Blue Ridge Mountain Area

Early in the season, when landscapes are dominated by the bright yellow of Forsythias and daffodils, the comparatively rare quince (Chaenomeles japonica) shines with it's clear bright colors. My son and I make it a daily event to check a large specimen in the neighborhood for signs of bloom, we start this in late March and watch it come into full glory in mid-April. He has claimed it as his favorite spring flower. This shrub is suitable for any soil and situation. If left to grow it will become a rounded ten foot shrub. It can be grown from seed, or named varieties can be propagated from cuttings taken in midsummer.

As an added bonus, large fruits are borne after the flowers fade. These are often made into jelly. Because the quince is related to the rose, whose fruits are famous for their high vitamin C content, I would be interested to learn if quince fruits are also highly nutritious.
These photos were taken by my friend in Latvia, where these shrubs are known as Cido. She also sent me some seeds and I am now waiting for my plants to grow into a real Spring attraction.

This has got to be one of my favorite plants if only for the smell. Other people have told me that it is a unpleasant smell, maybe medicinal, but I think it smells clean. It is certainly a strong smell, and if your clothes brush the plant the scent will stay with you for a long time.

I grew my first clary sage from seeds and they were easy to germinate and not at all fussy. The plants grow quickly and are very upright to about eight feet if given plenty of room. They are classified as biennials and bloom the second year, but often the older plants survive the winter to bloom another year. I have my plants growing in quite a bit of shade with only morning sun, perhaps the reflection from my house helps some.
The common name of clary sage comes from the practice of using preparatons from the plant to clean the eye, or "clear eye".

Another unusual Salvia that I grew easily from seed is S. verticillata. An improved form is the variety 'Purple Rain', with the most amazing light purple spikes. Both are huge plants, not growing up like Salvia sclarea but out until it is almost four feet across. It is extremely hardy and blooms most of the summer.