Golden Ray is an older Jungle Jack variety that was almost purged from the La Vie Dansante collection until it finally decided to perform in 2014. This plant has the honor of being the only plant that was actually “lost” and forgotten in our collection. Purchased in 2007, it was planted in the ground and promptly decided it hated it there. So we replanted it in a pot and shuffled the pot around the yard for a few years trying to find a place that it liked. All it did was blacktip and complain. With all the moving around, it was missed when I did an inventory in 2011, and since it never bloomed, I forgot that I had it. I “found” it in 2013 and moved it to yet another area of the yard. By 2014 it was pumping out gorgeous, huge, heavily scented blooms and redeemed itself. This is a very, very finicky, frustrating variety. The growth habit leaves a lot to be desired, it’s lanky and leggy, but we’ll see how it performs in the next few years and then determine if it stays or goes.







