my 4" little dwarf gardenia.

the clivia

the crown of thorns plant ... of them all - I think I'm the most enamoured with the tahitian gardenia. I can't wait to see how well they will all do as the summer season comes to an end and I have to close up the house and winterize.

My first effort with these plants... I'm venturing out and finding some buddies for my Jasmines to hang with. :)

picture didn't post.

Congrats on your new babies!
I'm starting to get really curious about Gardenia taitensis since fenius lists it in their top 10 fav scents. Good to know I can get one off Amazon! Looks like you got HeavenScent Double Tahitian Gardenia, huh?
Maybe next year! :)

-Robert

thanks Robert. :) Yes, it's the double Tahitian. I have to admit I'm bad with scientific names. If I don't keep a tag, I'd never remember what it's called.

I have a problem with lack of window space - and am constantly trying to squeeze just one more in... in summer, it's worse because half the windows get filled by fans. (I'm in an attic apartment and I'd die without air circulation.) In the winter, with fans removed - I get 2 windows back - but one of those windows is problematic because it has a metal awning shading half of it. (so small plants only) in the west (front) facing windows. My South facing windows (of which I have only 2) get so tightly compacted with plant pots - well - it makes for tons of issues with reduced air circulation. I've had 3 years of fighting various types of white powder molds because I just didn't have the right plants, and to many of them - crowding into such a tiny space.

House-plants in new-england ... it's a hard life being an attic living plant-lover.

the order from hirt's was cheap - 5 plants, all from the same place - and the shipping reduced so it came out to under $50. Luckily the mandevilla that I threw away??? :( wasn't the expensive plant of the group. The tahitian was the most expensive at $12.99

Let's hope I can learn how to make gardenias thrive. I've read so many conflicting reviews on whether they're easy to grow vs. not. I wonder what the season ahead will teach me.

Hi, Rose, How is your Jasmine doing, continue flowering? I am so glad that you rescured it from the basement.
"lack of window space", you are not alone. In winter time, I put shelves next to windows and sliding doors... try to sqeeze smaller plants in between larger plants in order to ultilize that preciouse space. I also use light bulb to give plants additional light. Those clip on lights are less expensive and easy to use.
Thanks for sharing the amazon order pictures. I might start lurking at Amazon too. Good luck with all your plants.

The 2 jasmine plants bloomed and stopped. The salvaged MOO plant only gave me 3 blossoms this time around - sweet smelling while they lasted. The other, the ...trying to remember name... which had about 30 buds on it ...about 10 opened, the rest just sort of turned brown and shrivelled. Don't know why that happened, was a bit depressing to see them taunting me with so much bounty, and then taking it back.

I'm really excited to see how my new additions will take to my window lighting. I have been considering adding supplimental light sources to get them through the darkened winter months - and even to potentially shift them away from my sunny south windows and into another room - but, didn't get far enough into the research process. I'm stumped on bulb types, I don't want to have a 'large' light unit uglifying my apartment - but don't know if there would be a benefit to adding smaller lamps (most especially, if any of these plants will eventually be giant in comparison to lighting fixtures).

So, yes, a slow going process indeed.

Oh, my friend's 'sister' plant - which outdoors is still blooming. The problem with my 'houseplant' technicque is that I just don't keep the blooms half as long as what I'd have in the beautiful sunny outside.

a close-up ... just cause. :)

If you haven't figured it out yet... I'm a bit trigger happy. Just love taking pictures of pretty flowers. Hence, this adds a bit of a second hobby to this season. Don't much like photographing other things... except my cats... and flowers. Guess I was named Rose for a reason. :)

my friend also has a plant called a "Desert Rose" ... I gave her this for her birthday - and, if I had found another one at the time, I would have gotten one for me too. Adenium... what beautiful plants! It went from being a Home Depot straggly thing - to being full of blooms and so healthy in the sun from her deck. Yeah, I'm really envious!

Of Course I have no room for them - but, I keep wanting more and think... sure, I could squeeze that in. The poor mandavilla plant... I just know that in another week or so, I'll have to put in another order. And to make it worth while the shipping ... I would have to order other plants . So, my windows will be very full this year too! Perhaps I should consider buying an Adenium for me if I can find one from Hirt's? :)

Looks great! I've been eyeing their plumerias and am tempted to order from them.
The Double Tahitian Gardenia I have seems to bloom before it branches out, so who knows, maybe it might produce flower buds before the end of the year.
Dar

What a great selection you have there roseyd to enjoy your winter months. Sorry to hear about your Mandevilla plant. Reminds me of what my daughter did once...cleaning out her car trunk and accidentally throwing away a bag that had her newly purchased pants in it...LOL

My curiosity got the best of me on D.Tahitian Gardenia, so I had to google that. Now I want one too...thanks a lot Dar:)

Kasie

My second order came in last night - and I took them all out of the box this time! YEAH! makes me sad to think after seeing the pretty mandevilla that was sent this time, that I threw one away less than a week ago.

The mandevilla is about 10 inches tall, and came with 3 blooms. I was a bit disappointed at how sparce the serotina honeysuckle looks - only one forked vine and a couple of leaves - you'd think that for this late in the season the plant would be thriving much better than that.

The night jasmine is short but very full and green. I'm excited to see if it'll blossom anytime soon now that I've transplanted it and got it into a window. (but these next few days of unceasing rain - I'm sure I can't expect much.

I was surprised by how similar the mandevilla flower looks to the desert rose plant's.

My windows are stuffed - am hoping for a few cooler days so I can take the fans out of the windows and get a little more sun into my apartment and onto my plant tables.

Your new babies look good roseyd! What's that plant between the Night Jasmine and Mandevilla? Night Jasmine is super vigorous. It'll be a monster in no time! :)

I think it is the pink 'hydrangea' vine . Rose mentioned it in other thread.

yes, OG - you're right. the pink hydrangea vine - schizophragma. it's supposed to be good in shade - I really know very little about it other than that it should get to be about 50 feet long in partial shade - and, I'm hoping that after a winter indoors I can put it outdoors at my friend's campsite (which is very woodsy, beside a river). It feels to late in the year to transplant it outside now. So, my fingers are crossed that it will survive my less lit -west facing windows for the winter season.

I'm looking forward to seeing what will come of the mandevilla! such pretty flowers. Not much in the way of scent - but I am appreciative of receiving a tiny plant in bloom. To the extent that I removed the fan from a window just so that the mandevilla could have it's own sunny spot. I hesitate to say this - but, I am thinking that New England has seen the last 'truly' hot days for the year.

Rose...you really got a nice collection. Hirt's has really nice, healthy plants.

Mind if I ask if they combined shipping cost? I normally order from Hirts via Ebay, so shipping is half the price.

Do you know the name of your friend's sister plant? I love double flowers. Toni

Toni, yes, the shipping price combined was cheaper. I think the 5 plants was about a bit more than $10 for shipping... but, I don't have the invoice on me to check it.

The sister's plant that you asked about is a type of jasmine. I have a pot of it too that I'd talked about on another forum topic ... ? on Jasmine ID ... but my Jasmines- indoors doesn't flower half as much - although, it is going into flower soon (again) - it has about 8 buds getting ready to open any day now.

I'm a huge fan of hirts. My plants came from them, small, but very healthy.

Rose, I had no idea Amazon allowed combined shipping via nurseries. When I think about the fees I paid in the past..

I'll see if I can find the thread on your sister's Jasmine. Never saw a Jasmine w/double flowers..Beautiful!

Yes, Hirt's is one of my favorite nurseries, too.
You consider their plants small? lol. Wow, be careful which nurseries you order from in the future.
Considering Hirt's modest prices, they're plants are huge compared to other places..lol. Don't want to mention names, but I've been ripped-off in the past..a lot of % for a 2" tall plant. Toni

Oh Toni,

the plants are tiny, when they will eventually grow to be 5 or 6 feet tall... I'm just saying... proportionately speaking... my new babies are only in their start of hopefully a long and fragrant life.