That's a very nice looking tree, at least the part showing. When I open the pic in a new window, it's upright. Not your fault, this happens with some pics on here, nobody knows why. Would you be able to add a pic of the whole thing? It's hard to get a sense of its' health from this one shot, though I don't see anything wrong. If the new growth is lighter and not perky-looking, probably needs more light. Even the healthiest Drac tree must lose the oldest leaves at some point. It's part of the process of growing taller and creating a woody trunk, very similar to how a palm tree grows. There's no such thing as a really tall D. marginata with leaves all the way to the soil level, so finding a leaf going yellow periodically is not cause for alarm. From what you said, this is concerning, "a similar mix of Black Gold soil and sand." The pic shows what I would expect this to look like, kind of muddy and all tiny particles. The tiny particles fit so closely together that there's no air spaces between them. Roots need oxygen and moisture at the same time to function. A soil mix that's much more chunky, porous, airy, would be much better for your tree, or any plant in a pot. I think I see a drip saucer under the pot? Pot looks really heavy. I would probably not want to move it to water each time. If you don't either, a turkey baster can help remove excess water from the drip tray. Leaving it there can cause the roots to rot. At this point, I would let it dry thoroughly before adding more water. Are you able to put your finger in the drain hole if you tilt the pot? If so, as long as it feels moist in there, I'd not add more water.

I mistakenly planted honeysuckle my first year of gardening - it has spread to the point of killing out other plants, even monster shrubs, in the garden. Lucky for me it's in an area that I don't grow many plants in, but it DOES stop me from gardening in that area ever again until the day comes that I'm willing to drop enough Roundup in that area to kill out all of that honeysuckle which will also kill my mature shrubs I planted. I'm running out of space unless I want to clear some trees, so I've been eyeballing that area. I'm not willing to sacrifice my mature shrubs that took SOOOO long to get big. As to the other fragrant plants. Roses have a different kind of fragrance. You don't really smell them till your nose gets in the bloom, unless you are growing bunches and bunches. But even with lots of roses in a small area, the fragrance of something like sweet almond verbena will totally overwhelm it. Not in a bad way, but you'll smell the sweet almond verbena and forget about the trace of rose smell in the air. I've got it in my rose garden. As recently as a year ago I would have said that there is no such thing as too much fragrance in the garden. BUT Last fall when all of my sweet olives bloomed (I have tons of these- maybe 50? 60?) it was finally too much. I love the smell of apricots, but it was overwhelming. I have so many banana shrubs that they will probably end up doing the same thing one day! Night blooming jasmine will overwhelm anyone. I've actually moved one of these off of my porch because I felt sorry for my dogs!

I had a large palo verde tree removed a couple of years ago. Not sorry either, every spring there were dozens of seedlings to pull up, not to mention getting stuck. I planted a beautiful Emperor Green palo verde tree in it's place. This tree is perfect, no seedlings or thorns, incredible blooms, wish I had planted some of them years ago, since I'm relocating soon. Oh well..

Both: Since it is late in the evening or in the wee hours of the morning, I'll make this somewhat short. 1. Even though it is no longer in print and a few years old, "The Fragrant Year" by Helen Van Pelt Wilson and Leonie Bell is one of the treasured gems in my personal library. Your public library should have this book on the shelf or they can obtain it for you through the inter-library loan system. If you wish to add it to your own library, you can look for good to excellent copies at either of the two sources below. http://www.abe.com or http://www.alibris.com 2. A second method of approach is to search the Plant Finder section of the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the wonderful Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. I've listed their main search site way below and have given you a few links to show you can find at this wonderful tool. One of the late fall editions to my gardens has been Phlox paniculata 'Mount Fuji' Here's the direct link at the MBG Plant Finder http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=E600 Here's another plant that I will be adding this fall or next spring, depending upon its availability from a local rural garden center. Geranium sanguineum 'Album' http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=C880 In reading this plant's description, you note that the leaves are fragrant and that they exhibit a nice fall color as well. It is an excellent searching tool to find the plants you wish to add to your garden. I do hope that you'll make use of it from time to time. 3. Of course, as noted above by several folks, "fragrance" is dependent upon a considerable range of factors. One early summer, all of my old-fashioned roses came into bloom within several weeks of each other and because of the climate, weather conditions, etc., the whole garden - I was then living in Peoria - smelled like a wonderful perfume factory in bloom. At other times, one had to draw close to smell the same roses. 4. If you live in northern Illinois - around the Chicago area, you have the chance of visiting the Chicago Botanic Gardens; the Morton Arboretum and its wonderful Sterling Morton Library, and if you don't mind the drive, the Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners, WI - just SW of Milwaukee. Hope this short note is useful in your endeavors. Bill Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden - PlantFinder - Search