the night of the insects, and oh the fragrance of the night flowers

Oh brother, I am not ready to hit the sack yet, and still want to hang around outside (sipping a little red wine I might add). I have my laptop on my lap, the smell of the evening scented stock (matthiola bicornis) is so strong, it smells like a strong perfume is present. These little teeny tiny flowers close during the day, but come dusk, the flowers open to beautiful lavender and are huge, in comparison to the daytime nothing. The scent is something to behold, the fragrance stays clear until the sun wakens the flower, and it goes to sleep . This is a most beautiful time of the day, the fragrance, the ability to have communication to the world....where was I? Right, the night insects, the mosquitoes, which only a couple have bothered me, but the moths, all kinds of unknown-to-me insects that are checking out the bright lights of the screen of my laptop, I can hear large moths, probably drinking in the nectar of the night flowering flowers, I can see them, i move my hand to move them, and they do indeed move, the scent, oh the scent, takes me away to the first time that I ever grew these night flowers.....no perfume of the human nature, could ever hold a match to this scent.....and I mean that, try and replicate, I don't think so. Not even Alfred Sung could do it, smiling.

Not sure where I was going with this, but just wanted to impart some nice thoughts, some beautiful thoughts of the scent of the evening air, it is good, it is clear and it is something that I relish in, every night, until the last days of the flower and the insects that love it, are gone, along with all the other beauties that the killing frost denies life to. Beautiful days, beautiful nights, CynthiaM.

ah, stock, that is a night flower is it? I have heard of 4 o'clocks blooming at night...
I don't think I have anything planted like that which opens at night. I will have to change that I think.
Tonight we had a cookout over our campfire in the backyard, I love to hear the sound of the nighthawks as they upsweep after catching a tasty snack of night flying insect and there were lots of them out tonight.

Well your talk of the nite scents has made me remember when I had my " nite ' garden . right close to a fire pit where I would sit and watch the stars and let the stress of the day fall away all the while engulfed by the sweet smell of the flowers .I'll be looking up these ""Mathiola Bicornis "" flowers to see what they are .After Eights ? Nicotina's ??

I sat out on our patio tonight , dark and cool waiting for our new puppy to do her going to bed magic and had the joy of watching the bats zipping back and forth under the yard light by the barn eating insects. Such lovely little creatures and absolutely no work on my part to house them. Long live the little bats.

Heather

viczoe wrote:I sat out on our patio tonight , dark and cool waiting for our new puppy to do her going to bed magic and had the joy of watching the bats zipping back and forth under the yard light by the barn eating insects. Such lovely little creatures and absolutely no work on my part to house them. Long live the little bats.

Heather

I do the same thing. I absolutely love the bats. We've lots here, and I love watching them go around and around the house. If you stand outside the door on the deck, they go whizzing by your head. I was watching them catch bugs the other night.

I don't have night blooming flowers, but the air has the smell of fall in it now. (Seems to early to me...)

Thank you for sharing, Cynthia. I felt like I was there with you! How wonderful!

Ah, the children of the night, meaning the bats and the night hawks, I loved to hear of what others see and hear at night, and yes, the scents. Four o'clocks are also an evening flower, they emit fragrance when the sun downs, as do the nicotiannas. White nicotianna is particularly fragrant, as so many white flowers are. I used to have that white nicotianna, amongst other colours, grow wild from self-seeding in my gardens on the coast, but haven't yet to set the seeds I saved from there to the wind yet. I should do that this fall, then next spring nicotianna will also grace my night scented flowers. Night scented stock is in the stock family. But has teeny tiny flowers that are lavender and grow on rather scraggly and untidy plants, nothing to see during the daylight hours, but as dusk comes, these little babies open up to such a pretty, nearly fluorescent lavender, insignificant during the day, but a fury of scent at night. If you know the scent of the nicotianna that emits fragrance at night, picture a fragrance coming from these little stock flowers that has been magnified by 10. Strong, oh so strong, and ever present, and particularly strong after being watered or rained upon.

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There are so many flowers that are night scenting, datura is also another one, which I love the intoxicating fragrance of too. I love to hear my friends stories of what they see, hear and smell at night, bring 'em on!! Have a most beautiful day, CynthiaM.

Cynthia, we have nicotiana and pinks (dianthus superbus). And a really odd one at that has sort of ruffled petals, like long strands. I will take a picture if i can find any left.

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They are the most gorgeous scent. Most pinks (dianthus) are carnation/clove smell, but these are truly perfumed with some scent that is just indescribable.

Next year I am planting a bunch under our bedroom window.

Cathy

Cathy, oooh that scent of the Dianthus superbus sounds wonderful, that may be a plant that will be on my wish list for next year, I'm going to be searching seed catalogues. Is it a perennial? Can you divide that plant if it is? Perhaps sending me a root stalk through the mail. This works, done it many times sending roots to friends, smiling. I love dianthus. I have a pretty little perennial one called dianthus something or other, pretty little pink flowers, the scent is indeed clove and I do love that scent. I also love dianthus barbatus (sweet William), I need that here too. Beautiful and wonderful days, CynthiaM.

Cynthia, it is a perennial. Does really well with little care.
I have tons of them, let me collect some seeds for you...
send me email a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] with your address and I'll send them

You are near Enderby right? If you like, I could drop them off on my next trip out to Kamloops (sometime in the next few weeks)--we could have a coffee or something.

Cathyjk wrote:Cynthia, it is a perennial. Does really well with little care.
I have tons of them, let me collect some seeds for you...
send me email a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] with your address and I'll send them

You are near Enderby right? If you like, I could drop them off on my next trip out to Kamloops (sometime in the next few weeks)--we could have a coffee or something.

Seeds ?? if you have any extras .............Me Please !!

Cathyjk wrote:Cynthia, it is a perennial. Does really well with little care.
I have tons of them, let me collect some seeds for you...
send me email a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] with your address and I'll send them

You are near Enderby right? If you like, I could drop them off on my next trip out to Kamloops (sometime in the next few weeks)--we could have a coffee or something.

Cathy, that would be wonderful, what is your route to Kamloops, we could meet along the way somewhere? The seeds would be wonderful, but are the seeds true to the parent plant? I always worry about seed gathering unless I know the seeds are not hybridized, that would make the seed revert back to either of the parents. A little root stock would be even better, smiling, wanna dig part of one up and bring that too? Have a most wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Last night as I walked through our garden I noticed a beautiful aroma in the breeze from the flowers. It's the first time I'd noticed that all summer. And the bugs, strange infestation of tiny little non-biting bugs covering our windows outside near the lamps that were on inside.......thousands of them. God bless the bats here too. Ah the dichotomy of the season......which is on its way out. I feel Fall in the air. Today is the first day in a long time that the temperature is not in the 30's.....only 25 today.

Thanks Cynthia for your sweet ramblings and all who contributed.

Chicory Farm, did you get a chance to notice what the flower was that was scenting the evening air? I bet it was a nicotianna or a night stock, but then one never knows, there are so many that bear such sweet fragrance, whence that sun goes down. I am always on the search for the evening scented varieties of plants, if it is something different than what I am speaking of, I would love to hear, it may be another plant on my wish list for evening time. Could you ascertain what it is, and perhaps if you can't, find out what it is and take a picture during the day? I may be able to ident it for you, or we could find out together. I am a little nosey at times, well, not really nosey, just a need to nose.

I really want to get some datura, white, that is beyond amazing too with the evening scent. A very poisonous plant if you eat it, but then why would you want to eat it, smiling that big smile. Beautiful and huge white flowers, an amazing addition to the night garden, where white seems to be illuminated, especially when the moon's rays light upon its soul. Have a most awesome day, CynthiaM.

I didn't know what it was until you just mentioned it but it was the Nicotiana! I walked right by it but because there was a breeze and I don't know my flowers well, I didn't know what it was and I had to keep walking. Thanks Cindi. You're a dear to be willing to help me try to identify.

Enjoy.

Cathyjk wrote:Cynthia, it is a perennial. Does really well with little care.

CynthiaM wrote:Cathy, that would be wonderful, what is your route to Kamloops, we could meet along the way somewhere? The seeds would be wonderful, but are the seeds true to the parent plant? I always worry about seed gathering unless I know the seeds are not hybridized, that would make the seed revert back to either of the parents. A little root stock would be even better, smiling, wanna dig part of one up and bring that too? Have a most wonderful day, CynthiaM.

As far as I know they are true. There are some self seeded around the garden and they look the same as the original plants but I can dig small bunch out
My route is usually the transcanada from Golden to Kamloops BUT I have done the Enderby side route before --it is such a pretty drive and lots of fun stuff to see along the way!!! So I could meet you in Enderby.
I believe I am heading in September 11th, a Sunday, I usually leave after chores like 9 or 10 so that puts me in Enderby between 3 and 4 (I think).

Anyway, if you email me we can figure it out!!