/purple color. Spicy scented, long lasting, and very hardy planted in a southwestern facing garden. If sited otherwise, mulch young plants over the winter. Grows 24” around. 18” – 14” tall in bloom.

Provence White, Lavandula x intermedia
Size: 24" - 30" @ with 20" - 24" stems

Hardiness: Perennial in Zones 5-11
Flower: Snow white flowers begin bloom in mid June
Characteristics: Full Sun, Evergreen, Water Conserving, Deer Resistant
Uses: Fragrant Ornamental, Culinary
White flowers are lovely in fresh arrangements. Great for cooking. Uses stems as skewers when grilling. Requires excellent drainage, good air circulation and full sun.

Hidcote Giant, Lavandula x intermedia
Size: 24" - 30" @ with 20" - 24" stems

Hardiness: Perennial in Zones 5-11
Flower: Dark Purple with Fat Flowers begin bloom in mid June
Characteristics: Full Sun, Evergreen, Water Conserving, Deer Resistant
Uses: Dried Flower, Fragrant Ornamental
Medium purple flowers on long stems make Hidcote Giant very different from Hidcote Lavender. Tolerant of heat and humidity. Requires excellent drainage, good air circulation and full sun.

For lavender lovers who may enjoy visiting sunshine lavender farm, the farm is open the second weekend in June, by invitation only, for our Lavender Harvest Celebration, then again in December for a Lavender Holiday Celebration. Visit www.sunshinelavenderfarm.com and sign up for our enews for ongoing event information, like the Celebrations on the farm, lavender care tips throughout the year, recipes, and much more.

Winter Daphne for Winter Blooms

Winter Daphne, or daphne odora, is a beautiful, evergreen shrub that few gardeners attempt as it has a reputation for being difficult to grow. I hesitate to even write about daphne for fear of jinxing my luck and "Daphne Death" will strike my garden.

This daphne is planted in filtered shade on the north side of a sweetbay magnolia in the fragrance garden. The garden is located on the east side of the house. I believe the protected location may have a lot to do with the survival of the daphne.

There was a daphne twin on the south side of the magnolia that toasted in the drought of 2007 as there wasn't sufficient shade. I had added a colocasia for quick shade, but the effort was too late.

The garden was created in fall 2006 and the shrub and magnolia were planted at the same time by my son. My son is an archaeologist, so he knows how to dig perfect holes! I'll admit that I was hovering over him making sure that he planted the daphne on top of a volcano-shaped mound of soil for good drainage. He's actually quite knowledgeable about plants and gardening. (Of course, he learned most of it from me.)

Last winter, this daphne bloomed through January and into February. It was so heavily laden with blooms that the shrub started to splay open-- badly. I was worried that it would break, but it held on until it was warm enough in March to do a bit of shaping and pruning. As you can see in both photographs, the ends of the branches quickly leafed out with pretty foliage. I tried to maintain the naturally rounded shape of the daphne.

Daphne is suitable for zones 7-9, is evergreen and does best in filtered shade with well-drained soil. The height and width is around 4 feet. While other plants in my fragrance garden are on drip irrigation, I have never provided supplemental water for the daphne beyond getting it established and little water through the long drought of 2007. I think planting in the fall is better than spring planting to get this shrub established.

My daphne odora is located in the fragrance garden because it is very fragrant! It would be perfect to plant daphne beside a frequently used door to your home. I visit the daphne on sunny winter mornings, but would love to have one where it could be enjoyed more often.

Go ahead and live dangerously -- try a daphne in your garden.

Photos and story by Freda Cameron

The Fragrance Garden

Two years ago we built a dining patio on the east side of our house. Since most meals are eaten in the evening, I designed a fragrance garden for this outdoor room. Using evergreens as a base, I selected perennials, vines, shrubs and trees that provide fragrance during different months of the year.

Winter Daphne is an evergreen shrub that begins blooming in late January with fragrance lasting into mid-February. This flowering shrub likes to be planted high and dry in the shade. The tubular flowers are pale pink to deep carmine in color. Zones 7-9. This is a deer resistant shrub and all parts are poisonous.

Sweet Bay Magnolia or magnolia virginiana, is my favorite fragrant tree. This magnolia may drop a few leaves in some zones, but is evergreen here in zone 7. It has a loose, branching habit and is small enough for patio areas, with some varieties averaging 20 feet x 20 feet. Others may grow to 40 feet. This lovely tree with the large white magnolia blooms has a heavenly sweet fragrance in May-June. It prefers moist soil and light shade, zones 6-9. I've had no problems with deer eating this tree. However, we find deer like to rub antlers on our larger, Southern Magnolia.

Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) is in bloom right now. Another heavenly fragrance for evenings in the garden. The white blooms sparkle in the evening light. This is a tender perennial that I grow up against the east side of the house to protect it in winter. It reaches around 4 feet in height and may need support if it gets too crowded. You can divide the tubers in 8" sections when it begins to sprout in the spring. I have two clumps in other areas of the garden with more sun, but those haven't yet bloomed. Zones 8-11. I can't say if deer eat these blooms as they cannot get to the large clump of ginger.

Other fragrant players in my garden include the fragrant evergreen Confederate Jasmine and Chocolate Akebia vines that grow over our arbor. Akebia may be considered invasive in some areas, so an alternative vine is recommended. Using an annual vines such as moonvine, may be a better choice.

An 'August Beauty' Gardenia is also planted in this garden so that it seems something is always providing fragrance. Another good gardenia choice is 'Kleims Hardy' which I have growing beside our front porch.

Colocasia esculenta 'Fontanesii' (elephant ears) are about to bloom under the shade of the sweet bay and a curly willow tree. These large apricot blooms have a sweet smell in late September.

Osmanthus fragrans (fragrant tea olive) is my favorite evergreen shrub. The flowers don't put on a big show, but the fragrance in spring and fall is divine. This beautiful shrub can be easily shaped to size and is a wonderful screening shrub for privacy. Osmanthus fragrans is deer resistant.

For privacy and greenery there are also cryptomeria, buddleia, monarda, nandina and nepeta in this area. Except for the buddleia and daphne, all of these plants like moist soil and some are tender for zone 7. There are a few heuchera and Spanish bluebells planted beneath the shrubs and trees. We've not had to use the drip irrigation this year since we've had frequent rainfall.

Evenings in the garden are so enjoyable with these fragrant flowers!