“Follow your nose to all the fragrant flowers this week around the garden. There are 2 extraordinary shrubs blooming on the south end of the shrub collection just a little up the trail from the White Garden entrance. The Fragrant Abelia (Abelia mosanensis) has clusters of pinkish white blooms and is similar to a lilac fragrance. Immediately next to this plant is the native Sweet shrub (Calycanthus floridus) that has deep maroon flowers and smells like a tropical mixed drink of pineapples and bananas. Deer and rabbits tend to leave these plants alone and they survive with very minimal care. Other fragrant plants to sniff this week include the wisteria in the Japanese Garden, tree peonies in the Federated Garden Club Garden. A variety of lilacs and viburnum continue to bloom.“
Katie Keith
Botanical Center Coordinator
Springfield-Greene County Park Board
