I live in Zone 6 (Grand Rapids,MI. Can anyone tell me if there is anyway to grow these flowers in this area? Indoors, outdoors? for a certain time? Thanks!
Growing of Jasmine or gardenias
Hi there dwendt!! Hopefully JB will pop in here and give you some guidance!! We have a few DGers very adept and growing these plants but JB's up in PA and might help you a tad more...actually Joe (joegee) is in zone 6 too. He also does well with them. I'll post over on another thread to steer them over this-a-way. I don't do well with potted gardenias...that's more JB's specialty. The ones that are hardy here in 7A IN the ground (that I have) are: Frostproof, Shooting Star, and Chuck Hayes....they say Kleim's Hardy is too but I've had no luck with that one. The first 3 I mentioned have been in the ground for me from 2-4 years and are doing fine. These blooms are the singles but the scent is just as amazing. Now as for jasmines - I find them to be very easy ones to over winter indoors. Long as they're getting some light...the inside temp doesn't get overly cold - my exp. is they do just fine. May not bloom at all - or just a few - until they're back outside but they're easy troopers to haul inside and take care of.
Good luck!!
I am here but not for long, busy time of day on the farm.
Hi Dwendt, I am far from an expert, I propagate gardenias and jasmine but my failures are much greater than my successes. My specialty is the Jasmine Sambac, Maid of Orleans when it comes to consistancy in propagating jasmine. As for gardenias, I can grow a wonderful gardenia called Aimee which is one of many cultivars in the Jasminoides family. I only grow it from cuttings and it stays outside in full sun from April until late September, depending on our stupid weather these days. It comes in for the winter months. If you look it up on DavesGarden it will give you more information and if you are still unsure get back on and ask anything specific may want to know. Both of these plants are tropicals and can be grown in containers but they get very big and must be brought in during frost and snow months. Hope this helps. JB
Hi dwendt, and thanks Chantall for directing me here. :)
I easily grow jasminum x stephanense outdoors here (I purchased mine from Lazy S Farms, http://www.lazyssfarm.com/ , which has an outstandingly hardy clone.) Stephan's jasmine has dainty pink blooms and yellow-green foliage with a very sweet true jasmine fragrance to the newly-opened flowers. It is sited next to a porch foundation on the east side of the house. It is evergreen down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
I have attempted growing Kleim's Hardy gardenia outside here in a cold frame sheltered from west and north winds in front of a basement window. I can say that had I allowed the roots to grow undisturbed it would have grown new shoots the following spring. Hardiest gardenia varieties include Chuck Hayes, Kleim's Hardy, Frostproof, and August Beauty in that order. Chuck Hayes (a nice double) is supposedly hardy to zone 6b, although I would give it preferential siting on the south side of a house next to a foundation, and mulch it (Chuck is on my short list of plants to try outdoors here.)
Other "jasmines" that can grow here include Carolina jessamine "Margarita" and winter jasmine (jasminum nudiflorum.) You might be able to try jasminum officianale "Fiona Sunrise", Confederate jasmine (trachelospermum jasminoides), or even one of the hardier tea olives (osmanthus heterophylla "Goshiki"), always giving them preferential siting and mulching heavily over winter.
ANY plant that is hardy to zone 8 that can go dormant for the winter and can be potted can easily overwinter in an attached garage, that includes the list of gardenias I gave you. :) I have found that I only need to bring in my potted Kleim's hardy and Confederate jasmine once temps stay below freezing during the day. They only dwell inside from mid December through February, and they come back out in late March. My Confederate jasmine rewarded me this year for allowing it to get frost nipped by a very heavy flush of blooming during June that filled my entire patio with fragrance. :)
-Joe
To: jogee, jberger, Chantell, Hi Joe! Thanks so much for giving me so much information!! I must thank all of you!
From jogee, and jberger it sounds like I could try growing gardenias and/or jasmine. You've got to realize I am a real 1st grade student--so the plethora of varieties you gave me was a bit of a headspin. (don't know which one to pick.
Here's my house situation. Our living room is solid glass windows (floor to ceiling on northeast corner to west. None of it gets direct sun except for about 3-4 hours a day. In the winter somewhat less. But there is always light.
I can't remember a winter in 30 years where the temp has gone below -10 degrees Fahrenheit. I do have room in the garage for a large plant. Liquids don't freeze in there. Is that OK for gardenias to stay OK? Summer seems to be no problem. Do they like total direct sun or partial sun?
Finally...could the three of you recommend just one hardy gardenia and jasmine to try out??? :-) Put it another way--"What would you buy if it were your first purchase of such plants. I have a love affair with fragrant flowers and I don't think anything could do much better than a gardenia or jasmine.
You guys are awesome!!!
I only hope that I can know as much as you do someday.
All the best,
Doug
Ahhh Doug they ARE a great bunch and I'm very happy they came on over to share with you. Personally I find the fragrance of the jasmines that are potted to be much stronger then the ones that I can grow in the ground here. That being said though - my Confederate jasmine doesn't bloom much for me...hmmm now that I think about it...I should figure out what the issue is, eh? LOL I like the Maid of Orleans for scent and ease...she's just an easy nonfussy baby to enjoy!! I absolutely adore 'Lakeview' Orange Jasmine - maybe even more so for scent and she's an easy one as well...just a tad more challenging to find. You will notice that your jasmines will bloom a few times for you where the Gardenias (at least for me) seem to just have one long flush.
Speaking of which - Gardenias - my oldest and best bloomer is the 'Shooting Star' but I'm not sure how hardy she is...obviously she does fine in 7A...
And believe me...if I can keep em alive anyone can...let us know what you decide. I'm sure Joe and JB will give you their opinions as well
Der Chantell
Do I undsewrtnd right that if I potted a Confederate Jasmine...mmmm.. now that I think about it, maybe it would do better here.
Would I plant these (tubers?) say in a 12" pot, put them outside in our hot weather, and then in winter, what do they need as far as light is concerned? My garage has two windows opposite the wall of the house itself. Only in the coldest of temperatures can liquids freeze, but they would get some sun.
If light were not so important I could place them on the other side of the garage where they would get heat from the house and stay considerable warmer.
On the other hand I could bring them into our licving room where they would get tons of indirect light.---and much more heat; more than in the garage. Is it the light they need or lack of freezing (or both?) I'm with you, I can't resist the fragrance of these plants, jasmine and gardenias. Are the above growing instructions applicable to both?
I'd be in heaven if I could several of them to be blooming most of the year.
Thanks again! I've got quite a few questions here :-)
I would recommend starting out with Stephan's jasmine in the ground (like I said, Lazy S Farms.) Chantall, I let my potted confederate jasmine and my poet's jasmine sit out in the cold for the first hard freeze (25 Fahrenheit or so.) If it's in the ground where you live, maybe consider protecting it less? :)
On my list to try outside all year are jasminum officionale "Fiona Sunrise", which is a yellow-leafed poet's jasmine reputedly hardy to zone 6. Also on my list is gardenia jasminoides "Chuck Hayes" a zone 6b gardenia. :)
-Joe
Oooh other things you might try include any of the Ackerman camellias. I just found this page:
http://camellia-ics.org/_ics/ackerm1.htm
:)))
Great link, Joe...but my brain is tired...you figure out which smells the bestest and let us know...ok? Chuck Hayes eh? Mine's still not that big but I think we spoke about this many moons ago...I'm happy to send a cutting or 2....probably couldn't do better then that right now...course I can't see him because the four o'clocks kinda sorta reseeded...A LOT in that area...LOL. And I have a Stephens in the ground...some place I just don't remember there being any great fragrance. Are you saying your's does? And the confederate is planted where it's always been but the huge bush it's beside has grown as well...maybe he's not getting the sunlight he needs to bloom....hmmmm you've make me think now... ^_^
Doug - scent is subjective...you learn that "here" if nothing else...and a male's perception of fragrance is different then female's...so what I may think is the Holy Grail you might get and think I've lost my mind. Maybe get Joe's male opinion to back or disagree with mine (ready to argue scent Joe?). I prefer the non-hardy Jasmines and I just bring them on inside...they do just fine. I put them where they get light...period...they're not fussy. My Maid of Orleans sits in my bathroom, truth be known. And that's with only a sm window facing North...so you can guess how much light she gets. It's been my exp. though that MOOs don't like as much light as some of the others. They will and do burn up if put in direct sunlight. My orange jasmine sits in my Liv Rm right beside a south facing window and as long as I remember to water her every now and then (have to be careful not to over water unless you like your house hot) she'll bloom periodically for me even during the winter. As for the Gardenias - as I've said - if it's in a pot - it dies in my care...period. I can only do the ones that are in the ground. JB and Joe do much better with many tropicals indoors then I.
Chantell...only have time to say something brief right now--I would believe that the scent of skunks is equally universally repugnant to both male and female OF ALL SPECIES :-) not too much subjectivity there! LOL
HI, just stumbled on this thread. I have a Gardenia that I have had in a pot for about 7 years. I don't know what variety it is. It outgrew the pot that it was in and I moved it to a larger pot this spring. I overwinter it in my living room, which is in the middle of my house with NO windows, so it only gets a very indirect light coming from the dining room on the other side. This spring it surprized me with about 20 blooms while still in the house. I put it out in May under the awning by my pool, where it still gets indirect light. It bloomed a couple of times there and now just has terrifice foilage on it. I've always kept it in the shade, never have put it out in full sun. Have never tried putting one in the ground here in 7a.
Hello Crit, Welcome to this quiet little group. I am always happy to hear from other Gardenia lovers. I am amazed how many different varieties there are of gardenias and the fact that they all seem to like a different location. I have the Gardenia Jasminoides that I think are about the easiest to grow. Some of them like direct sunlight for hours and others only morning sun....makes me crazy trying to decide who goes where. LOL
If you decide you would like to enjoy a G. Jasminoide Aimee, I have starter plants and sell them in the MarketPlace here on DG. They are small but fast growers and they love sunshine and water. I had wanted to propagate several other species this summer and spring, but the weather was so much hotter and drying than normal that I did not want to take the change. I am hoping maybe I can do it over the winter. Which is not the best time to do it, but with some luck and the GH I may be able to at least get some to root. What can I loose..except a few cuttings. LOL
Your plant sounds very happy and if it is blooming and the foilage is good, you have the touch. Why not try and propagage it? You really should ID it first if you decide to do that.
Top Tropicals.com have so many gardenias with pictures, etc. you may be able to ID it there. Keep in touch. JB
Hello Sherman and Welcome, if you have one or 101 you are hooked I am sure. What kind of Jasmine and Gardenia do you have, or were they not marked when you purchased them. That is my worst nightmare, when I get a plant home and there is no identification.
If you have pictures please feel free to show us. I don't know how many I have today but my favorite is my Aimee, which is a Gardenia Jasminoide. I will show you pictures when I have time. I am tied up just now, so feel free to chat away and I will be back as soon as I can. JB
THANKS JB!
I think i have a star jasmine, but not sure, will go look to see if the tag survived the sun. the gardenia is the one that ends in wrightii i think. out to look at that tag also. as soon as i figure out how to get the pics from my phone to my comp i will post. (should have used a camera i can work that)
Star Jasmine are beautiful. I have a couple , in fact I have one that is called Royal and I questioned if was misidentified because it looks just like the Star. If you want to look it up, you can go to the information section of DG and it will tell you all you want to know about it.
Really great information on this list if you know how to use it.
Have a good day. JB
This is a picture of a jasmine i got last Sept. from Logee's. It has taken it a year to bloom and I was so surprised to see this in the greenhouse yesterday, just a year and a day since I received it. I just had to share it with some of you.
It is Radermachera Kunning "Dwarf Tree"-jasmine.
Sorry it is dark, but I took it with my cell phone and it was dusk when I checked the GH and found it.
I was afraid they would die if I did not get a picture immediately. LOL. Enjoy. I have not had a chance to see what kind of a fragrance it has. Will do that in a few days. I am a bit under the weather today.
Speaking of weather, it is finally Raining in Burlington County, NJ. LOL
Looks like you are having the kind of weather we had all summer. I was a mess. Our fields of Christmas Trees are showing signs of stress, baby trees are dying. We irrigate and still everything is a mess. Now it is here and hopefully will save what baby trees we have left. We must have lost 1/4 of the last Planting and that is alot of trees to loose for one season. It takes 5 years before you get your money back on these babies and at this rate we have a problem. Oh well. We are not alone.
There is a big storm in the South and coming up this way, Tornado warnings already in Maryland as we speak. I am too old for these constant changes. LOL I will try and send it your way, but I have a feeling that will not work. Where is Meifee? My son graduated from USC .
That's terrible. I know we had an exceptionally dry summer here. It even affected my weed trees, my mimosa and my empress tree. The mimosa was shedding leaflets in August and the empress tried to bloom the first week in September. :/
-Joe
I will look it up and see if there is such an animal. LOLJB
Foound it at Top Tropicals. It is a Jasminoide Gardenia Veitchii and then there is a Veitchii Supreme. If you want to read about it to to http://toptropicals.com and look up gardenia Jasminoides. Here is the link but I am not sure it will work for you here.
http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/shrubs/gardenia.htm
If that does not work. copy it and past it to your computer and see if you can open it that way It is the lasst one listed. A beautiful flower and the yellowish center is really neat. It is to bloom two or three times a year....you read about it and then we can discuss any questions you might have. JB
Here is a picture of the .Jasmine Nitidum Star, also known as Royal Jasmine. Depends where you get it. That is what I have been told. I bought one from Logee's and another from another place (can not remember where) and they are identical except the name. One calls it a Star other Royal both Jasminum nitidum .....nothing is easy. LOL
Sherman, Gardenia var. Veitchii is real.
It should do fine for you in 9a. I know you get such hot afternoon and evening sun. Hopefully you've got a location where you can get a few hours of direct sunlight, indirect sunlight, or filtered sunlight. If you haven't planted her yet you might want to consider ameliorating your local soil (or removing enough hard pan to make an area of healthier soil) and making a mixture of something like water crystals (http://www.watercrystals.com/), top soil, sand, compost, and peat moss. A cup or so of the water crystals (or the manufacturer's recommendation) mixed in with one part peat moss, one part compost, one part sand, and three parts top soil. *
If you've already stuck her in the ground she'll love acid soil. Either miracid once a month, or coffee grounds once a month around her base will help her. Cover her with an old blanket if you get the occasional winter night at or below freezing.
:)
-Joe
* A master gardener might have better recommendations than me, or maybe a correction to my proportions.
I have jasminum nitidum too. She's in a five gallon pot. She's about three feet wide and three feet high. She gets covered in white, inch wide starry blooms in the summer. She resists aphids and spider mites.
-Joe
Great information Joe, thanks so much for sharing. How is your weather today?
We are under a tornado watch until six p.m. and it is so humid and dreary today. Some rain but not as much as Tenn. God. the Grand Ole Opera was flooded.
Take care everyone. I need to do some things before the winds come. JB
It's in the mid 50's, rainy, and dreary today here. I'm either going to have to bring in or cover my sensitive tropicals this weekend, I think. Looks like it may be cold enough to frost in some places.
-Joe
This is a quote a found that explained how I have two identical plants with two different names. J. Nitidum
f you look closely at Logee's site, you'll note that "Royal Jasmine" is in double quotes in their listing, not single quotes. This indicates it's a common name not a cultivar name http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1383-4 . TT's site clearly lists star jasmine as being a common name not a cultivar (and they also list royal jasmine as another common name) http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi So it sounds to me like you just have two plants that are the straight species J. nitidum, you just bought it from places that used two different common names for it.
This was also on Fragrant Gardening forum I had asked about this when I realized it happened to me. I had never known the double quotes are common names and single quotes are cultivars. Everyday I learn something new. That is why I love this site. Sometimes I really feel stupid, but you gotta love me for trying. LOL JB
oh dear, they look nothing alike. one is a climber, with rounded dull leaves, one is bushy with sort of pointy ended glossy leaves. one has little tiny flowers that smell wonderful, the other one has not flowered yet but the picture shows a rose-like white flower. I do not know the difference between a cultivar and a straight species. and, i have noticed, on plants that i recognize, that tags can get switched.
i bought both of these because the man said they bloomed a lot and smelled good.