What's missing - what's new

I am heady with all of the scents coming from my garden this evening! The freesias are in bloom, as are the winter jasmine, which are bursting with perfume. When I tell people I have freesias, they tend to argue with me saying freesias don't grow down here. I don't know about that, since I can't get most things I want to grow to grow. I can't get gladiolas, callas, azaleas, or gardenias to grow for me. I can get freesias, however.

I sent to Dutch Bulbs for a set of freesia bulbs and they have been coming back for three years now. They seem to bloom in cycles, depending on color. Yellows come in first, then the red with yellow centers and now the white. They all smell the same, though, but the white has the most powerful smell. So now all of the freesias are competing with the jasmine that are blooming. Winter jasmine on the back fence, and orange jasmine by the pool.

I have finally gotten around to planting the things I have acquired in the past 3 weeks. I have about 10 different plants to get into the ground. I started by planting the hibisci, since they have been in the place I want them to be for the past two weeks. I got three of them in the ground, and have one more to go tomorrow. I will also get the hollyhocks in tomorrow. I am hesitant about deciding on a final spot for them because I don't know if they will get the right light where I want them. I know I must do something because I am constantly picking them up after they fall over.

I am beginning to think that I have lost the majority of my heliconias in the freeze. My gingers are coming up here and there, although still no sign from my favorite Elizabeth - but there is no growth where the orange gyros and sharonii usually come up. Likewise, the Lady Di, Andromeda, and Guadeloupe are all still missing! Hopefully they are just late, but I don't know. These are all small varieties of heliconias, so even though the iris binoche is growing strong - it is a very large-growing species - the same can't be said for the smaller ones. With the GreenThumb festival coming up next month, I should be able to get all of the plants I want for a decent price, once I determine what I really need to replace.

More to come - Bryan