Grandmas and Gardenias

In the belated spirit of Mother's Day and Grandmother's Day... an homage to my granny was built into the weekend projects...

My Granny is very much an East Coast girl and tells me stories of growing up in Baltimore and memories of New Hampshire.  However, by the time I came along she had settled into a very grandparently lifestyle on the inter-coastal waterway near Daytona, Florida. 

Granny.  

 I’ll go ahead and say it, I was the first grandchild, and I was pretty sure - at least in my imagination - their whole back yard was created just for me.  A swimming pool, and a tree house -gazebo for me to host tree top tea parties – magical!  But aside from the green lizards in the back yard and trips to the beach with Gran when I was young, what sticks in my memory is the smell of the Gardenia bushes next to her house.  I mentioned them to my brother and he looked at me sideways, “You remember something like that?”, and for whatever reason, that smell sticks in my memory.  I’ll go to perfume counters and candle shops, but every manufactured gardenia aroma can’t compare with the real thing. 

Classic Gardenia
From D&D Design

Now gardenias are a finicky plant, and the standard variety needs a near-tropical climate to flourish.  That simply won’t work in the Rocky Mountain region I’ve spent the great majority of my life in.  However, in Middle Tennessee, our winters aren’t quite as brutal.  And through the marvels of plant science, some varieties of gardenia can now withstand the thermometer dipping below zero every now and then.  After discussing the fine art of Gardenia Rearing with Granny and asking her the pros, cons, ups, downs, and if she thought they’d live in Tennessee, Granny finally concluded, “for crying out loud Allison, plant them and see if they live.  Then you’ll know” 

Heaven Scent variety Gardenia

So there we have it.  A Mother’s Day project.  The planting of Heaven Scent Gardenias.  They’ll grow to a hedge 3-4’ x 3-4’, tolerant to -5 F temps, and while the flowers are a little different they still have the yummy smell and the creamy white petals.  I’m excited to see if they take to Bill’s backyard. 

Pretty puny to start

Current

Hopeful Growth