Brown edges on gardenia blooms

Doesn't she have the most simple yet beautiful blooms?

She is outstanding. Great work lady. I am so proud of you. LOL....what a beautiful big girl she is. I bet the aroma coming from her is mind boggling. I would just stand there and sniff. Wow I think I can smell her..............................yes, I am sure I can.

Ahhh thank you JB - nothing like asking for praise eh?

JBerger-the have to be grafted here or they'll die if in the ground.
Here's a gardenia I'm watching at the gardens. It might be a G. spathulifolia but I'm not sure on that.

another fragrant flower: Henna. Mine in a pot seems to flower only in the fall. This is in the fragrance garden at Selby Gardens.

Love the scen. Of henna!!!

I don't think I have ever smelled Henna. It looks very interesting. I wish I lived a wee bit farther South so I could put some of my things outside. My tropicals are doing so well, but I am out of space and need to do something soon.

Soils- I want to tell you how VERY JEALOUS I am of your gardenia buds! I'm thrilled if my tree gets a dozen buds on it, and they don't drop off before blooming. I'm in 7b so my gardenia is in a pot that is inside during the winter *and a little ignored* then outside for the spring/summer/fall. I kept it in the house this spring until it was finished blooming, then moved it out under the awning by the pool. It gets diffused light, with a tiny bit of morning sun. The beginning of July it set on 'one' little flower.....lol....which is unusual because it usually only blooms once in the spring. I have searched high and low for a gardenia candle, scentsy, etc., anything that would mimic the gardenia. Some are close, but not like the real thing.
This spring I discovered tuberoses. Much to my thrill when they sent up their stalks and bloomed, they smell like...... what else.....GARDENIA's. Their scent is the strongest at night and it just drifts in the air.
I have enjoyed reading all your posts, and hope to see you all around the forums as I perouse and carouse around. :-))

Hello! I came across this thread after doing some perusing about my new gardenia. I scored a little braided tree for $5 at a produce stand over the weekend. I have killed 2 gardenias in the past, I am hoping this time, with all your helpful hints, I can keep this one alive. I do have a question though. I noticed you guys talking about fish emulsion. Can someone tell me what this is exactly, and what it does for the gardenias? Is this something you buy or do you have to emulsify the fish yourself? lol Thank you, and I apologize for my extremely novice question.

No one can beat my 'extremely novice' questions of the past J...seriously. And I'll be the first to tell you that I can not for the life of me over winter the typical 'August Beauty' Gardenias that are sold at every big box store whether hardy to your area or not. I did manage to keep a 'Frostproof' and a 'Mystery' gardenia alive in pots (barely) over the winter. I have a much better record with the Gardenias IN the ground that are hardy here in 7A sans 'Kleims Hardy.' I only tell you this in case the one you have is one of the more difficult ones...please don't give up. Fish Emulsion is bottled gunk they sell at the feed stores/nurseries, big box stores etc. Our Lowes and Home Depot both carry it. Haven't found a plant that doesn't like it yet...LOL. Course if you have pets - well they kinda like it as well....ugh!!

Thanks for the reply! If other plants enjoy it as well, I will definitely have to get some. I'm not sure which type of gardenia I have, it didn't have any tags or stickers on it when I bought it. I've been trying to be very mindful of not overwatering, and then a huge rainstorm hit while I was at work. I'm hoping that because I planted it in cactus & palm soil that it will drain quickly and not upset the little Miss. :)

Here she is, before I mess her up too badly!

www.davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=9161232

Here's a link to the picture without all the wording. I don't have my photos at work.

Cantell, I am so glad to see you, I think of you so often. As you know, I have killed more gardenias than I can count and that includes the Aimees but Horseshoe sent me some Radicans and they are still doing well. My Aimees are good but this winter it was so difficult to keep the potted plants in the greenhouse happy. The temps were up and down constantly and nothing was working properly. The humidity level was low, several plants got yellow leaves, I put the shade cloth on very early because I thought they were getting too much sun. Crazy. I am so glad to see you.

Jaime, I am not one to use fish emulsion frequently because it stinks up my house as well as the greenhouse. When I use it in the greenhouse the barn cats come a running thinking I am about to feed them. LOL I bought mine online and if you can stand to mix it and use it I too have not seen a plant that does not like it. Even the Christmas Cactus get some when I mix it.

Keep on enjoying your new plant and if I can help you in any way I will be glad to, but I must warn you, my way is not always the right way. Have a good day. JB

Howdy, Folks. Long time, no see.

jaime, your braided gardenia looks great to me! It looks like there is a blue tag on the trunk of it, does it have a name printed on it? Just curious.

I assume you have drainage holes in your container. If so I wouldn't worry about it getting too wet, especially with the soil mix you used. Good thinking there!

Howdy Chantell and JB. Nice to see ya both again. JB, nice to see your Ebay store up and running; nice setup!

Shoe (off to putter)

Now Jaime, the heavy hitter has arrived. This man knows more about gardenias than all of us put together. Ask away Honey. He will be able to really give you good advice. Not that Chantell can not, but I know she and I have had problems with gardenias. We love those fragrant plants.

Oh Shoe, it is so nice to see you. I was going to send you a treemail regarding setting up one of the Lists on ATP. Wondered what your thoughts were on them. I could use a place for inventory and I was thinking of doing it there. Thanks for the nice comment about the eBay store. Business has picked up tremendously since I opened it. I am actually pleased with it and the price is right. It is cheaper than many of them and the free one I opened did not have much traffic yet....we will see.

I need to make room for more babies in the GH. LOL Hugs. JB

Ahhhh...it's feeling like a family reunion 'here!!'. Hey Shoe & JB!!! One of y'all should dmail me and let me know 'where' you're hanging out these days!! j - your tree is GORGEOUS!!! I'm sure you will do just fine - think positive!! The fact that it was only $5...sheesh, I'm jealous!! Any and all helpful hints from me re Gardenias originated from Shoe. Between Shoe, JB and should Kevin pop on in...well let's just say you've got the all star team right there. My beautiful 'Shooting Star' gardenia is easily 5' tall now...besides the Man upstairs - I owe the thanks to Shoe. My 'Chuck Hayes' is all in bloom now as well (I'll post pics when on my computer) & he's probably 3 -4' now!! My 'Frostproofs' are the babies of the pack and are about 3' tall...Mmmm gotta just bask in the fragrance!!!

WOW, what a welcome!! Thanks guys!! I must say, this is not the kind of reception I got from the rose folks. Note to self: must learn secret handshake.

Horseshoe, I got so excited when you asked about the blue tag but, alas, it is only the tape they used to secure the top of the braided trunk. Also, Chantell, I was perusing Logee's website last night looking for a birthday gift for my mom. I saw the Frostproof's they have, I may just have to add one to my cart before I checkout. ;) By the way, does anyone have a Logee's coupon code they don't intend on using? I googled and found a few but it seems like they are expired.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!!

Youll find a great bunch of folks here, J!!! No egos - just humble folks that enjoy our fragrant friends!! I think you're right in that most of the Logee coupons have exp already. Once your baby blooms you might get a better chance of getting an ID on it.

I had a big NOID gardenia that did so well for about 5 years, then all at once the leaves started falling off and it just up and died. Like it had a heart attack and CPR didn't work! I would bring it in for the winter as it is too cold here for it to stay outside. A friend of mine sent me a Frostproof Gardenia and it sat outside all last summer and all winter. I watered it during the summer as it was out in the sun, but then pretty much ignored it all winter except to peek at it once in a while. That little baby had showered me with blooms this year and is small enough I can put on my table next to my chair on the deck. It smells so heavenly. I am SOLD on this Frostproof baby.

yes, God love 'Frostproof' - it'll out last the winters and then bloom to it's heart's content come spring/summer

Mornin', Folks...
Taking a few minutes to just say howdy!

Gardenias are in full bloom here. ♫ I'm in heaven.... ♫ :>)

I've been picking a flower for my desk and of course one for the dashboard of the car, too! Much nicer than any "air freshener" you can buy!

Can you believe this is a gardenia? Simply called "Variegated Gardenia" it really offers some color even when not blooming, eh? One of my favorites.

Shoe (wishing Happy Fathers Day to all Dads out there)

OOOOOOOOOOOOH ...............................again it happened. I had written a long post and when I went to send it I lost it. completely lost it. now I am loosing it. Frustrated beyond belief. I am not sure if it is the arthritis in my little finger hitting the wrong button or is this DG site being crazy again. There have been complaints on other threads about it. In fact, as I type sometimes I can not see it until I type several words. Only happens on DG.

I was saying to Shoe, how lucky he was. My gardenias are a mess and have been since they were put outside. The sun is so hot, has been all winter. I think it burns the blooms before they have a chance to really mature. The cuttings are not showing any signs of being alive and all just stinks when it comes to them. The Rads are wonderful, They are in the greenhouse and growing like weeds. Shade cloth has been on the GH since February. Weather has been a real problem here. I had hoped Spring would be different, but the sun is hotter than ever. Never remember it being this hot.

Better go before I loose this one. Happy FAthers Day Shoe and have a great day. JB

Hello everyone! Does anyone have any great gardenia pics they want to share here? I am (im)patiently waiting for my little gardenia tree to finally bloom. :/ The branches have started to get longer (I love the topiary look and it has started to look unruly for such a little shape.) I bought it with several small buds on it, they have been growing and look to be healthy. Needless to say, I'm waiting with baited breath, like a kid on Christmas.

By the time I finally placed my order, a pot of 3 lithops and a split rock for my mom's birthday, and a Ponderosa lemon for me, they were out of the Frostproof gardenias. :( I am, however, pretty excited about the lemon. They say it is from a cutting off their tree from 1900 - this bit of history excites me for some reason. I read the DG reviews about them though, and am hoping for the best on the size of the plants I'll be getting. Fingers crossed.

Since we are on a Fragrant Gardening thread, I'm curious to know: how do you guys feel about the Bloomerang lilacs? My new house is fairly old and has some large trees and shrubs about. We moved in in January when everything was bare. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 2 HUGE bushes blocking the view from the driveway are lilacs. Before I knew, I was ready to tear them out, or else severely chop them back. My soon-to-be MIL was commenting about how she wanted take some cuttings. Fast forward a month, I run into 2 PW Bloomerang Lilacs at Sam's, marked down to $5 each. (I saw the same size growing at Home Depot for $35). I had no idea they were supposed to bloom all season when I bought them for her, and found out the Bloomerang introduction stirred up some controversy in the gardening world. Being Frangrant Gardeners, I was just curious how you guys felt about them. I have been babysitting them on my front porch until my MIL's siding is done and she wants me to plant them for her. They are also looking much better than when I got them, and one is getting ready to bloom on 3 branches.

I love this conversation, do you mind if I check back in periodically? I would love to hear more about what's going on in your gardens. You guys seem like a really fun group of people. :)

Jaime, what kind of gardenia tree do you have. Is it an Aimee? Or what? I missed that and I am too lazy to go back through all the thread to find it. Here is my gardenia tree. I have 5 of them. Two big ones and three little ones.
The biggest is now over 5 ft. tall and the little one is just about 5 ft. The babies are only about 2 ft. I raised them from cuttings. Of course everything is in containers. Sorry guys, Jaime has not seen this yet. You can close your eyes. But you can smell it for sure.
The first is a closeup of the top of the oldest tree.
The second pic is the smallest of my large trees.

I wish I can grow lilacs, but it is too warm here.

I don't have a gardenia tree, but have a gardenia "shrub" that I try to trim back down to 6 feet every year.

Thank you for sharing your pictures!! They are absolutely beautiful!! They are exactly what I needed to tide me over until mine bloomed. JB, it didn't have any tags when I bought it at a produce stand for $5. It finally bloomed today, twice, and to my very untrained eye they look different. It is a braided trunk tree. ?? Maybe you can help with the ID, I'd love to know what to call it.

First 2 pics are of 1, last 3 pics of the other. Any help is much appreciated!


This message was edited Jun 21, 2012 5:38 PM

What a beauty that is. Wow. I would love to know what it is? Why don't you go to TOP TROPICALS.COM and check your pictures with the ones of the Gardenia Jasminoides they have there and see if anything matches.
There are so many different ones that it may take awhile but you have the pictures there and they have so many pictures and descriptions it may help. Please let us know what you come up with. Maybe Shoe can help you. I feel it is a Jasminoide but which one, I have no clue. With only one eye to work with I am really no help. There must be a way to tell them. I hate when people do not mark their plants when they sell them, but for $5 who cares? LOL JB

Ahhh JM you're new flowers look beautiful - bet you're enjoying THAT fragrance!!!! I don't know enough about that lilac to make any comment. Maybe start it as a new thread and put a link 'here' in this thread. Here are 3 pics of my 'babies' - taken with cell phone so the pics not exactly stellar!! Chuck Hayes is first - Frostproof second - and my Shooting Star brings up the rear

What beauties Chantell. My baby jasmine (1 year old cuttings) are blooming in the GH in all this heat and so I think I will put them up on eBay today. I started with 105 cuttings and have only 13 to sell. The weather this winter in the greenhouse was so unsteady and impossible to keep humidity, etc at a good level, I lost so many cuttings. So, I am just starting over. Off to the GH, it is so hot already I can not stay in it very long without a break. I watered early today but had to come in and get some breakfast. Have a great day and smell those flowers.....ummmmmmmJB

Well just lost my message to you JB...ugh!! Thank you for your compliment...I'm pretty dang excited. Shooting star is still giving me some blooms here and there....she starts first and is the last one to finish. Course she's the biggest too. LOL Would you please stop by this thread http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1266650/ and see if you can share some of your wisdom with my friend Susan? She's a great gal...you'd like her!!

I too have the buds browning at the edge before opening. It’s planted directly in the ground, is on a drip system and gets mostly mid-day to afternoon sun. I think I’ll try increasing watering time. I will also spray with the Epsom Salts water. It does wonders for me! I’m actually sort of happy to see a bloom at all. This is it’s 2nd year here. It’s my favorite flower and these are the first blooms I’ve seen! It has been unseasonably warm here, but it’s far from being summer. I can’t wait until my husband retires and we move North to the area around Prescott, Arizona. I can plant a much larger garden but will have to start a new Gardenia. 😉