Gotta Garden

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Almost Autumn...

....and the gardenias are blooming!

Here's Kleim's Hardy:


and Chuck Hayes:


As you can tell, white is difficult to photograph. Maybe, though, you're able...almost...to smell them through the pictures. There's nothing like a gardenia for fragrance (unless it's a tea olive, winter daphne, etc....ha). I'm tickled with these as gardenias are rather difficult here. Both have been here several years now and I'm hoping they're getting used to things. Chuck Hayes has at least a dozen more buds. In fact, I suspect a couple more may be opening as I write. If they want to be fall bloomers, that's fine with me. Despite our water issues and harsh winters, it's pretty darn neat to see and smell gardenias by the front door!

Nearby is a clump of hardy cyclamen:


Among my many fall chores, I need to dig daffodils as some have outgrown their tight quarters. As an example, yesterday I dug out Flower Record. It started as maybe five bulbs in two spots...and look what it is now:


I was forced to tackle this one as one of my cats likes lying where these were planted and was constantly uncovering them. Well, no wonder when I realized how packed in they were. I suspect their tight growing conditions has helped to keep some of the bulbs smaller...they had no where to go. Well, now, they'll get spread out...and I can be the lucky recipient of a drift of Flower Record instead of two small clumps. Aren't daffodils great!

5 comments:

Colleen Wms said...

I love your gardenias. I have tried for years now to get a gardenia to thrive and bloom outside in the ground or even in a pot to no avail. I don't want to give up but I think it wasn't meant to be for me.
I agree that the gardenia fragrance is incredible. I must suggest that you try a tuberose and/or plumeria as well for fragrance. I think the tuberose tops even a gardenia.
I have a link to your blog on mine and have been checking in from time to time. Love your pictures.

Gotta Garden said...

Thanks....they are a struggle. If you think you might try again, these two are among the hardiest...and, if they survive me/here, perhaps they might for you as well. Patience, though....

I so agree about tuberose! I have some that have managed to overwinter...somehow...especially after the gutter went nuts and the downpour robbed them of most of their soil (they looked rather naked)...fixed now, thankfully. I do keep some potted as I would just be so sad to lose them. They remind me of Hawaii...just the scent takes me away!

Thanks for coming by!

Colleen Wms said...

I was just outside snapping some shots for my latest blog entry of blue flowers and happened to take a look at my gardenia hidden among a bunch of plants I'm ignoring and it is BLOOMING and has more buds! Thanks for the reminder to check on it.
My grandmother in NJ has had a gardenia almost 30 years and the best advice she keeps giving me is to just ignore it.
My gardenia is in a pot and I will overwinter it in the garage. She overwinters hers in a basement.
I overwinter my tuberose and plumeria in the house. They always suffer a bit but come back with a vengeance once they are back outside in the summer.
Take care.

Rosemary said...

what a lot of daffodils

John said...

My girlfriend loves Gardenias. I always seem to get bugs killing my plants. I will keep trying until I get it right.

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