My flowering hedge?

[Jeff]

This is 5k feet in western Colorado, nominally a desert climate. This spring has been unusually wet. And my many many year old and 5' after haircut hedge has for the first time that I can remember produced flowers. They're in clumps of very small, very white flowers at the end of the stem, and the clump is in the shape of about a 1" x 1" pyramid. And the little clump I picked has a nice scent too, now that I have it inside and up close and personal enough to notice. Out of hundreds of "hedges", what is mine?

- Jeff

[ktinkel]

How about a photo? Or a scan of the flower?

[Judy G. Russell]

Need more to go on, Jeff. As Kathleen says, a photo would be nice.

[Jeff]

Need more to go on, Jeff. As Kathleen says, a photo would be nice.

Note to self: finally figure out how cell phone camera works. Buy web cam for a next time?

[jdh]

Note to self: finally figure out how cell phone camera works. Buy web cam for a next time?FWIW, my Vivitar mini digital camera was $10 at drug store, regular price. Certainly crude, but does take snapshots and is also a USB web cam. Have to take out pix before remove battery (yuck) or they die. But have to remove battery soon or it dies. Catch 22 :D

Hard to beat the price tho'.

[Jeff]

FWIW, my Vivitar mini digital camera was $10 at drug store, regular price. Certainly crude, but does take snapshots and is also a USB web cam. Have to take out pix before remove battery (yuck) or they die. But have to remove battery soon or it dies. Catch 22 :D

Hard to beat the price tho'.

I'll have to look for same or similar. I managed to get the phone to take a couple of pictures. Now I have to figure out how to get them out of the phone. There is a reason I've never done this before, and the phone is about four years old.

- Jeff

[Judy G. Russell]

I'll have to look for same or similar. I managed to get the phone to take a couple of pictures. Now I have to figure out how to get them out of the phone. There is a reason I've never done this before, and the phone is about four years old.What make and model of phone? I'll bet somebody here can tell you how to do it.

[Jeff]

What make and model of phone? I'll bet somebody here can tell you how to do it.

Ok, the fool on the mountain done do it. I think. Camera no good, lighting worse, but that can wait for after I can actually post an obscura. OK, now where's the thumbnail button? Ah hell, that's the advance class. The beginner is going postal now. Ummm, them's green leaves, folks...

- Yeff

[Dan in Saint Louis]

Hmm, if you break off one of those leaves is the sap milky white and very sticky?

[jdh]

Hmm, if you break off one of those leaves is the sap milky white and very sticky?
Looks a little like the dogbane I used to see in NY State, could be in dogbane family? However, even if so, I'm sure this one is a different species.

DH

[earler]

Any scent? If so, it could be seringa.

[Judy G. Russell]

Any scent? If so, it could be seringa.Seringa doesn't grow in the United States; it's South African. Syringa is just a fancy name for a lilac, and Jeff would probably recognize a lilac.

[Judy G. Russell]

Ok, the fool on the mountain done do it. I think. Camera no good, lighting worse, but that can wait for after I can actually post an obscura. OK, now where's the thumbnail button? Ah hell, that's the advance class. The beginner is going postal now. Ummm, them's green leaves, folks...
I'm not coming up with an identification, but there's a good list of articles on Colorado plants here (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/pubs.html#gard_ts) on the Colorado State website and in particular a good list of Colorado shrubs here (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07415.html) . There's a mountain shrubs article on that first link. Each one describes the size, leaves and flowers.

I'm thinking maybe one of the privets, which will flower ONLY if it is NOT sheared?

[Jeff]

Hmm, if you break off one of those leaves is the sap milky white and very sticky?

No. Break the stem, break a leaf stem, nothing. The very sweet scent however is pervasive, from just those two little clumps of flowers in a glass of water on a table three feet away. I have known that smell dammit! But that was likely from 50 years ago. Crazy being driven am I.

- Jeff

50 years ago in Minnesota...

[Judy G. Russell]

No. Break the stem, break a leaf stem, nothing. The very sweet scent however is pervasive, from just those two little clumps of flowers in a glass of water on a table three feet away. I have known that smell dammit! But that was likely from 50 years ago. Crazy being driven am I.Okay, stop and think here. It has been suggested that this may be a type of lilac. Is that possible? The fact that you now say you DO know the smell may override my initial reaction that you'd certainly recognize a lilac. There are white lilacs.

[earler]

Seringa grows in europe, at least in france. We had a month of the lovely blooms with their wonderful scent in may and early june.

Though perhaps originally in south africa why wouldn't it grow in any temperate climate? Coffee originated in ethiopia but sure as hell grows in latin america and now even in vietnam.

[Jeff]

Okay, stop and think here. It has been suggested that this may be a type of lilac. Is that possible? The fact that you now say you DO know the smell may override my initial reaction that you'd certainly recognize a lilac. There are white lilacs.

This is not a lilac of a hedge, bush, flower size, or color that I've ever seen. However, after yesterday's senior moment passed I remembered that I spent about ten years in Colorado about 40 years ago. Smell has a very long memory, and I remember this scent. But I don't remember this flower. I've just put out a kind of APB for any still flowering lilacs around here, and then will come the sniff test.

- Jeff

[Judy G. Russell]

This is not a lilac of a hedge, bush, flower size, or color that I've ever seen.There absolutely are pale white lilacs and their smell is heavenly. But that wouldn't explain why this bush has never bloomed before.

[Jeff]

There absolutely are pale white lilacs and their smell is heavenly. But that wouldn't explain why this bush has never bloomed before.

I may have an answer for that. Apparently on a ten year, jet stream inspired, cycle there are cool and very wet springs hereabouts. I've lived here for five. Maybe the hedge is that finicky. This, on Wikipedia under "Privet", is as close as I've found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ligustrum_ovalifolium.jpg The individual flowers are of the size, but the clumps are way too large and way too many. Meanwhile the sniff test may be out, as are also all of the "real" lilac flowers around here; their season is over. So for now I'm left with a large, trimmed, possibly invasive, and poisonous, plant in my front yard with stunted flowers with a nice sweet scent which won't bloom for another ten years. Somehow I wish I didn't know that.

- Jeff

[Judy G. Russell]

Somehow I wish I didn't know that.There's a lot I wish I didn't know. But I suspect this wouldn't be quite at the top of my list...

[sidney]

This, on Wikipedia under "Privet", is as close as I've found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ligustrum_ovalifolium.jpg The individual flowers are of the size, but the clumps are way too large and way too many.

Privet does sound likely. In some places, including some where I have lived, they are what is most commonly used for hedges, and I do recall that they flower only infrequently. I don't recall what the flowers smell like, though.

Here is a large clear picture (http://image10.webshots.com/11/9/90/58/144499058bnuMIH_fs.jpg) of a flowering fragrant privet. I notice the distinctive stamens in this picture. I can't tell from yours if the flowers don't have them or if the pictures don't have the clarity to show them. What do you think, does this picture match?

The pictures I found in a Google search (http://images.google.com/images?q=privet+flowers) tend to show large and many clumps, but that mau be just what people tend to shoot. I recall that more often you don't get that good flowering, so that doesn't rule out your bush being a privet.

[Judy G. Russell]

Here is a large clear picture (http://image10.webshots.com/11/9/90/58/144499058bnuMIH_fs.jpg) of a flowering fragrant privet. I notice the distinctive stamens in this picture. I can't tell from yours if the flowers don't have them or if the pictures don't have the clarity to show them. What do you think, does this picture match?Note that you have to go to that link, get a Forbidden 403 message and then (in Firefox at least) click on the image name (the JPG part) in the location bar before the image will appear.

[sidney]

Note that you have to go to that link, get a Forbidden 403 message and then (in Firefox at least) click on the image name (the JPG part) in the location bar before the image will appear.

Whoops ... It looks like it allows a link from Google Image, where I found it, or if you just enter the URL in the addess bar of the browser, but it has protection against being linked to from other sites.

I was able to see it from the 403 Forbidden page just now by clicking in the URL address bar and typing the Enter key to reload it that way.

[Jeff]

Privet does sound likely. In some places, including some where I have lived, they are what is most commonly used for hedges, and I do recall that they flower only infrequently. I don't recall what the flowers smell like, though.

Here is a large clear picture (http://image10.webshots.com/11/9/90/58/144499058bnuMIH_fs.jpg) of a flowering fragrant privet. I notice the distinctive stamens in this picture. I can't tell from yours if the flowers don't have them or if the pictures don't have the clarity to show them. What do you think, does this picture match?

When the 403 from that appears a refresh works to open it. Close, but mine were stunted bunches and the stamens were down in the flowers and yellow, and no off-green leaves. There were also very few bunches, as though the plant wasn't sure what it was doing. Something keeps at me that its heavy sweet scent is "lilac", which is in serious conflict with the plant itself which certainly is not a lilac. Ok, I have a shy privet hedge.

- Jeff

Men are known to recognize about five different colors, and I suspect about the same number of scents. My "lilac" likely encompasses many.

[Lindsey]

I'm thinking maybe one of the privets, which will flower ONLY if it is NOT sheared?

Yeah, I'm thinking privet, too. Picture here (http://www.zelenhoz.com/n/1/ligustrum_vulgare.jpg) of wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare) that looks a lot like Jeff's except that the leaves are lighter green; article on privet in general here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privet).

[Jeff]

Yeah, I'm thinking privet, too. Picture here (http://www.zelenhoz.com/n/1/ligustrum_vulgare.jpg) of wild privet (Ligustrum vulgare) that looks a lot like Jeff's except that the leaves are lighter green; article on privet in general here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privet).

Hot dam! That is the flower, and that is pretty much the shade of green of the leaves in real life sunlight, although maybe mine are just a tad darker. Older? A wild privet..? The tame ones have the much larger flower bunch? No flowers before because I've never watered it, and it's living in a climate more common in cactus and sagebrush. This spring was a once in a decade cool and very wet, so I got flowers. Maybe again in another decade? Thankee, thankee. Mystery solved.

- Jeff

[Judy G. Russell]

Hot dam! That is the flower... Mystery solved.Glad you finally have your answer, Jeff!

[Lindsey]

Hot dam! That is the flower, and that is pretty much the shade of green of the leaves in real life sunlight, although maybe mine are just a tad darker. Older?

Or, it could just be that the way the sun was hitting the leaves in that picture, it made them look lighter than they normally would.

A wild privet..? The tame ones have the much larger flower bunch?

"Wild privet" was the name on the web site where I found that picture. I'm not a Latin scholar, but the Latin name would suggest to me something closer to "common privet". Not a cultivar with a sophisticated pedigree, in other words. :p And yeah, some of the other varieties may well have been bred to give larger bunches of flowers.

No flowers before because I've never watered it, and it's living in a climate more common in cactus and sagebrush.

Maybe; Judy said something about it only blooming when it is NOT trimmed. Do you normally trim it and didn't this past year, or maybe trimmed it at a different time of year? Early-blooming shrubs (azaleas, for example) often bloom on "old wood", so if they're trimmed in late summer or fall, after the buds have set, you may not get blooms. Most later-blooming shrubs, like crepe myrtles, on the other hand, bloom on "new wood," the current year's growth, so it's best to prune them while they're dormant, late winter or early spring, and then encourage growth with water and fertilizer when they break dormancy.

Maybe it was some combination of pruning (or lack thereof) and extra water?

Glad the group effort got it figured out what it was you had!