I posted this on the FL forum as well...
Hoping ya'll might be able to help me with a particular plant I saw referenced on a site last night. Name: Tabernaemontana holsterii - apparently jasmine/gardenia-like. I can't find this plant referenced any where. I contacted the folks on that site asking about it and their response was: "we saw the plant at a botanical garden in Miami and just copied the name on the sign, not aware of other names, sorry." Anyone recognize the name of this plant or can point me to some links on it, please?
??? Tabernaemontana holsterii ???
There's one called T. holstii--is that maybe the one they meant? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/118527/
There are a number of other Tabernaemontana species as well and as far as I know they're all wonderfully fragrant.
God bless em...the FL group found them: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/847956/
"Tad" expensive though...yikes!!
Any fav's for fragrance, ecrane3? I'm always making a "wish list"...LOL
I've grown a couple different ones but I can't remember all of the species I've tried. Not all of them bloomed for me before they died, but the couple that I did get blooms from smelled fairly similar (although I never had more than one at the same time, so I never did a direct comparison). I know I had T. divaricata, which Logees has for a much more reasonable price of $10.95 http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1575-2 and http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1025-2
And in case you were wondering, I think it's my dry climate that didn't appeal to them, I've tried a number of tropicals that just don't thrive out here with our dry weather so hopefully they should do better for you. This was one of the (many) plants that has come up against my "three strikes" rule. Once I've killed something 3 times, I'm not allowed to buy it anymore because it obviously doesn't like my climate (death by gophers or acts of God do not count though!)
LOL Chantell....honestly we are both after the same plants.....you should just come live here in Florida....I just bought this plant on ebay like a week ago....but it wasn't too bad priced...i think $13.99 plus 5.25 shipping. It's about 18" tall.....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270231248476 you could ask them they may have another one left...I got it Buy It Now.
Samantha - I believe you're correct!!! If it smells good...I want it!!! LOL However much of the time I just add to a wish list....that keeps growing and growing. I'll be interested to hear how your's does...then maybe in a month or so I can look at what that seller has. GOOD for you to find it, though!!! Believe me - if I could tolerate ya'lls summers and hurricanes I WOULD be living down there...my grandmother would be in heaven if I did that!!! I have a hard of time dealing with our heat and humidity come July....ugh!!! Course if I was down there I wouldn't be able to enjoy some of the plants I do in VA - i.e. lilacs etc.
Your so right....Lilacs are my favorite "cold" zone flower....we always had them growing in the mountains where I grew up in Australia. I don't mind the heat here so much, it's the lightning I can't handle here....I actually get so terrified with it I wear earplugs so that after the flashes I don't hear the cracks of thunder so much....I try not to show it so much since my toddlers are watching me, the earplugs help me to not scream ever time a bolt hits. I've never seen such horrible storms than here in Florida. It's been 3 years we've been here in Florida and I'm still not used to them. Thank God we haven't been through one of the known hurricane's yet...we got here just after those finished.
To my nose, double tabernaemontana are fragrant. Single flowers hardly have any fragrance.
usha!!! There you are!!! Sending you an updated dmail
Hi Chantell, here's the direct link to the Tabernaemontana africa, apparently formerly holstii: http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Tabernaemontana_africana I heard that this one does have a very nice fragrance, but I don't have it due to the price of it and lack of room. I do have T. divericata Flore Pleno (double), and I can tell you that one is nearly scentless in my zone. Maybe I don't have the warm humid nights that it needs to emit its fragrance. I don't know. I do catch a nice carnation scent every now and then when the conditions are right. I put it in the ground the year before last, and we had record-breaking cold temps that following winter so it was damaged and has been coming back slowly since. I noticed recently that new shoots are coming up from the base in addition to the existing small tree so it will probably end up being a fairly large plant eventually. I think these trees can reach 10 feet or more.
Sending you a dmail, Clare
Chantell-I have a Tabernaemontana that looks exactly like the holsterii, it may be it, but of course I lost the tag while transplanting it. I have had it over a year and it bloomed last summer as well as this winter and now it is blooming again and the scent is very nice and strong-it does well as a container plant. I know I didnt pay $ 40 for it. I may have gotten it from a mail order nursery from Hawaii. I find that although the shipping may be costly from there, the plants are always very large and cheaper than on the mainland.
I also have the Flore Pleno that Clare has ( Hi Clare!! ) and while pretty and blooming well, there is no scent :(
Anyway-if you come across a Tabernaemontana whose bloom has the shape of the holsterii, then I think it will be similiar enough and also be fragrant. I think they are definitely worth getting (maybe not $ 40 though-I think you can easily find it elsewhere for less)
Is this the place you were talking about? http://www.pctgardens.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PTG&Product_Code=1189&Category_Code= They say they're not sure which one it is but think it's probably holstii. I've ordered things from them in the past and been very happy with their plants (although they're under new ownership now and I haven't ordered anything since the new owners took over). I just got an email from them this morning that they're running a special 25% off on everything from now through the end of the month, just enter the code JUNE2008 in the coupon box when you check out.
Ohhhh book marking THAT site!!!
By coincidence, I think it was that place! Weird huh? I got their email this am also. Good price on it...$12.50. I got a few other stuff as well. I am remembering the shipment now-none of the plants were labeled, and while I was able to figure out most of it, there were two heliconias that I couldn't figure out what was what. But the plants were large, well priced and well packed. I think they had just had a wind storm that threw their whole nursery into chaos. that was with the old owners, I guess.
The couple orders I had with them (under the old owners) everything was labeled so I don't think that's a usual thing with them, must be the windstorm blew away all the labels or something!
lol that did not occur to me, maybe they blew into the active volcano and melted.
LOL! Hi Girlfriend! ^_^ I'll send you a dmail one of these days, and we'll have to catch up!
I am done with the crop-it was a huge one, but I was going to dmail you! I got another kitten-has it only been a year since I got Mango? What is it with all these strays...lol this one was behind the seat of a frontend loader at a landscapers.
You're my hero^_^ Anyone who rescues animals has my love and admiration:-)
Just an FYI - looks like a seller (unknown to me but 100% feedback) has one listed if anyone was looking for one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Fragrant-Jungle-Foliage-Tree-Tabernaemonta-Pachy_W0QQitemZ270307557245QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270307557245&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
Take a look at Tabernaemontana divaricata Flore (Carnation of India). Is this the plant you saw? I have this one growing in my Atrium and it's wonderful. 3/4 inch white carnation-like flowers. Light fragrance. If this is it, I can tell you what I know about it.
Hey there rwhite!!
I have both the Flore Pleno Tabernaemontana divaricata & the
Giant Pinwheel Flower/Tabernaemontana pachysiphon. I'd love any helpful hints you can provide on either of these. The Giant Pinwheel is doing very well after some initial sulking months ago. The Flore Pleno I've only had for a couple of months - she's still sulking a bit but putting on a little new growth so I think she'll be ok.
Meant to ask a while back, tigerlily123 if you're still "watching" this thread would you post or dmail the name of the vendor you use in Hawaii, please?
Hi Chantell-it was the one that ecrane showed the link for and you said that you were going to bookmark it. Let us know how the quality is now under the new owners if you do buy from them
*sniffle* I did book mark it but nothing comes up any more...it's a conspiracy, I tell you....LOL
Yoooo-hoooo, ecrane - do they have a new web addy by any chance?
I even tried to go through watchdog is this the same place? http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/1268/
This message was edited Dec 29, 2008 9:41 PM
thats the one Chantell-they have lots of great stuff. Their palms were huge! Shipping right now is a little tricky because of the weather in winter, but they will work with you to ship at the right time=there are always periods of warmer weather across the country in winter and thats when you make your move. I remember having to wait a few wks in Jan a few yrs ago to bring in a bunch of palms from the Big Island and they did great. It was a different nursery, but they put insulation in there to help with the lower temps.
Thanks!! Hopefully they'll have that site up and running soon...I'd hate to think they're no longer in business... :(