Night blooming Jasmine with no fragrance?

Hi, I have a Cestrum nocturnum that has begun blooming, but has no fragrance. :-(
Have any of you had this experience? Is there an "un-odorous" (if that's even a word) type that you have heard of? It's quite disappointing! :-((
Thanks

First thing would be to check that it's actually Cestrum nocturnum--there are plenty of unscented Cestrums out there (and plenty of other plants that it could have been mislabeled as) so that would be the first thing I'd check. The fragrance is also much stronger in the evening so if you were trying to smell it during the middle of the day that could be why you didn't notice much. I think it's also more noticeable if you're a little way away from the plant vs your nose stuck right in the flowers. Or if there are only a couple of flowers the scent may not really be noticeable. And finally, if you're sure it's ID'd correctly, there are lots of flowers, and you're evaluating it in the evening; some people are not able to smell certain fragrance notes, so it's possible that you're not able to smell this particular fragrance. I don't know if the primary fragrance note(s) in this one are common for people not to be able to smell or not.

Thanks ecrane…This is a cutting from my BIL…So my 1st step will be to make sure that his is actually a fragrant Cestrum…. I've got 2 pics that I took this afternoon….Is it truly a C. nocturnum….I will be getting more info from my BIL in the next couple of days….Thanks!

Those blooms certainly look like like NBJ but I'll let the others give their thoughts. Certainly agree with Liz's other points. Once these are covered with blooms it's really difficult to miss that amazing scent...but it does need to be dusk or later....one of my absolute favorite fragrances!!!

I agree, looks like you have the right plant. It looks like it's still quite small though and only a few flowers so that may be why you don't notice it yet (assuming you've been trying to smell it in the evening not the middle of the day). If it gets bigger and gets a lot of flowers going at once and you don't notice anything in the evening then I'll go with the theory that you're not able to smell that particular fragrance. But I think chances are you just need to let it grow a bit more.

If it makes you feel better, if you read the comments in Plant Files there are several other people that complain about not being able to smell it, so some combination of the factors mentioned has come into play for other people before, you're not alone!

Thanks to both of you…I'll keep all of that in mind.

I don't know what the problem is, but mine haven't smelled this year. They die and come back from the original plant each year. They're big and have had blooms, but no fragrance to speak of. Usually my entire yard is just full of it ... Any thoughts?

Very strange...can't say I've ever had that happen. Although mine has yet to have any blooms on it this year. Last year and this time I'd already been enjoying the scent. Wondering if that had to do with my fall pruning of it last year. Anyone know if buds are set on new growth?

They bloom late enough in the year I think they must bloom on new growth. All my other Cestrum's definitely bloom on new wood (although they are all much more floriferous than this one is--which is too bad because they're not fragrant!)

Time to kick my own behind...sheesh

This message was edited Aug 8, 2012 1:25 PM

Well at last ...

sniff sniff
my NBJ is blooming!!!
Yea!!

So jealous....I simply LOVE that scent. Although I will say I snagged some awesome size tuberose clusters from an ebal seller and despite planting really late - I have THREE bloom stalks....waaawhoooo

I'd just be happy if mine would start blooming again .I threaded them on my fence ,out of pots two years ago and no blooms now .

i planted a lily of the night about 9 inches high it is now about 24 inches high one or two evenings while it was growing up, there were heavenly whifs of that unreal fragrance, but then no more the plant is in good health, and i have been looking after it
can you say what is wrong with me what else can I do thank you houston texas

I used to have a few night blooming jasmines in my garden but here in Brazil they get too out of control (10 feet tall) for my liking. From my experience, and like a lot of people mentioned before, I could only detect their smell when they were in full bloom and after it got dark outside. During mid day I couldn't sense any smell even if I got really close to the flowers.

I also notice the weather made a huge difference - when it was humid and breezy I could smell them from across the garden. When it got really dry I could barely tell it was there.

Well, at last ... mine decided to bloom this year! They died completely back due to last year's cold, and now it's October and they're blooming!
☺

I'm still waiting .