I'd love to see a "fragrant flower" forum. Is there any plans for one? I grow a lot of fragrant shrubs. Thanks.

That's a fun idea, Susan. We'll need a few more to chime in (we don't like dead forums!)

I'm chiming in Trish. Fragrance is what guides honey bees to plants.

What would those ancient silk routes have been without incense and myrh to motivate them? Imagine the Christian nativity without those spices? From paths of honey bees to camels crossing deserts to Wilson's mule train* descending from a Himalayan meadow filled with Lilium regale to Shakespeare's primrose path to infinite possibilities in our gardens - this could be a huge subject.

But fragrance can be so subtle and passingly brief, hence potential for little participation in a forum. I vote we give a forum on Fragrant Flowers, Plants and Paths a chance - maybe we'll knock a few smelly socks off

karen
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*Wilson fell off his mule on the way down that mountain side and broke his arm. It is said that all those mules, laden down with bulbs of Lilium regale crossed over him on that narrow, steep trail with nary a hoof touching him.

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ps - Dave and/or Trish, if this forum comes to be, would it be possible to include some of the threads from my deleted cubit on Fragrant Paths, Posies... ? I can't remember the exact name of that cubit. JB contributed some wonderful posts about gardenias and Gerris2 contributed some intriguing posts about fragrant morning glories.

A Fragrant Flowers, Plants and Paths forum could overlap so many other subjects, thus potentially growing both itself, other forums and ATP overall.

Karen- A deleted cubit is gone forever. No chance of retrieving data- sorry.

Trish - That's all right. Those are well loved plants, so writing about them again might even be improved.

Waving at Lynn - glad to see you here, too - howdja like to support a forum for fragrant flowers, plants and paths? I remember your posts too, and they were most welcome.

I would love to see one. : )

I love reading about the history of plants. I find it fascinating.

I was told you only need 5 or more interested people for a new forum. Looks like you have 5 but count me in just in case. This is one of my favorite topics. Don't worry about what we lost on Cubits, there is much more were that came from. Good Luck. Thank you for including me.

Lynn, regarding history, me too. Just one bulb of Lilium regale wafted its perfume for an incredible distance in my garden before it up and left. Lovely in moonlight, but the milky way galaxy wasn't visible at night thanks to urban/suburban light pollution at night. But reading Wilson's description of that meadow was like encountering that lily's native habitat for myself, and his history, in his own words, of his encounter evoked a mental picture of moonlit fragrance under the stars.

Where are so many habitats of now? We have to go to history in many cases to find them and hopefully bring them or their approximations back.

Off topic, but still relating to Lilium regale, my garden and history. One spring, when this lily sprouted, instead of its stalk being a round stem, it was like a flat, corrugated board, and it looked just like a cultivar of Ipomoea nil bred perhaps in the early to mid 1800s by possibly some samurai in Edo Japan. Picture of that is attached.

The phenomenum is called fasciation, and it occurs in many different genera including snapdragons (I've also seen it in blackberry stems on local trails). It is thought to be caused by a genetic mutation that can be triggered by many things, including virus, bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, chemicals. The Japanese stabilized many cultivars of Ipomoea nil that may have come from various kinds of mutations similarly induced.

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Ut oh - I see I have a partner in off-topic perambulation - Lynn, I look forward to more ot ramblings with you and I promise to always involve fragrant plants if this forum comes into existence.

Thanks everyone for posting in favor of this forum. I'll be back later tonight.

Karen
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fasciation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F...

fasciated Ipomoea nil -
source: Asagao sanjū-rokka sen (朝顔三十六花撰) auf Deutsch 36 ausgewählte Prunkwinden (Ipomoea nil)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/w... #15

Consider me interested in a fragrants forum as well! My DA Roses, jasmines, brugs, plumeria, etc. would love some assistance.

For me, when I consider buying a new orchid or other plant, I consider fragrance more important than anything. It's wonderful to smell colors. Lee

Lee what an interesting idea....smelling colors. Never thought of it that way. Now I'll be checking to see what colors smell like.

I'd be interested in a fragrant forum, too!

Oh, I'm so glad to know someone else smells color!
:biggrin:

And Karen, all I know is, it's because of you I have a love of fragrance to begin with. I still see your presence in my garden.
:hearts:

Susan- try something for me.

Put a space between the last word or period that you have and the smilie that you are making.

So, for you, make it read like this:
"...smells color! space colon biggrin colon space"

Let me see what happens when you do that.

Susan, you are too kind. But you're welcome. Do you have any flowers or leaves emitting fragrance these days? A fragrant daylily opened up here today, but Mr. Woodchuck has been observed in its vicinity. Hope he accepts the bait soon in our Havahart cage.

Kevin, how fascinating is that - being able to smell colors. I hope we get to talk about that at greater length. I googled the subject a little bit, and evidently it's been scientifically documented that the pathways for vision and smell actually cross in some folks' brains in certain locations.

Fragrant flowers forum is ready!

http://garden.org/forums/view/...