By Victoria Torley

Sometimes it’s all about fragrance. Sometimes you step into a vivero and your nose goes a little wild – and so do you.

I wonder what people think when they see me with my nose in the air, sniffing and turning my head to get a sense of the direction of the scent. Not that I am the only one. I have seen other “sniffers” at the local viveros, following their noses, losing the scent then reacquiring it.

Sometimes you can ask an employee: “What is that perfume?” and sometimes they know. Sometimes it is so distinctive that they can lead you right to it. Then again, you may find yourself sniffing a dozen roses before you find the rose that drew you to that nursery section. It’s a mystery.

For me, the first one was Dafne odora, an amazing fragrance - and lots of it - pulling me through the rows of shrubs. Sadly, Dafne odora is also difficult to keep alive so I only had a few seasons of it in Georgia. Our tropical butterfly white ginger, on the other hand, can scent the yard and never stop spreading! Good stuff.

Orchids can be “good stuff” for the nose. The gongora orchid I have blooming now gives off a scent of oil of clove while other orchids smell like lilies or lilacs. There are even competitions at some orchid shows based entirely on the fragrance of the flowers. I’m not ready for that yet.

There are daytime scents in my yard. The ylang ylang always stops visitors when it is in flower and no wonder, since it is an ingredient in Chanel #5 perfume. Sadly, the tree is a favorite of leaf-cutter ants as are the roses, the producer of another favorite garden scent. Very frustrating.

Then there is the angel trumpet with its long horn-shaped flowers. I have one right outside my bedroom window and it makes the most wonderful fragrance every evening when it’s in bloom and it blooms almost year-round. Why evening? Bats and moths that have the long tongues it takes to reach inside the flower pollinate the flowers.

Then there are the tropical irises. Not as flashy as our bearded iris but just as fragrant. So far I have collected three colors – blue, yellow, and white. As an added plus, they are great re-bloomers. As a minus, they make a terrible cut flower and only last a few hours when placed in a vase.

Finally, my favorite fragrance. The lilies are enormous flowers in solid colors or stripes with bulbs that can weigh 20 kilos and take two men to transplant. They are blooming now and I love them.

Plant for the week. The Abutilon, which I have mentioned before, contains about 200 species and ranges from shrubs to trees. Locally, it is called the flowering maple due to its leaf shape. I mention it again because I just located a lovely one with double ruffles and wanted to share it. The plant is easy to grow from cuttings and should be planted in full sun once roots develop. After that, stand back and watch it shoot up. As you can see from the picture, bees love it.

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Find more interesting stories about gardening in Costa Rica on the AM Costa Rica Garden page. Questions on this article, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com
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