- Author: Jennifer Baumbach
Ask any gardener what their favorite plant is and I bet you will find they can’t name just one. Count me in that group. I love plants. But there are a few stand-outs that are worth mentioning.
For me, what captures my interest is either the color or smell of a plant. I love bright colors. Mostly oranges and blues. But I think that fragrance is the top attribute I look for in plants to add to my yard.
When I was attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, I learned of this plant called Psoralea pinnata also known as the Scurfy Pea or the Kool-Aid® Bush. I had never encountered such a plant before. This was way back when I was just getting in to Horticulture, I was a late-bloomer with respect to learning or loving plants! (yes, pun intended) What caught my attention is the smell of the flowers. They smelled like grape Kool-Aid®! Seriously! The plant is somewhat ugly and rangy, but the blue and white flowers made up for that.
Since then, I have found a prettier substitute for the Scurfy Pea. This plant is in one of my favorite genuses, Salvia. The plant is Salvia melissodora known as the Grape-scented sage. It is a shrub that can get to 8 feet tall. It is native to the upper elevations of Mexico. The leaves also have an interesting smell, but not as good as the grapey fragrance of the violet/lavender flowers. To enjoy the smell, you have to avoid bruising the leaves, so don’t touch, just sniff. But be careful, as the carpenter bees and other bees visit this plant frequently. You don’t want a sting on your sniffer!
I have two of these salvias planted just outside my window. In the warm evenings of the summer, you can smell their delightful grape scent as it perfumes the neighborhood and of course, inside my home.
I recommend you open up your senses and try picking out plants with interesting fragrances to add to your own yards. You’d be amazed at what’s out there.
- Author: Sharon L. Rico
October is the month to plant sweet pea seeds and I can hardly wait to get mine in the ground! In 1817, poet John Keats wrote “Here are sweet peas, on tip toe for a flight; With wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white, And taper fingers catching at all things, To bind them all about with tiny rings.”
Sweet peas, which have the descriptive Latin name Lathyrus odoratus, are incredibly gorgeous and powerfully perfumed. Often we smell them before we see the blossoms and the perfume invites us to find them, lifting our spirits and making us smile. Having a passion for sweet peas, I’ve been growing them annually for nearly 50 years.
It’s ideal to plant the seeds in an area where they can climb and be supported. Cement wire against a fence or wire between two poles in an open area will work well. The soil needs to be amended with compost and manure.
These tiny, round, hard seeds need to be soaked in water overnight. Soaking them softens the hard seed shell and encourages them to sprout. My grandmother placed her seeds on wet paper napkins on a tray in the basement and left them for several days until they were swollen and ready to “pop.” I use the same technique, using paper towels and an old cookie sheet. I carry that into the garden and place each seed individually 3 inches apart and ½ inch deep, thinning to 6 inches apart as they grow.
As soon as the plants emerge, grab some snail bait, as slugs and snails will feast on these seedlings! As the vines grow, they may need to be wound between the wire support until the tendrils grab hold. At this point, there’s not much to do until mid-April when the vines will vigorously grow and the incredible flowers appear. Sweet peas need to be picked daily for continuous blooming. The flowers will scent your home and are welcome gifts for friends and neighbors. As the vines turn brown and dry in June, there will be pods you can collect seeds for the following October. I’ve found that everyone loves sweet peas! Now, I’ve got to get busy!