Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Sunday - April 30, 2006
From: Springfield, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Failure of fragrance in Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus) in Illinois
Answered by: Joe Marcus and Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have a sweet shrub bush that I took from the root of another one. Every year it blooms but never has even a smidgen of fragrance. The bush it came from was very fragrant. Should I do something to the soil to make it more suitable. We live in Illinois. The bush came for one in Alabama. It's just full of blooms now, but no smell.ANSWER:
Sweet shrub (Calycanthus floridus) is a fickle lady. Some plants are exceedingly fragrant while others have little or no fragrance at all. Apparently, weather conditions can affect fragrance, but I don't know what the mechanism is for that. If the root you took came from a highly fragrant plant, your plant should be highly fragrant as well. Morning and evening are the times of most intense fragrance. Apparently, the flowers' nectaries dry up upon pollination and fragrance quickly fades. So, if you have an abundance of pollinators, that could be the source of the problem. You can find a discussion about sweet shrub on Garden Web.More Shrubs Questions
How to Care for a Yucca after Blooming
September 13, 2014 - We just moved into our home and there was an existing yucca plant in the yard and it had bloomed. There was some kind of vine growing in and around it. We tried to clean out the vine but I noticed a l...
view the full question and answer
Dwarf foundation plants for St. Augustine FL
May 03, 2010 - Need to put in fast, low growing (3' max) foundation plants that would be frost hardy and work well in the St. Augustine area of Northeast Florida.
view the full question and answer
Problems with mountain laurel from Sunrise Beach TX
August 29, 2012 - In Llano Co., TX near lake LBJ, crushed granite type soil - my 4 - 5 year old TX Mtn. Laurels (2), about the size of large wheel barrows, are turning very pale, dropping leaves and on 1 the seed pods ...
view the full question and answer
Problems with blueberries from Kernersville NC
April 29, 2012 - My blueberry plants have no leaves or scrawny ones. I have 13 plants, 5 of them are like this.
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native Cleyera and Red-tip photinia
June 01, 2008 - I planted a row of Cleyera in a bed that receives sunlight for about 3 hours during the middle of the day. My problem is that a number of the plants are dying. It begins with the leaves on one small...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |