In a Vase on Monday: Sweet Gardenias

(c) Terri Robertson, T's Southern Garden, 2018

The guest room smells amazing today thanks to the small vase of gardenias clipped for today’s In a Vase on Monday post.

Frostproof gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides)

I’ve written before about the drought that claimed quite a few of my plants and shrubs in 2016-17. I dragged my feet about replanting shrubs in the largest front bed, but I finally got the job done this year. I opted for a frostproof variety of gardenias, which are full sun and drought tolerant. The bushes started flowering last week, and they smell ever so nice. Gardenias have a heavy, sweet scent, but it’s not overpowering.

(c) Terri Robertson, T's Southern Garden, 2018
A gardenia in bloom. Ahhhh, breathe it in.

Colorwheel, aka Stokes’ Aster (Stokesia laevis)

The colorwheel bloom in last week’s post got a couple of comments, so this time I’m including a photo of new versus old blooms. The palest bloom opened most recently; the others have darkened with age.

(c) Terri Robertson, T's Southern Garden, 2018
Colorwheel, aka Stoke’s aster, blooms deepen in color with age.

“Hot Lips” sage (Salvia x jamensis) 

The small white flowers tipped in red are “Hot Lips” sage or saliva. A couple of varieties of perennial salvia are shown in the photo below. I’ve caught a glimpse of a ruby throated hummingbird a few times this spring—apparently they love salvia!

(c) Terri Robertson, T's Southern Garden, 2018
Salvia = hummingbird magnet

Thanks to Cathy and her blog, Rambling in the Garden, for hosting the IAVOM meme. It’s helped me connect to other garden bloggers and makes blogging much more enjoyable. Be sure to visit her blog and the comments section to see what she and other gardeners around the world have put in a vase on Monday.

 

Author: Terri Robertson

I'm a novice gardener who creates arrangements using cuttings and plants from my yard, vintage containers, and found objects both natural and manmade. In my work life, I am a writer and editor, who recently joined the team of Flower magazine as digital media manager.

9 thoughts on “In a Vase on Monday: Sweet Gardenias”

  5. I can appreciate the damage that drought can inflict but your climate otherwise seems so hospitable to gardenias, I wouldn’t be able to pass on trying them again either. My sister-in-law bought me a Gardenia jasminoiodes for Christmas and I’ve got it in a pot in my lath (shade) house, hoping it can baby it through our long, hot dry summer. Still, I’ve yet to have enough flowers to cut. I love your Stokes’ aster too – I remember admiring these flowers during the DC Fling last year.

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    1. Hi Kris! I apologize, my post was terribly unclear. The shrubs that died in the drought of 2016-17 were azaleas (A few survived in the back where they are shaded, but they just could not take the full sun plus drought in the front yard. They were the only type of shrub planted out front, so it really looked bad for a time). I have high hopes for the gardenias that have replaced them! I’m taking extra care to water them this summer while the roots get established.

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  7. I am always amazed at how perfect gardenias look in photos, almost unreally so – stragely, I have not encountered one on real life yet. It makes your little vase with them and the stokesia and salvia look really special – and from what I have heard it must smell lovely too 🙂

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