Here is a picture of my August Beauty Gardenia. When we came home from the lake yesterday afternoon it was a white bud and pretty much opened right before our eyes. It smells wonderful! But I still think the Brugmansias smell the best.
My First Gardenia Bloom (ever)
That is absolutely beautiful! Probably because they can be so temperamental, I love gardenia's the best. To me, they're a measure of Self as a gardener, especially here in hot&humid South Florida, buffet to *all* insects! I do happen to agree that brugmansia's smell better, but to me nothing beats gardenia, brug, heliotrope and jasmine sambac all blooming at the same time. I've lately moved all the pots close together so I can smell them all at the same time. They think I'm crazy around here.
Thank you! This is my first year to try them, so we will see. I have to add vinegar to their water, because we have alkaline water here and have been fertilizing them with Miracle Grow for Azaleas and Rhododendrums. I will have to also bring them indoors in the winter and turn them into temporary houseplants since our winters would kill them.
I also have them on my front porch (covers the whole front of the house - roomy, covered and faces the south sun). They are amongst brugmansias, petunias, elephant ears, hibiscus, too many to remember actually - some in bloom now, some not. People walking by that have made comments about my front garden and have ventured up to talk to me and then see my porch just drop their tongues when they see it all - I even have a little lamp next to my lounger - it's alot of fun, and I like to read there and wanted the fragrance and the privacy. I've been known to fall asleep out there on summer nights - noone can see me. So I'm a whacky garden lady too! Let me see if I can find a pic of it.
Okay - here's a pic I took a month ago. It has changed since then - the lamp for one, more plants and things are blooming. I'll have to get another pic taken here soon.
You Gardenia is very beautiful and healthy.
Why plant lovers have plants every where in the home ... same like you? Somtimes mine are also like these.
Kaleem
Thank you Kaleem. You always seem to warm my heart with a very kind greeting. I may not know you personally but what I do know is that you are a wonderful guy, full of life, and an asset to our garden here. How are those kittens (cats) doing? I lost contact with that thread.
i just bought august beauty a few weeks ago! your picture makes me excited to see blooms :) how long do the blooms last before they fall off?
I'm not real sure. Mine started opening Monday afternoon (and opened really fast - neat to watch) and finished opening that evening because it was full on Tuesday. Even though our weather turned suddenly very sour (cold, windy and rainy) it is still looking quite nice. I would think that if good conditions remain they will last at least a week but am doing the "time will tell" since this is my first.
You are going to love your August Beauty. The only thing I don't like about mine is the shrub looks lopsided in the pot. Next time I re-pot it I'm going to try to do a better job, lol. (as in don't plant pots on a slope).
Hmmm - I thought I posted a pic of the porch that I took last night - guess not. Well here is one, with more things blooming.
What a gorgeous porch! I bet it feels like heaven, lying there in your "sanctuary" looking at all your plants and enjoying the fragrance. It's amazing how much they add to the quality of one's life, isn't it?
Oh most definitely. But now some of these plants are getting pretty big and I'm going to have to do some re-arranging. I can't get through to my lounger! :-)
That same single flower is STILL blooming! 1 1/2 weeks later! It started to bloom when we got weather in the high 80's. Then our weather turned cold, so I don't think any of the other buds are going to open until we start having summer again. It's like everything has stopped growing - happens every June, it seems, here.
Thank you so much for the words. Your plants are also in the rooms like mine.... but I moved my in winter and again out in spring. I can see a vine on the right side under the hanging basket... may I have name please. That is looking nice and strings are like Gaitar.
Kitten's thread is again in PET Forum and you can see they are Cats now.
Kaleem
Kaleem,
The plant on the right is an Ivy. I think it is an English Ivy, but I do not know for sure. It was part of a mother's day present from the year before. I'll go check out your "cats."
Karrie