Ok...I've been in love with this scent since you all told me about them last year...yet one after another have perished under my care. Granted it took months but they did all the same...sadly all within a month to 2 months of being moved back out doors. Would you all share with me, please, what works best for these sweet smelling plants. I just picked up a 3 gal NOID at Lowes - easily could be separated into 3 pots - probably at least 3' high. I'd like for her to stay this way...so please share your experiences i.e. do's and don'ts....thanks so much!!!
Tea/Sweet Olive...help a sister out....
Chantell, plant it in the ground, keep it watered once a week for a month, then let mother nature tend to it - you might be killing it with attention!
Kay - you think IN the ground up here (zone 7A)? Sun - partial sun???
I would say 'yes' - full sun and about a foot of good mulch.
Perfect, Kay...thank you!!!
Hi Chantell,
I'd suggest not fertilizing it. They will bloom without fertilizer. With too much, the leaves brown and fall off. Also they like humidity all day with nighttime cold.
Good luck!
Stephanie
It got down to 78 F last night, is that cold enough? I got one at Lowes several weeks back and planted it. I never fertilize shrubs the first year. It is in dappled shade and seems to be doing ok. It is starting to put out some new growth.
Our night temps are about 78 - mine is a 'tree' and is doing fine.
Mine developed a fungus. I discovered it was due to too much water (still potted) and now I barely water and it thrives. Well maybe not thrives but it is still alive! LOL It is strange as the leaves are sparse but it will occasionally deliver clusters of blooms ~ then it is worth the aggravation! Hang in there Chantell.
Podster, why isn't yours planted in the ground? It would do better, I would think, than confined to a pot.
When I first got it, I thought it would need more winter protection. Now I know better but I still haven't decided where I want to put it. About the time I decided, we were too dry to plant it. We are so severely dry here... haven't had a drop of moisture for six weeks so am waiting for a better season to plant it (once I remember where). That sounds conflicted... LOL
Hmmm.....time to break out the shovel....now to decide where so I can enjoy the scent of those bitty blooms
I have been thinking that the fragrances vary from location to location. Maybe Ph of soil, or geographicly. Just a thought. Mike
Mike ~ you may well be right. I've noticed fragrant plants not only vary at different times of day but also vary depending upon soil moisture conditions.
Chantell ~ place it where you will enjoy its' fragrance most. Take into account the time of day you will be around to enjoy it. If you sleep with open windows, maybe by a bedroom window? A screened porch? A walkway? That is part of what took me so long to decide where to put it. When I decided, we had roofers coming and I knew it wouldn't survive them. Then it quickly became too dry to plant. Maybe I'll plant mine next spring or later this fall.