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While walking in the garden (Birmingham Botanical Garden) I was surrounded by the sweet smell of the Fragrant Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) that we have enjoyed for the last several weeks. Less noticeable but much showier are the first fall blooming Camellia sasanquas. Some of these have the added benefit of fragrance as well. The two I observed in bloom today was 'Maiden Blush' and 'Daydream'. Daydream (pictured at left) was definetly the more fragrant of the two but I really like the light pink with the yellow center of the 'Maiden Blush'.
While Camellia sasanqua is the most cold hardy of the camellias with fragrance there are others that are even more fragrant. The most fragrant camellias are hybrids between two related species. Normally a Camellia japonica cultivar is crossed with one of the following species: C. sinensis (common tea), C. oleifera, C. saluenensis or C. lutchuensis.
For instance, ‘Scentuous’is a C. japonica crossed with C. lutchuensis and it has a rather lovely blush-white flower with a hyacinth scent. 'Fragrant Pink' is another good scented cultivar. It has pink blooms up and down the stems, and a growth habit that makes it look like a winter blooming shrub form crapemyrtle.
New fragrant hybrids are being developed but they have been around a while. ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ was introduced in 1968 from the U.S. National Arboretum. It is a broadleaved evergreen shrub with white fragrant flowers created for greater cold hardiness and better flower characteristics. It grows rapidly with an upright habit. It blooms in early spring and should be hardy in our area.
‘Sweet Emily Pink’ has small pink rose scented flowers that last a long time. It is low a growing, spreading plant that peaks blooming in January and February. Many of the scented cultivars have small blooms but ‘Scented Son’ looks more like its C. japonica parent with the large blooms that come in January and February.
For instance, ‘Scentuous’is a C. japonica crossed with C. lutchuensis and it has a rather lovely blush-white flower with a hyacinth scent. 'Fragrant Pink' is another good scented cultivar. It has pink blooms up and down the stems, and a growth habit that makes it look like a winter blooming shrub form crapemyrtle.
New fragrant hybrids are being developed but they have been around a while. ‘Cinnamon Cindy’ was introduced in 1968 from the U.S. National Arboretum. It is a broadleaved evergreen shrub with white fragrant flowers created for greater cold hardiness and better flower characteristics. It grows rapidly with an upright habit. It blooms in early spring and should be hardy in our area.
‘Sweet Emily Pink’ has small pink rose scented flowers that last a long time. It is low a growing, spreading plant that peaks blooming in January and February. Many of the scented cultivars have small blooms but ‘Scented Son’ looks more like its C. japonica parent with the large blooms that come in January and February.
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