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Sweet Scent Attract: During the breeding season male and female salamanders are attracted to each other by their sense of smell. It is apparent that the skin of the females possesses definite odors which attract the males, while the males have scent glands located at the base of the tail and on the under side of the head to attract the females.
Peacock orchids (Acidanthera bicolor) have a wonderful and sweet scent attract fragrance which is present all day and then intensifies at night. They are described in the bulb garden on page 52.
The cruel plant (Araujia sericofera) comes from Brazil and Argentina and is hardy only from Zone 9 and south. Everywhere else it does well in a 10-inch pot filled with a mix of good potting soil and composted manure, 2/3 to 1/3. Pots should contain a trellis or be near one, for Araujia is a climber. Seed germination takes three to six weeks and seedlings will bloom about ten months later. And it's the bloom that is the most interesting feature of this unusual plant. Starry, creamy white, 1 1/2-inch flowers use their sweet scent attract scent to attract the nocturnal moths from the garden. Once lured to the flowers the moths are trapped in the sticky pollen.
A scented garden has its own obvious pleasures, and despite the cries that scent is being lost by modern flower breeders there are many different types of flowers that can be used effectively in this way. The heady scent of wallflowers Erysimum, the lovely mignonette and, of course, night-scented stock are all excellent choices. There are many more that can be appreciated from spring to winter, and they include the white Nicotiana (tobacco plant) and many forms of lilac, lavender, lily-of-the-valley, honeysuckle, viburnum, sweet scent attract peas, and jasmine. |
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