July 24, 2013

This is Where I Would Bee Too :: Sweet Almond Verbena



Sweet almond verbena (Aloysia virgata) beckons from across the garden.  The scent of this sweetly flowering shrub compels pollinators and gardeners alike to seek out the wispy blooms.  So small and seemingly insignificant, they throw off the most amazing amount of luscious scent. 



Impossible to resist ...



16 comments:

  1. Gorgeousness. One of the few times I wished my computer screen was scratch and sniff.... I could ALMOST smell the blossoms.

    I sometimes think it is the tiniest blooms that have the sweetest scents (a corollary perhaps to "the littlest birds sing the sweetest songs"?).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wish I could smell the scent. Gorgeous image of bee on blooms - it has a fairy world feel to it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful! The hubby and I just purchased this plant. He was the one who actually suggested we get the plant, which is surprising since I'm the one who usually picks out plants for the garden:)

    The scent is heavenly! I love to smell the vanilla, almond scent first thing in the morning:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sweet photo- wish it were scratch and sniff. =0)
    Love the fragrance!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Never heard of this verbena, but I can sense I must find one for my gardens. Wonder if it would survive in zone 5?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this plant. So airy! Planted a large specimen in a cream glazed pot just before the winter of '11 that surprised us all with those sustained low, low temps. It did not survive that extreme (for zone 8a) winter in the Texas Hill Country. And neither did one of my water pipes, but that's another story!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree with TexasDeb! Wouldn't that be great if we had scratch 'n sniff screens?! But my imagination is doing a pretty good job conjuring the scent, thanks to your pretty pictures and words.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never heard of it. It must be a Texas plant. I'll have to do some research to see if it will grow here. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh to be a happy pollinator on that lovely plant.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love this plant! You are right - it is a bee magnet. My large shrub in the backyard is always covered in a variety of native bees when it is in bloom, and they are joined by Gray Hairstreak butterflies. These little butterflies seem to have a particular affinity for the plant. And it scents my whole backyard with its wonderful perfume. Great plant!

    ReplyDelete
  11. ahh, it's always the smallest flowers that have the strongest scent isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Preciosa la segunda imagen, me encanta!! No conocía esta planta.
    Un abrazo grande.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I had forgotten about your Aloysia virgata...I removed my native Aloysia wrightii in the spring, when it looked drought-beaten. Also a bee-magnet, and the scent of the foliage alone was intoxicatingly pleasant!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's a new one on me, I suspect it would't be happy in my climate. Like Marguerite, I am always amazed a the way the smallest flowers seem to pack the biggest scent punch - apart from lilies. And roses. Oh, OK, so SOMETIMES the smallest flowers pack the biggest punch...

    ReplyDelete
  15. simply beautifully captured shot...lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I just got one last weekend and I am so excited about it. They smell so incredible...like nothing else...

    ReplyDelete