Whole Foods and Trader Joes appear to have recently split a shipment of beautiful potted gardenias and they both had them for sale a couple of weeks ago. Drunk with the intoxicating scent, I impulsively bought one.
In hindsight, I wouldn’t exactly have called it a great idea – but it was only $8.99 so I won’t grieve too long, and I did get about two solid days of good smell in my kitchen before trouble set in. I’m still not sure how much that is worth?
I’ve been having a tough time adjusting to the ‘just right’ care that doesn’t cause this plant to revolt and drop all its leaves. It is a little fussy, but it is to be expected I suppose… they are really meant to be grown outside, in a damp shady area in a near tropical climate – and this is New England in my kitchen, after-all. Bottom line – I will try in the future to not be such a sucker for that smell – the hassle just isn’t worth it.
But beyond that smell, I was also seduced by those beautiful mini rose-like flowers – which can also be had in Double Impatiens.
Rockapulco White Impatiens look very similar to the gardenia and, having grown Impatiens in the most unforgiving of gardens, I am confident that they will not put on such airs of leaf dropping drama at the slightest hint of dryness. I haven’t always been a champion of Impatiens, but with experience, I have come to love some the softer colors and double blooms as they really are just about the most reliable shade bloomer I’ve ever grown.
Do you want to grow Impatiens?
If you have a partially shady area – these are some of my picks for beautiful and stylish plant partners.
From Left to Right: Heucherella Fun and Games ‘Hopscotch’ is a new release and won’t be widely available until next year (2017), but Heuchera ‘Caramel’ or another rust colored heuchera will substitute nicely until then. Osteospermum ‘Melon Symphony’ – along with the Impatiens – give just enough flower interest to keep the mix sophisticated. I also added Coleus ‘Chocolate Drop’ because I think these sorts of mixes really do need a dash of fresh green to keep things exciting. And lastly I added another perennial – Black Lace Elderberry. The Elderberry and the Heucherella will come back next year and will be a great starting point for another mix (perhaps something with blue or pink or deep red) in 2017.
-Rochelle
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Proven Winners. I am not an employee of Proven Winners and all opinions are my own.
Images courtesy of Proven Winners.
Hi! L O V E – Gardenias! I live in Seattle and having success with the Gardenia jasminoides ‘Kleim’s Hardy’ hardiness zone 7-11. It’s on it’s 3rd year and smells divine. We don’t get the harsh winter or the snow you have in New England, but might be worth a try.
I love having impatiens because of the beautiful colors–it adds a lot of pizazz to my garden. However, deer love them as much as I so I now only plant them inside my fenced area!