My Garden of Earthly Delights
70
Take time to smell the roses!
I worked with a landscaper for 2 years. He worked for woman who had 5 acres of manicured lawn, horse corrals and 2 pastures. It was incredible. The house had 5 flower beds that combined were twice the size of my 1400 sf home. Money was no object. If she wanted it, it went in her yard. I got to see the best.
We also have access to the best botanical gardens anywhere.. (except for you in BC), The University of Washington Arboretum, Bloedel Preserves on Bainbridge Island are quite wonderful places to explore, read, play and, of course, sniff!!
So to ask about "favorite flowers" needs to be broken down in categores. Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Vines, Ground cover, Bulbs.
Lobelia
Annuals
Annuals need to be replaced every year, sometimes two - Love Lobelia. All colors. makes great filler for pots, window boxes, Sweet peas have wonderful fragance and are so pretty.
Yellow Gerbera Daisy
Perennials
Perennials come back every year - I love the regular, every day daisies, but also the
fantastic colors they come in.. black eye susans etc. The way they sway
in the breeze is hynotic. For fun "texture" I like Ladies Mantle.. and
of course Hasta for its big leaves, some varigated varieties. But for smell I love Phlox - all kinds, but the tall variety smells beautiful, and butterflies love it!.
Vinca Minor
Ground Cover
Vinca Minor. I adore the periwinkle color, I love the way it climbs up walls, I love the way it covers large spaces without overwhelming.. altho it can get out of control. Oh, I nearly forgot sweet woodruff! It also goes great in containers..I almost perfer it in containers because it gets kinda wild.
Lilac - White
Two-color lilac
Bushes
Here in West. Washington we get to enjoy Rhododendrons. My Favorites are the purples and whites.. but this category was tough because I also adore Lilacs - all colors. Also I would have to add Roses. I have to add roses. What is a garden with out them?
Oh,
a note on roses: If you like Heirloom roses, and if you can possibly
find one.. check out the Cecil Bruner.. Its got smallish light pink
blooms that smell divine. It's kind of a bushy rose if left unpruned
will drape over and climb across and fills the air with the most
lovely, almost spicy scent. I've included a picture of this rose at the top of this hub.
Clematis
Vines
I have to vote for Mock Orange and, again a tough one because I
love Clematis. I had a "double blue" clematis that was spectacular. Also in this category, that I love, are climbing hydrangeas.
Tulip - Varigated
Bulbs
Bulbs is my favorite category of all of them. If I had to just pick one category this is it, but I can not pick one bulb. (That's like having a favorite toe, or tooth. I like the middle, top, front tooth best. The rest are ok, but that tooth is exceptional!!) Tulips, daffodils, narcissus, lillies. Incredrible.
**a special note on bulbs.. Bulbs require leaving the green leaves long after the flowers are gone. This is the way they 'reenergize'. So if you have a row of daffodils (can be others, just cut the stems off at the ground) it can look really shabby waiting for them to wilt. Trim of a long leaf.. Then starting at one end of the row, french braid the leaves. At the end, grab around the bunch (like you would a pony-tail) and tie it off with the leaf you saved from the beginning. This cleans up the row, saves the leaves, and makes an interesting design in your garden.
Rhodedendron
Magnolia
Trees
My vote goes to Magnolias. The blossoms are huge and smell heavenly. "Snow Ball" trees are great with the large white blossom balls that cover the ground with little white petals and looks just like snow.
Also in this category are Rhodedendrons. The come in a large variety of sizes (both the size of the trees and the size of the blossoms.)
Azalea
Shrubs
I have to go with Azaleas.. also all colors. No, wait, Lavender.. esp. spanish lavender. Ok, maybe heather or heath.. these also come in white.
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To Summarize..
I think if I ever get the chance to have my own home again, I will plant an entire section in white plants. All of these categories have "white".
I was recently asked what my favourite flower is. So if I may bend your question a little, I would say
my favorite flower is white. For me white flowers quite my mind and
soul. They are uncomplicated, sophisticated and yet so very simple.
Thank you for asking, it got me wishing I could get my fingers in the dirt again! Good stuff!
And since you asked, I shall load you up on some pictures of my favorites, though I don't have some of them in white..
I wish this hub was "scratch and sniff"!!
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You are first Larry, just got it done.. You know they make special spray paint florists use for flowers.. get yerself some white and spray them blue!! My second favorite is purple..
Thank you for answering my request, you did an outstanding job. Colours are the determining factor for me too. I love blue flowers the best.
D - You got me feeling all wistful and missing digging in the dirt..I was in a car accident and had to quit the job..couldn't do it for a long time..now I can and I have only 1 pot with the most amazing deep orange lillies - 5 feet tall incl medium pot. You'll have to tell me which blue ones you prefer!
Lucky you Candie V! I love flowers- second only to seashells. In no particular order right now right here would be daisies - so simple and straightforward, gerberas - the rich colours, and magnolias- smell good and so out there!
Hi LBD! - There is something so great about Daisies to me.. and they are "no maintenance" which i l.o.v.e.!!! I had quite a collection of scallop shells for a long time.. love the pink!! Got them on a dive trip.. to watch them "flutter" by was so funny, flooded our masks bad that trip!!.
You dive? Hey, come to think of it, seashells, a little like an underwater garden. doh! I've heard that sooo many times and I finally linked the two! :)
My gosh, there are a lot of similarities! I used to dive, I was a dive master for a number of years..before my son, when I was fearless and mortality didn't exist in my brain..we were wild. I got to dive with the best in the area, but we were crazy. Between 8-9 a week.. nuts!
Lady - what area do you live in? Where I live we have 2 beautiful mountain ranges on either side of me and the Puget Sound..I can not imagine living with out the mtns and water and the green and flowers. I will never take it for granted.. wish the books of flowers were "scratch and sniff!"
My favorite flower isn't on here but these are all so beautiful. Exquisite pictures. Rated you thumbs up!
thank you Lesley.. what is your favorite flower,, and why?
Wisteria. They look so pretty in in a hanging pot. Or maybe I like them because they grow "upside down". Kinda like me. ;D
I'd have to say calla lilies. They're just so elegant :D
Jama, I forgot about Wisteria.. Yummy smell!
Chris A - Calla lillies are elegant.. see I cannot pick just one..I need a garden again! Thank you!!
BadCo, Be still my beating heart... You...know...
Candie told me I reminded her of a flower....I was so humbled....."yes" she said....."a Blooming Idiot"
Ahhh...Magnolia and Gardenia
R..so help me BadCo I never did.. he's just.. blooming.. Ah, I forgot gardenia's..man where is my brain.. BadCo, can I have a planter box on the ship? And maybe one small trellis?
My favorite....Stargazer lillies.....love the fragrance!
KCC - I thought about them, too, they are great, I also remembered Bird of Paradise, there are way to many to pick a favorite!!
Unfortunately for me, I'm allergic to lilies...=(
i love reading what you have to say. it makes me smile
I go with the bulbs. Its as if no one dares to pick one up to smell it cuz its so pretty! BTW, what type of flowers are the butterfly bush?
I appreciate them all , as I love flowers but if I had to choose it would be violets, apple blossoms and lavender my goodness that is a hard choice. :)
I love my Paw Paw flowers. And the butterfly that pollenates them. Next would be apple blossoms and honeysuckle.
May! My friend! The butterfly bush looks a lot like a lilac but a little more cone-like and I don't think it smells as good..You gotta watch them, because the kinda take over. You can prune them way back in the fall and you'd be good!
Amy, you light up my world, I know you have allergies.. plastic flowers my girl! I won't tell
AEvans - I was trying to remember apple blossoms.. I sure wish they lasted longer, they are so pretty! Thank you!!
2Cs - I had a pink/white honeysuckle that was spectacular, you're right they are amazing! I've never seen a Paw Paw, gotta look that one up!
Thank you both and welcome to my little hublet!
I love quite a few different flowers, but tulips win it for me, hands down. They're so clean and organized, it makes me cry. Okay, it doesn't make me cry but it makes me want to stare. :p Good stuff, thanks!
Hi Amy! Welcome to my little corner of Hubville! Ah Tulips!! We have an area of NW Washington that's kind of like "little Holland" only it's huge.. 1000 x1000 of all kinds of bulbs.. Overwhelming. If you want to check out their link.. www.tulipfestival.org
The lilac does smell wonderful but the iris is such a beautiful intricate flower.
Dan - Lilac has it for trees, for sure.. I will put the iris in the "bulb" category, I know it's really not, but for the sake of my "categories" that's where I put it.. that said, they are exquisite..so many sizes and colors and styles.. You are right! Thank you for visiting my little garden of hublets!
I love roses. A black rose. Nothing is more beautiful
Blondepoet - that is a wonderful choice!! Roses are perfect..black is a fun color. Everybody has such great ideas, thank you for stopping by!
Hi Sumon! Welcome! Red roses are fantastic! My fav roses are the Tropicana varieties. Around here roses get all kinds of funguses because of the rain/moisture, so you have to take special care of them. But I can't imagine a garden with out them!
I am a white flower fan, Magnolia Blossoms big enough to stick your face in, YES!
This hub got me out of the dumps, good karma, thanks, now I owe you one.
C - increadible flowers to be sure! Thanks for joining us, glad you're here!
Magnolia trees are something quite special in spring, I love them. And proper roses (which smell) and narcissi, and stargazer lilies
LondonGirl! Hi and welcome to our hub garden! You have it soo right! For roses with great smell, to me, nothing beats a Cecil Bruner, if you can find one, snag it!! Narcisses are the best, specially in a pot in the house..ohhh the fragrence is amazing..I use that word way too much, but it fits! thank you!
Narcissi in pots is how my mother does it. It's a wonderful fragrence, couldn't agree more!
Enjoyed looking at your great selection of flowers. I once grew a Tree peony with 60 blooms on it. Absolute flower heaven. The fragrance was overwhelming. Thnx
Gypsy, welcome! I have never seen a peony tree! Around here they are more "shrub" ish. I would love to see a picture of it, what colors were the blooms?
I have always said I never saw a flower I didn't like. My favorite today are the purple larkspur that are blooming so beautifully right now.
D - I only have 1 flower I can say that, but it's not the flower's fault it's the smell.. Have you ever smelled Skunk Cabbage? Around here that's what's we call it because it smells rotted, bad, nose burning bad.. yet the flower is beautful. So I'm conflicted.. Larkspur is one of my all time favorites and I thought about putting it in, but didn't. Delphinium, I had 5' tall white ones. Gosh I miss my garden!!!!
Thank you for visiting!
Like you said, picking a favorite flower would be like picking a favorite tooth.
My list would be a very long one including ones we grew up north and cannot grow down here. Lilacs, peonies, tulips to name a few northern favorites.
Azaleas, camellias, impatiens, roses, periwinkles, ginger, honeysuckle, begonias, indian hawthorne, humingbird shrub, chenille plant and more are all in our southern yard / garden. And that would not be the end of my list of favorites. Just TOO HARD an assignment! LOL
Hi Peggy - I know.. why did I ever respond to this question? Impossible. Thank you for visiting my garden of earthly delights!
Very nice flower talk, and made me smile - I love all the flowers you mentioned, but four-o-clocks are about my favorite scent second only to roses. I have four-o-clocks progeny from about 25 years ago, and they change every year because of the 'intermingling of the bees'. Don't think I could choose A favorite flower either. They bring such beauty...Thanks for sharing!
Frogy - wow, four-o-clocks? I will have to check them out, they are new to me! If you could send me a cutting I'd me most appreciative and would give you a hub all your own! Thank you!
Gorgeous hub. I'm planning a garden again. Crossing my fingers.
I hope you get to have your own garden. You're climate is great for gardening. :)
Hey Raven!! I know you!! LOLOL!! We do have a great zone for planting a wide variety of flowers and veggies, but fruit trees are a little trickier. Cherries, for instance, need a bit less 'damp' and tend to split. Your area has all those great succulents.. cacti (is that right? cactuses?) for example.. Your heat makes it a bit more challenging, but that's what some people love! Mulch and water!! Let's chat later about what you're doing.. I'd love to hear about it all!
Beautiful hub. (How could it not be?) I appreciate the flower gardens, but rarely grow my own. I have my vegetable garden, and a bush of hollyhocks, inside a heavy security fence because of the MANY deer we have here.
Well at least here in the woods, springtime does provide a show of wildflowers.
I would love to have some of those yellow daisies... and so would the deer, I'm sure.
Hi Rochelle!
First, I thank you for your wonderful comment. I always enjoy seeing you!
Second, we live in a huge rural/forested area, and deer are our main garden-predator, too. There was one morning I went out to see all my columbine were 'headless'! just 16" stalks. The deer left all my other flowers alone, hasta, bulbs, azaleas, phlox were all perfect! Another garden denizen we have are slugs. They do more damage than the deer. Ah well.. such is life!
Plant some daisies for you and some for the deer - tell the deer which is which so you can both live in peace! Yeah, right!! LOL!
Hi Candie!!! I missed this hub its first time around--how did I do that?
Hey-maybe you could get some pots and plant some flowers this year? I don't have a yard this year, either, but we have a patio, so I think that's what I'm going to do!
You would love my dad's backyard--he has probably every known plant there is out there--it's like an oasis of flowers in the spring and summer, lol...
Take care--sure miss talking with you!
And I LOVE the all white flowers idea--that sounds beautiful! :)
It seems that the deer don't care much for bulb-type plants. I do have a nice stand of daffodils each spring . . . in fact, a lot of people around here do. Iris do well for many people, as well.
We have very dry summers. I have never seen slugs or snails here. I have a nice yellow rose bush in a barrel which is also covered with unattractive wire cage. Before the cage, deer could daintily eat all of the blooms and deftly avoid the thorns.
It is great that you can enjoy your lovely flower garden, and share it with us.
I'm amazed.. how is this hub being viewed by so many.. again? I love it!
Tammy! Well, I do have one huge pot with the most amazing orange lilies. Not 'tiger lillies', they have no smell, but if you stick your nose in to smell you'll have a dark-brick colored nose for your trouble! They are about 4' tall and I fill in with lobelia and english daisies. I like pots, cuz I've been moving a lot the last 4 years and this way I can bring my world with me!
Thank you so much for visiting!
Rochelle! (again!) Bulbs seem to be deer proof, indeed! There are no fancier gardening adornments than 8' chicken wire! HA!! I totally understand! If you need slugs, I can gather some lovely banana slugs (so named cuz they are yellow-ish).. just thinking out loud here, maybe??!!??
Banana Slug is California's official state mollusk. I've never seen one and I'm a third generation California native.
Oh, and no thanks, some things are best left unseen.
Alrighty then, well if you change your mind, or desire one more in the 'leopard' look, or brick colored, I'm your go-to-girl! I'll deliver them right to your door! I have a great slug story, I'd put it in here, but I have no pictures..
Like Tammy I missed this hub first time round, I love fragrant flowers, Honeysuckle and Freesias have to be my favourites both have heavenly smells. We use to have a huge Honeysuckle just by our front door and in the summer evenings the scent of these flowers was wonderful.
Maggs! I adore honeysuckle! Did you have the yellow one or the red/white one? Ah.. and freesia - fantastic! I would love a walled-in garden/sanctuary for evenings like this.. some day! Thanks Maggs! You're a special friend!
I think that it was red and yellow, I told a friend that I loved the smell of Honeysuckle and she said she would give me a cutting. I expected a small piece but her son brought me a big bush in a wheelbarrow ready for planting so I got to enjoy it right away.
Nice!! Does she need another friend? (Pick me Pick me!) Jasmine is also a fab climber with a fantastic nighttime scent!
Great hub! I've been guilty of planting in deer paths already. Have you found it necessary to still use repellents? My neighbor recommended a repellent that's made by havahart that you only have to apply about once every three months. He said it’s the best stuff he’s ever used.
Let me know what you think:
Hi Ron! Welcome to my little Hublette!
You know, I don't use any deer repellent. I kinda go by "Plant it at your own risk" and I won't spend a lot of money on plants and trees I know to be on the 'deer buffet'.. consequently all my columbines were beheaded a couple of years ago.. sad.. all that was left was 2' tall stalks! Such is life in rural Kingston. I see a lot of folks using wire all around roses and young trees. It might protect them, but quite frankly it looks just plain ugly. I'll check out your link, however.. one can always learn new things! Thank you!
Enjoyed looking at your garden again Candie. One should never stop taking time to "smell the roses" and enjoy other pretty flowers and plants.
Hi Nurse Peggy! I miss the garden I had when I wrote this. Can't believe it's been 2 years! Wow!
I'm down to 1 pot with 1 lilly in it.. *sniff*.. but I'm guarding that one carefully! Gardening on an apartment balcony is so hard - limited rain and sun, but I should do more. I'm so glad you said 'smell the roses'.. that is something I should do more often. Life gets so crazy sometimes! Thank you for stopping in and reminding about what's truly most important!
Have a great day my friend!
Larry Lathrop 2 years ago
MsDuckiegirl Gee am I first this time. Flowers, shrubs,trees,vines----sooo many to choose from. I think color is the determining factor for me too. In flowers I like blue,blue,blue yes pansies, irises, your lobelia also. My "favorite" flower doesn't come in blue though, but Mums the word.