I was thrilled by the possibility of growing the star jasmine. I had grown up with it, and the flowers are one of my favorite floral fragrances. My aunt had a walk planted with them, and the vines wound up a lamp post. In bloom, the fragrance was almost overwhelming. My sister hated it, but I let myself drown in scent. The apartment complex I lived at when I went to college in Southern California also had them planted, and walking home from the library at night, they were a happy greeting for me. Better than a puppy. When I lived in Philadelphia, I resorted to growing T. asiaticum on my windowsill. It wasn't very happy, but it did produce two or three flowers that I sniffed ecstatically. I wasn't quite the same fragrance as T. jasminoides, but it sufficed. I tried T. jasminoides here, and the couple of plants survived the first winter, and died the next. T. jasminoides 'Madison' is supposed to be hardy to zone 7, and I searched high and low to find plants. I had one sent to me, and the first year, grew it in a pot in my entry. It survived the winter. That summer, I took cuttings, and last summer I planted them out. This fall, I threw some branches over the plants for protection. Clearly not enough. It's all very sad, but at least the plant under the eaves is still alive.
Just gone through your blog and found it awesome. The header image showing flowers looks great.
ReplyDeleteVery sad, indeed. The fragrance of plants can create very strong memories. A whiff of that memorable fragrance, years later, can put you right back in the time and place where you first encountered them. I had T. jasminoides planted by my back door in Atlanta. It didn't get enough sun to bloom profusely, but those few little blooms were heaven.
ReplyDeleteAnother fragrant plant I had in Atlanta that I loved was Osmanthus fragrans. Delicious!