Jen - how pretty is that?!?! I thought it was a jasmine at first!!!
Frost proof Gardenia
There are certainly a large varieties of gardenias out there as all your great pictures show.
This one was already planted when we bought the house years ago. It stayed pretty much the same size until we got a dog about 10 years ago. It was his favorite spot to relieve himself. I have not had to fertilize it at all during that whole time. He passed away 5 years ago, but the effects are still ongoing because it gets bigger and bigger every year and I still have not added anything to the soil. It is one of the old-fashioned gardenias, I think, and the smell is wonderful. The fence is 6 feet - and it is almost as tall as the fence.
and a closeup
I would absolutely kill to have a bush of gardenias growing in my yard. I can not imagine how wonderful that would be. I must move to Sacramento. They look like a picture..you know what I mean. They are so perfect . LOL Thanks for sharing and making me so jealous. JB
Beautiful,is your soil natural acidic?
Wowzers - thinkin' the same thing as JB - I can only imagine the scent in that area....ahhhhhh Stunning photo of the bloom, btw!
That photo is as lovely as they come!!
WOW!!! is all I can say.
Thanks, everyone. It's a wonderful fragrance whenever I step out to the backyard.
Tropicman - I work in the soil science department at UC Davis (hence the soilsandup), and I have never tested my soil. I don't know if it is acidic or not. It is a simple test though - I should do it one day if I remember to grab a soil sample.
I have been meaning to trim the shrub back, so I cut off some branches and brought some of the cuttings to work. They loved the smell - fills up the corridors.
I' had some root before just in water!
Well the way your bush has grown and flowered,and gardenias like acidic soil,I was just assuming thats the kind of ph soil you must have,please do some day take a soil test,that way we will know what else they like to grow in!
Alert the AP - finally got my self to my back yard to do some more work...read: clean up and weeding (what fun - not) and what do you suppose I found?!?!? My bitty baby frostproof still alive w/new growth albeit still a little thing.....wooooowhooooooo!
Congrats!!!
I know exactly how you feel when get a surprise like that!!!!
Makes all worth while again!!!LOL
Chantell, are you back and busy? Just wanted to tell you that I am completely overwhelmed with my gardenia tree. It is blooming like crazy and it is outside in the hot sun and lots of rain showers. Must think it is in the tropics. Here is a picture I took Sunday. Everyone is quiet I hope you are all o.k. JB
JB,
I can almost smell the fragrance from here!!!
Well, the picture I sent you was not the gardenia tree, it was the Gardenia jasminoids 'Fortuniana'. Sorry. The gardenia tree is here on this post. I guess I should have had more coffee before I got into the picture file. JB
There is several more buds to open too!
Yep,sometimes it depends on how much caffeine is in the system to operate correctly!!!LOL
My God, there is someone out there still alive. Hello and sorry I messed up the pictures.
I am hurrying to get busy before it gets too hot in the GH. The Fortuniana is in the bird room and it smells so good. The Tree blooms are three times the size of the Fort and
their fragence of absolutely magnificant. I just stand there and sniff. LOL JB
I just wish I knew what species the tree is. I have several cuttings that are looking like they will survive, When I cut the blooms off to bring inside, I save the cutting and stick it in soil. It seems to work. LOL But, I have no clue what it is. My daughter picked it up at the Acme, or some silly place like that and no one there ever marks the plants. Oh well, it may be unknown but it sure is my favorite gardenia at the moment. The blooms are the size of , if not bigger than the bottom of a coffee cup. You all can relate to the bottom of coffee cups, right? JB
From the size of the leaves and the looks of the flower,looks a lot like my Augusta Gardenia,well I try not to see the bottom of my coffee cup,because I keep it refilled often!!!
I will look that up and see what I can find on the Augusta. Thanks. I begin my day with coffee (supposed to be decaf but I cheat) and then about noon I run to the nearest place for a large fountain coke. That keeps me going until after dinner then I switch to tea. I actually get a headache if I do not have my caffine. That is so bad, but I know I am not alone. Off I go to the greenhouse. It is already 90 in there but I must get some cuttings in the pots. JB
Same here,without mine too,I'm a butch!!!!LOL
I quit smoking in 94,was doing 4 packs a day,went cold turkey wasn't bad,but no caffeine,
I would surely die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well with the misters all ready going 85* in my greenhouse,and 84* outside!
!! JB !!! How are you!?!? Yes, I'm back...busy, busy with all my new babies that sweet Kevin (in FL) blessed Becky and I with. I wish I'd taken pics of his yard...if there's a current Garden of Eden - it is his front and back yard. Fragrance paradise, I tell you!!! Very jealous of your tree...you know mine was indoors for a bit when I first got her so she immediately began to die...literally loosing every single one of her leaves. I'll post pics later on when she's leafed out more...I took one when she was bare & appearing dead. So sad. If someone can ID these trees, I'd be very grateful. Probably going to pick up one of those First Love's that TM told us about tonight.
As for coffee - blah!!! Unless it's the plant and in bloom!! If I want a warm drink - cocoa (homemade, of course) or spiced tea...Yum-meee!!! Only thing that wakes me up in the AM is time...copious amts of it....LOL
This message was edited Jun 30, 2009 12:14 PM
I quit..greenhouse is now 95 and I am too old to die in a greenhouse of the heat. I would rather fall off a bar stool in an AC bar. Just kidding I think!!!!
I get so jealous of people who live in the tropics because of the plants and weather until about August, then I am happy to be here in the East Coast. Wish I was back in NC sometimes, it still snows there now and again, so I guess I will stay here.
I ask Logee's about the Gardenia Trees and how they do that. They did not have an answer nor did they have any to sell. Someone must know. I just put some cuttings in the coco mix and have three others I stuck in and darn if they did not take hold. I do not think they grow like trees, I think they have to be formed like that. I don't know, but I love mine and hope I can keep that baby alive all winter. No mealy bug so far, but they sure like everything else. Even those Scented Geraniums had some the other day. Outside and all that rain must have attracted them.
Good to see you home safely. Later, JB
You may be right JB - i.e. that they are formed...I kept looking for the signs of it being grafted and didn't see anything...still like to know what type they are....alrighty...tummy's rumbling...heading out for lunch!!