The Lovely Tuberose

Polianthes tuberosa is the Latin name of this lovely flower that comes from a bulb. It is a relatively little-known summer bulb that produces these lovely spikes of flower in mid-summer. What is especially attractive about these flowers is the heady, gardenia-like fragrance that they put out. Last year while ordering some bulbs, I had to order a few extras in order to make it to a minimum order from a certain company. On a whim, I ordered these. When they came in, I stuck them in a dry corner of my yard, watered them in, and forgot about them. The three bulbs put out delightfully fragrant flower stalks around July and August. I loved them and expected them to be only a temporary pleasure for just that year. Much to my surprise, this year I have about 12 new plants and they are all healthy. They must like where I have them! The type I have is a double variety called "The Pearl." I hear that the single flowered type is even more fragrant than this one - but that's hard to imagine! For any fragrant garden in the South, give this a try, especially considering what time of year they bloom. Also, these would look perfect in a moon garden. They can also be grown in the North if dug up for the winter to protect from freeze.