I just read that this plant can be grown as a house plant. But I also read that it is a "twinning shrub", so I'm wondering how well it would really work in the house. Do you give it a trellis to climb I guess? And how much sun does it need. Would the heat drying out the air be a problem? I have wanted one of these for a long time, but never thought of keeping it in a pot to move inside because I didn't think it would be happy in a pot permanently.
Thanks for your answers.
Maid of Orleans as a house plant?
I've never grown it as a houseplant but I know some people do. It'll probably be happier and bloom more if you take it outside during the warmer months though. And tons of people grow them in pots, that's not a problem at all. Also they're not that viney so you shouldn't need a trellis for it--you could train it onto one if you want but it probably wouldn't be necessary. As far as dry air inside, I don't think it'll be any more of a problem for this plant than any other one. I've grown it here and our humidity outdoors in the summer is very low and it did just fine with that so I think as long as you don't have a heating vent blowing directly on it, it should be fine.
Thanks, Ecrane. I'm excited about this. I love the smell of jasmin.
Silver.. Well... I was up in CT. visiting Logees awhile back [ Logees.com ] ... a lovely trip in the winters here.. below freezing outside.. and in their Greenhouses.. it's a steamy tropical paradise... lemons blooming.. and the Maids of Orleans were also blooming inside.. I bought two of them brought them back.. potted them up.. and I've 6-8 blooms on each one now... they are loving it inside with me here... they are under some grow light Flourescents.. and they are flying... if you give them enough light.. and away from heat vents..as was mentioned..and lieky A/C balsts..also they should do just fine.. I'm sure you'll enjoy how they do .. as trellises go.. just stringing them about.. when they get long..it should be OK.. some of my windows have fishline for the vines.. I've a stephanosis on one end that takes up all the edges of two windows..it must be 20' -25' long now.. or more.. and doesn't even all need to be on the inside of the windows.. just run around on the egdes is just fine for parts of it.. I bet they did loose maybe 3 or 4 leaves on the long vine on moving them inside.. what a trooper.. and fragerant also.. you might think of it for inside also.. also available from Logees.. I got mine a few years ago .. I have to bring it inside for the winter.. one spring it was doing so well I left it inside all year that year.. and it didn't mind at all... then it was outside last spring summer fall.. and back in as I mentioned.. and loving it here... where ever it is... it has my vote for the most cooperative sweet smelling flowering vine ..Pictured
This message was edited Feb 7, 2009 9:11 PM
All right! I can't wait to get one. We have a guest room with an east window where I can put it if there's no room anywhere else. But I'm going to try to get it in the livingroom. Does yours get any direct light at all? The livingroom windows face south, but it gets pm shade from a monstrous live oak. In the guest room it'll get pretty direct am sun, but we won't get to smell it much.
I purchased a Maid of Orleans about four years ago for a house plant. It grew and bloomed and bloomed and grew and now it is almost 5 feet tall...it would be taller but I take cuttings and start them and sell them. I have even shipped them out of state and they are just fine as house plants. I keep the big girl in the greenhouse with the babies, and I have three of the two year olds in my bird room. They have buds now. I have one problem. In the winter in the greenhouse there is a lack of sunshine and I do not have growing lights so I must give them iron frequently to help bring the green back. The plants in the house do well because they are in windows plus light from the birds lights.
They are such a joy to have and grow. JB
Hmmm. I can smell 'em already. Is there something I could trade for a Maid of Orleans with somebody? Money is pretty stretched already at my house. I just cancelled a coop order I had with Agristarts. I should cancell the other 2 coop orders too. This economy is really scary.
If nobody here has one you might try asking in the Fragrant Gardening forum--I bet you someone there will have one they'd be willing to share.
Thanks Ecrane. I'll try that if I don't find somebody here.:)
Silver. If you remind me when the weather gets warmer, I will be happy to send you a baby. I love sharing my plants. I just do not want to send them now. It is just too cold and although I send them Priority and pack them well, it is still taking a chance. You are on the West side of the Mississippi and I am going to have to remove the soil and send them to you bare root. I do not know how they will hold up but it will be a good way to find out. I am a certified nursery so if I send you one in the pot I would have to have an inspection of the one plant. That is just another expense. So, if you do not mind, I will send you one bare root and we will see if we can keep it alive. Please email me in a few weeks and remind me. I am 80 and sometimes I forget. I will also need your mailing address. Have a nice day.
JBerger that's really nice of you! I will remind you. That is unless I forget.:) Bare root is fine. How much? Since you are a nursery, you probably don't need a trade, but I'll offer anyway. I haven't worked on my trade list in a long time, but I have antique roses, snow queen hibiscus, one tropical hibiscus (mauve colored flower), cactus orchids, cannas and probably other things I can't think of right now.
Silver, I would love to trade. The nursery thing is really no big deal. It just makes it easier for me to ship without the grief I could get from the Post Office here if I did not have the proper paperwork on the outside. I have a small variety of plants that I actually sell and I putter around and do what I want to do when I want to do it because I can not stand to be old and sit around and do nothing. I drive my kids crazy. LOL. I would love to have a cactus orchid in fact any plant is welcome at my house. Hopefully we can get this trade moving when my weather gets warmer.
I have never shipped Jasmine bareroot, but I will try and figure a way to keep the plant happy out of the soil. If we ship priority it will be only a few days hopefully. I ship on Mondays or Tuesdays so they never lay in a warehouse over the weekend. I worry about them being in the dark and getting too hot or too cold. I treat my plants like I do my animals. Talk soon. Hugs.
I wonder if those water crystal things would work to keep it moist? I'll send you some cactus orchid.:)
What are the water crystal things? Where can I look them up? I usually soak kleenex and papertowels and put them in a plastic sleeve. I leave some soil on them..don't tell. HA! but I have never tried it with Jasmine. They are tough but they do not like to dry out.
Oh, I can't remember what they are actually called. I've never bought them. They soak up water and expand a whole lot. Lots of people add them to the soil for planting brugs and things like that.
If I can just remember to do it, I could send you some with the cactus orchid. Somebody sent me some as part of a trade once. I'll send it dry so it doesn't ruin the cactus orchid.
It is to snow or freezing rain three days this week. I am going to dig a hole and crawl in.
I need Spring. I will look up the water crystal things when I have time. Thanks for the tip.
lol Berger. I'm so sorry about your weather. We have just the opposite problem. We are in a terrible droubt. I would give anything for a rainy day. It's cloudy and humid and dreary today, but probably no rain. We need a month of slow drizzle. The ground is so parched that it would all run off and cause a flood if it rained hard.