Gardenia

I really dislike the scent of gardenia and can't wait for mine to die. I also dislike hawthorn scent so perhaps I've got a peculiar nose! Mrs H says I have anyway.

 

The smell, or perfume depending on your point of view is subjective. In a confined space they can be overpowering and musky but catching a casual drift on a breeze is wonderfull which is why I would love to grow one outside. Large bush in a container seems to be the way to go.

 

In the SE. I have looked after quite a few of these things. My experience is they require ericaceous compost, and don't like hard water for watering or misting, they don't like moving in the winter - the buds fall off, but they almost demand placing outdoors in the summer somewhere bright. The reason is that if left indoors they fall foul to scale, woolly aphid, and worst of all red spider mite which they survive but are seriously weakened by. Cant seem to get rid of the spider mite indoors but they clear off once the plants are outside.

 

Found one today for sale, I'm going to pot it on and keep it outside this winter, the label says its hardy to minus 10C so should be OK.
We shall see, the flowers appear to be single.

 

Looks good Pete. Keep us up to date on how it fares outside over winter

 

Will do.
Btw. how are yours doing frogesque?

 

I've repotted it and its really starting to get going now, bit concerned as its growing lots of flower buds and cant really see them coming out at this late time in the year.
But its going to stay outside, and see what happens

 

Just found this thread, I absolutely dislike the smell of Gardenia .. it is so heady it does your head in! Apparently Liz Taylor only wore Jungle Gardenia perfume ... horrors!

In saying that, in December I got a Carissa macrocarpa .. a Natal plum .. it is a beautiful evergreen shrub that produces white flower that smell like Gardenias and produces fruit that tastes like sweet cranberries!

[ 23. September 2006, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: Lady of Leisure ]

 

OOHH right, so is this S African plum that smells of gardenias and tastes like cranberries hardy?

 

Apart from the flowers it looks like a Natal Plum.

Certainly hardy here, Pete.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/carissa.html#Varieties

 

A bit borderline here I would guess, I might give it a go if I can find a supplier.

 

Good find Pete (Kleim's Hardy). It's been doing the rounds in the US for many years and is remarkably hardy. I understand that it reacts to serious cold by losing its leaves, but soon picks up with the return of warm weather. I can never understand why it has taken so long to become widely available here.

I tried a young Carissa outside here some years ago without any success. I suspect that it could cope with the winter rains, which were prolonged and very heavy during the year when it died. I doubt whether it can withstand temps much below -5C and might be a bit borderline further east, but nothing ventured, notheing gained.

 

Most small micro-climates in my garden are full up Dave, minus 6 was the coldest I recorded last winter, so perhaps I should give it a miss, something to think about though.
Thanks for the warning about the gardenia losing its leaves, I would probably have thought that was the end if it happens.

 

All 4 of mine are still healthy and growing well. No sign of buds yet but aparently they do need a cooler spell to set the buds so early days yet.

I'm on the lookout for a Kleim's Hardy that I think would do well in an open front door porch over summer and wintering in an unheated greenhouse. There's an empty half barrel I know of that needs a new resident :D

 

Just an update, we had a night temp of minus 5C about a week or so ago but the Gardenia, "Kleims Hardy" seems to have not noticed.