Re: Fun to touch plants

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A few years ago when I discovered gardening, one of my first plant purchases was a santolina.  I could not get over how much fragrance could come from touching the foliage of a plant rather than smelling the flowers.  And the fragrance was like nothing I had experienced (although some people don't care for it at all I love it.)  I still to this day can't walk down my garden path without a quick bend-down to stroke one of the feathery plants for that fragrance. 

At 02:09 PM 06/15/2001 , Seán A. O'Hara wrote:

>At 01:26 PM 6/15/01 -0700, Nan Sterman wrote:

>>How about Abutilon palmerii?

>

>Ahh, Yes - those wonderful heart-shaped, soft-fuzzy, yellow green

>leaves.  But it is those clear apricot orange flowers that really catch my

>eye!  I've been meaning to get one of these into my already crowded

>landscape for some time (its a fairly tall shrub!).

>

>Another nice fuzzy leaf is Roldana (Senecio) petasitis, with rounded,

>scalloped, thick, fuzzy leaves and large heads of bright yellow daisies in

>winter/spring opening from deep plum-burgundy buds.

>

>I've planting some interesting stuff down at my son's school, includeing

>lavenders, lamb's ears, geraniums (Pelargonium hortorum and some scented

>types).  One of the unexpected success stories is the tall Nicotiana that

>I've mentioned here before.  The leaves are clammy-sticky and the kids

>can't help but make each other touch them!  The kids go all shivery and

>stick out their tongues - certainly worth a feel for that!!

>

>I enjoy Coleonema where you might brush past it as you walk - a nice piney

>scent and the foliage is so soft to run your hands through.

>

>My friend Carol in Italy has a Lemon Verbena planted right at her front

>gate.  You literally have to push it aside as you go through, but what a

>nice scented reward you get in the process!!!!

>

>Sean O.

>

>

>h o r t u l u s   a p t u s     -    'a garden suited to its purpose'

>Seán A. O'Hara        fax (707) 667-1173     sean.ohara@groupmail.com

>710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.