Gill and Christopher, is there any scent from those flowers? I read somewhere that sometimes there is a scent, but not predictably.

Josh

Great that you have some flowers left, makes-up for the damage on the leaves. Your plants look very good considering they were thru the hailstorm. Even hints of color help.

Paul

Some stubs have taken forever to fall off, sure yours will eventually too. I think the tiny new sprout will be a great plant soon, is there more sprouting just below on the same trunk? Great colors!

Christopher

Your plants are always so pristine looking. You said many grow indoors, but do you 'shine them leaves' at all?

Rina

Margaret, yes, I have detected a faint sweet whiff from my Jades flowers. You have to poke your nose right into the plant though to detect it. That said, I have yet to ask the owner of a younger nose than the one I personally have to see if they find it stronger than myself! My 2 large jades flowers will soon open as once again they are floriferous, hopefully they will also be fragrantissimo.

Gill UK

Unlike Gill, I detect no scent from the Jade flowers. Maybe my proboscis needs adjusting.

Rina, my Jades are like me, all natural, no polish.

Christopher

nice

still waiting on mine but I have a question is the color of the bloom determined by the type of jade or other factor.

Richard

From what I understand, the type of Jade determines colour. There is one known as Pink Beauty for the blooms.

Christopher

The cultivar.

Most are white but there is at least one crassula ovata (all green) I've seen referred to as "pink mountain" or "rubriflora" (unsure if these are same or different cultivars) that have pink flowers.

Daniel

edit: pretty interesting stuff here, wonder if its true: http://botanicalmusings.blogspot.com/2013/02/one-of-real-jade-plants.html

says, originally white flowers were "crassula ovata" and pink were "crassula argentea". Never heard that before.

Hi Daniel, my reading of that part is that it was once thought that they were different plants, but now it is accepted that the names refer to the same plant. Thanks for the link, it was fascinating.

Makes me wonder a tiny bit if the somewhat widely available "akai jade crassula argentea hybrid" flowers pink. Probably reading way too much into the name, but akai means "red" - maybe it refers to flower. Of course, it more likely refers to the often red tipped leaves and I'm spouting crazy talk.

Anyone seen their akai jade flower? it is that time of year.

Akai is just a made up name name thrown onto Crassula ovata variegata by a marketer. Argentea is no longer a valid species name. I have C. ovata variegata in bloom now, here are the buds. A tinge of pink, but that is it.

Christopher

No scent on mine, either.

My pink-blooming Jade was sent to me with a tentative label of "Christmas Cheer," but I'm fairly sure it's "Pink Beauty."

Josh

Gill, how great that there is a scent. I have read that it definitely does occur in flowering jades, so you are one of the lucky ones.

Josh, how much colour do you get in the leaves of your 'Pink Beauty'? When I got mine first they were a dark, purplish colour, but quickly became green and so they have stayed, right through the summer and up to now.

More flowers for you, Christopher ! That's terrific. And your Red Horn Tree cuttings have surely come on quickly.

You're not talking crazy, Daniel. There is still lots to learn about our jades - I wonder has anyone got flowers on their Akai.

The leaves don't color up much, just the typical red blush to the leaf-margin.

Josh

Thanks Josh. Yet someone posted a very bright-leaved Pink Beauty on the forum last year, does anyone recall?

Maybe bens2bens' picture of Pink Beauty part way down this thread on Rubra is what you are thinking of Margaret. here

Ben does conjecture that perhaps the leaves are redder than normal.

(I think I've recently read every single jade thread at least once, so was easy to find)

Thank you, Daniel, that's it. He says it was in the sun, that explains why mine went and stayed green. It came from Italy a beautiful purply colour, but a month later it was green, and our two or three sunny days this year weren't enough to bring it back. Sad.

Now that is a trunk !

One of the variegated Jade cuttings from Mike's motherplant is starting to bloom again. Just the faintest of pink in the petals, with dark pink anthers:

And, to my delight, it looks like I *will* (hopefully!) get at least one bloom out of 'Denethor' this season. Keeping my fingers crossed that this bloom will develop and open. 'Denethor' has a relatively large, white Jade flower.

Nice glow in the eastern morning window.....

Josh, if you should ever get a cutting of the Denethor, please keep me in mind..I lost mine to a squirrel!!Arg!

Josh, beautiful plants and photos!

Do you think it is possible that Denathor's flowers could be variable in some way like it's leaves tend to be? Perhaps size, or color, or something else...

Daniel

That is lovely, Josh. Hummel's Sunset?

Mike, I'll definitely keep you in mind. 'Denethor' should be large enough this coming season to take a cutting. There's a branch that's growing in the wrong direction already....

Daniel, the 'Denethor' flower is larger than other Jade flowers, but that's the only difference I've noted. Hopefully I'll be able to cross-pollinate again this season, and hopefully get some viable seedlings going.

Marguerite, that one is 'Maruba Nishiki,' which I once heard was a cross between 'Hummel's Sunset' and Crassula ovata obliqua.

Josh

Thank you Josh! I miss mine(

Marguerite, that the one I am sending you..Isn't it funny how different it looks in someone else's care? You would never know it is from the same plants..Nice Josh!

Chirs, if you get a moment. e-mail me...I have two plants set aside for you)

Mike, it is really very kind of you. That is just so beautiful. Now all I need is some of Josh's sunshine.

This is my Maruba Nishiki cutting just putting out some nice growth...

Making Waves...

Excellent blooms, and growth, Christopher!

I love this time of year...although our plants are stuck indoors, the growth carries on.

Josh

I love seeing those blooms Josh and Christopher, they're incredible!

So happy to see new growth on this Crassula ovata variegata (Akai). I swear it just enhanced its variegation, with the older leaves becoming more ivory tone... truly is one of my favorites.

-Nancy

I recall reading bens2bens say that a characteristic of 'regular' variegated C. Ovata is that new leaves emerge mostly pale green and develop stronger variegation as they grow, so your observation makes sense Nancy.

My 'akai jade' cutting is just starting to root, so I can't really say but it does look that way.

Daniel

Baby

Christopher

Christopher

Gorgeous blooms as always!
I'd like to know how you achieve such blooming and what is missing to bloom for my Jades.

Daniel

this cultivar just is. This is normal. But I wouldn't call him 'Akai' (Red in Japanese). It's 'Alba'. 'Alba' will never be such red as 'Hummel's Ghost'

Oksana.

Chris, where did you get that Maruba cutting? I was about to give you one and couldn't remember if you had one yet?

Oksana, that is high praise coming from someone like you, who grows such nice Jades under less than favourable conditions. What did the trick for my two Jades that are in bloom now was a summer outdoors. My variegated Jade I had in direct sun, and my other Jade that bloomed I had in a location with a bit less direct sun.

Mike, sent you an email...

Christopher

So its spring in Australia but I wanted to contribute too!

Some cuttings waiting to be planted.

Not mine but in my garden. The trunk is so thick! It must be pretty old.

Wow, that is one gnarly Jade, Kzzle!

Christopher

That is awesome! The largest Crassula ovata obliqua that I've ever seen!

Josh

Curiosity got the better of me so I found my tape measure.

The trunk is approx 55 inches in circumference!

*not including that stumpy bit on the right there

Amazing Jade there Kzzle, it's got to be around 4ft high, maybe bigger...yes?

gill UK

Christopher

thank you for sharing!

Oh, our summer with direct sun continues no more one month.

Oksana.

kzzle, WOW that's a beautiful specimen. Does it regularly flower? Would be quite a sight I imagine.

Lots of flowers opening.....

And a Maruba Nishiki leaf has sent out roots after two weeks....now I hope it continues into a plantlet.

One of my white-flowering Jades finally opened its blooms....sad, though, that the hail destroyed most of the buds....and leaves :-(

And, for good measure, a shot of the Jade to the left, with most of the blooms open....

Nice flowers, Josh.

A few new photos of my blooms...

Excellent shots, Christopher!
And some buds yet to open...I can't wait to see them!

Josh

All those wonderful blooms! Makes me wonder if C. ovata and/or arborescence self pollinate and easily create viable seeds? Would a little shaking be enough to encourage this, or is more work necessary?

Daniel

Chris, since you live near me, what do you do to get yours to bloom?? Do you just leave them in a sunny window, leave them out late to be exposed to cold weather, keep them in a cool room or one that is heated? Do they get natural daylight only?

I can't be doing something right(

Mike, I thought YOU had all the secrets for Jade success...

Two of my larger Jades that I left outside with a few smaller ones all summer bloomed for me, my first flowers ever. Most of my larger jades, and my most prized ones I kept inside, in my south facing window, and these did not bloom. My conclusion is that Jade flowering is triggered by temperature drop, not by hours of daylight.

I tried to hand pollinate some of the flowers, I will see what the results are.

Christopher