Calycanthus chinensis ‘Aphrodite’
I received this ‘Aphrodite’ sweetshrub as a tiny plant from Proven Winners a few years ago at a Garden Writers (GWA) meeting and this is its first flower! The bloom, very similar to ‘Hartlage Wine’, has a lightly sweet fragrance similar to honeydew melon. Don’t you just love it? I do!
Hortitopia 
Gorgeous! Mine has just bloomed, too!
I have a hybrid sweet shrub. It was beautiful this year. About four feet tall and had many large size blooms on it. I just love it. It has been planted for about 2-3 years
Bill–The plant seems very vigorous. I think it might outgrow it’s estimated size of 6-feet tall and wide. Time will tell!
Beautiful flower, no wonder you are so pleased!
Pauline–Yes, and I love that it has a touch of fragrance, as the other C. chinensis selections do not.
Lovely.
Beautiful colour. Definitely a winner!
Jessica–Yes! The blooms are about 3-inches across and are very eye-catching despite their dark color.
I do love it. Diane gave one to me and it bloomed this year too.
Linda
Linda–That Diane sure is a sweetie. Let her know I’m open to plant gifts too, lol.
It IS very beautiful! I remember seeing many of them flowering at the Toronto Fling and really enjoyed them. Congrats on the first bloom. 🙂
Beautiful!
I do love it, Marian!
It’s lovely. It’s very similar to one of mine caĺled Calycanthus x raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’.
Chloris, yes it is! The flower and foliage look exactly the same to me, but its flowers do seem to have a light scent and the mature size of the shrub is touted to be smaller at 6-feet tall and wide (but it’s already 4-foot tall and looks very vigorous to me!). Who knows…with a name like ‘Aphrodite’ it might be just a marketing ploy!
Marian, I have that same shrub, and it’s blooming for the first time, too. It’s beautiful!
It’s beautiful. Several of the gardens on our Chapel Hill Garden Tour this year had sweet shrubs and everyone flocked to them. Hope it continues to do well and stays in its promised size range for you.