Saturday, May 8, 2010

That sickening, sweet smell.

That's how the customer from Maryland described the odor he and his wife were smelling "on the back roads around here." The culprit is Chinese privet. It's an invasive species that grows wild everywhere, including my own backyard. At the corner, just beyond the red dogwood tree, there's a huge specimen.



Down the street, the butcher with the BushHog took out native Sweetshrub and Mock Orange, but left the privet.



And the honeysuckle.



In my own yard, Ligustrum howardii is about to bloom. The fragrance and flowers are very similar. I'll deadhead my plants once they've bloomed to keep them from reseeding.



The colors in the garden this time of year tend to be more pastel and muted. Pink, blue, and white dominate.



I didn't really plan much of this. It was more an effort of plunking and running with wintersown containers and the scattering of seeds.



Nigella has bloomed in many parts of the perennial bed. Dianthus Pinks Maiden join the chorus.



The cool colors are welcome at 79 degrees. It's not even 10am yet.



In the background, the freshly mowed path produces its own fragrance.



It's sunny and humid. The high today should reach 84. Dragging hoses and moving the sprinkler will take up the rest of the 2 hours I have before work. Still no rain in near forecast.

7 comments:

Dar said...

Tom, Your Nigella and the Campion Rose are beautiful. You sure have a lot of bloom already. We got 4" of snow last night, but we will take the moisture any way we can get it.
Have a great weekend.

L. D. said...

I have never seen white honeysuckle. Your flowering shrubs are looking great and the flowers too. We have the Chinese elm up here that does make a nice hedge, but then it grows everywhere. The leaves make a nice lacy foliage but and ice storm can take it down in an instant. I am glad it doesn't have a sickening sweet smell.

Phillip Oliver said...

I love the smell of privet. I have some in the garden and it is in our neighborhood.

Tammy said...

Wow, now i know what I have been smelling when we travel on the motorcycle. I love the smell.

Unknown said...

Your annuals are a bit ahead of mine. My nigella and rose campion are just starting to bloom. I have more poppies in bloom today. I like the bread seed poppies (huge blooms).

Cool front tomorrow. Already feels better than earlier today. Still no rain.

Ginny said...

How sad about the sweetshrub and the mock orange! My son-in-law was just telling me yesterday about the sweetshrub he had planted - he says the fragrance is heavenly.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Hi Tom ~ I don't think I've ever smelled privet. I love floral scents. Yesterday on the drive home from work, the air was filled with the scent of confederate jasmine. I love that scent and it is one I look forward to every spring.

You have such wonderful, colorful gardens.

Have a great day today.

FlowerLady