Ditto what Mehitabel said,

You could try a very light application of fertilizer, but you don't want to overdo it during the winter, when it's not growing as much. Brunfelsias can be sensitive to chill, so try to keep it warm and give it a good amount of sun if it's in a pot.

Keep in mind also that scents differ from nose to nose -- your plant might not be a strong as others, or it may not grab you the same way, but this species routinely gets good reviews around this forum, so stick with it a bit longer!

Jim

I have brunfelsia, americana, Lactea & Isola, & Magnifico.
I am waiting to see how they all bloom this spring and summer also, the Lactea & Isola had 1 flower when I got them and they smelled very pretty but didn't seem that strong. I am looking forward to see for myself, this is my first year with all my fragrant plants.
I have to tell you that Michelia Alba has never stopped blooming since I purchased it in August. Can't believe the flowers it has all the time, at least 3-4 always... I love it.

Diane_Fla z10FL, I have the following Brunfelseas:

Brunfelsia Americana - highly FRAGRANT of Cloves. Wafts well
*Brunfelsia Gigantica - absolutely stunning fragrance Exquisite wafter.
*Brunfelsia Isola - highly FRAGRANT
*Brunfelsia Lactea - highly FRAGRANT wafts extremely well
*Brunfelsia Nitida - highly FRAGRANT. Equisite wafter
Brunfelsia, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Not fragrant at all.

I have others but they have not flowered yet. Hope they are as good as the ones above.

Thanks everyone! Helpful info and I do still want one more so I will consider the lists.

Angel Smell -I am considering putting a michelia alba in an area that I want a small tree. Not sure how it will take to it, though warm here the climate is different from California where so many of the people here who have them seem to live. I did smell one at a nursery once and it was delicious!

Being winter and all, it may just need time. It is doing very well otherwise though and has beautiful leaves.

Can second Joanmary's comment on the brunfelsia pauciflora/"yesterday/today/tomorrow" being scentless. The plant was looking a little sickly, in-fact, earlier this winter until I moved it into full sun. Now it appears to be close to budding out. Also has a nut/seed on a branch. Is is worth trying to cultivate?

Michelia are wonders to behold but grow quite fast [mostly vertical] so give them room.

Happ, the seeds are certainly worth popping into the soil (best in warm soil). I have grown many brunfelsias from seed. Slow growing, to be sure, but well, thats part of the fun, isn't it. Plus you'll have some plants to spread around the neighbourhood for beauty, if not for fragrance!

Diane, my Brunfelsia plants bloom throughout the spring and summer, and they smell in the best in the evening when it is warm outside. If yours is blooming now, its flowering cycle may have been altered at the place where you bought it from, but it will adjust, and you will enjoy more fragrance in warm weather.

Logee's is a good source for Brunfelsias. My most favorite Brunfelsia flower for fragrance is B. jamaicensis.

Here is a link that might be useful: Logee's

Yesterday, today & tomorrow has a definate fragrance.....
there is one in bloom where I live and I can smell it from
7 feet away, it is sorta stinky up close but far away it smells nice, it is a different fragrance from the others.

I think you may be right Clare. Since putting my brunfelsia in the ground it has stopped blooming. It will be neat to see if come summer the blooms come back with more fragrance.

I saw a large brunfelsia at a nursery last week that had a gorgeous fragrance even in the day -though I had to put my nose in it to tell. My hunch is it would be wafting at night though. The smell was more on the 'fresh sweet' side and not all cloying or thick. It was heavenly but the tag was messed up and I could not decipher what variety it was. It was white/cream like my flowers were, but the leaves were different and not such a dark green.

AngelSmell,

Its interesting that some species among fragrant plants are less obvious or just barely have a scent. For example, the brunfelsia pauciflora has never put out a fragrance for me but it may be due to temperature/light. On the other hand, the crape jasmine is also known as a basically senseless species but one has produced a nice smell on occasion for me. I haven't figured out what contributes to a plant's ability to produce a scent. Anyone with advice?

Does anyone cut back their Brunfelsia's? I have a Lactea and Nitidum and was wondering to get them bushier what you do? When do they mostely Bloom? Mine has only got 1 flower this summer?

I'm not trying to steal the thread but, I am a bit confused as usual, Im trying to understand the differance between nitida and americana. When I do a search on google they seem to cross referance each other.

Americana is a much larger shrub, with flowers turning golden yellow with age. Nitida is smaller, with white flowers blushed purple, turning light yellow with age. To my nose, nitida is more peircing, americana is sweeter.

Jim

Thanks Jim! I just recieved Americana mail order from rareflora. Its very small no flowers I look forward to next year!

The fragrance of Brunfelsia nitida does seem to be stronger and more piercing than that of any of the other white-flowered, night-scented Brunfelsias. But it could be that B. nitida produces a much greater quantity of blooms at any one time than does any other species, like B. americana and B. jamaicensis.

In my experience, B. americana, B. jamaicensis and B. gigantea all have equally lovely, though slightly different perfumes, and all are much larger growers than B. nitida. All of them, at least for me, produce a higher percentage of green, leafy growth and put less energy into blooming than does B. nitida. But then again, all of my plants are still less than a year old, so perhaps they will become more floriferous in the coming years. I adore the scent of B. americana, so I hope so :-)