You sound like Confessions of a Serial Plant Killer, ha ha!

I've never grown night blooming jasmine before, I must admit so I'm no help. But don't give up, look, if you can keep gardenias alive, you can do ANYTHING! :) Just don't give up, Tony! Your thumb is much greener than mine, ha ha!

LOL, Confessions of a Serial Plant Killer..that'd make one he** of a movie, huh?
A suburban housewife, hunts for plants by moonlight. In her cold, clammy, skeletal hands is a super-sized can of Raid!!!! nahahaha..LOL..
Oh goodness, what a day..been weeding and planting annuals. Just a few and so much more to do. My darn back is out, so I dread tomorrow. But it's gotta be done.
Mersi, do you guys get those viney weeds (don't know their name) flowers resemble Morning Glory? They twist around plants and strangle, talk about plant killers!!
Well, thanks for the compliment, but for the life of me, I can't grow Night Blooming Jasmine. They are so pretty. Their leaves gorgeous..
Oh speaking of Gardenias, I got a couple more at Almost Eden Plants..LOL..one variegated dwarf..don't know how it'll do since I've never had a dwarf before..Anyone know their care.
Also bought a second, standard variegated Gardenia to add with the first, (make compact) It stands almost 2' tall and price was more than reasonable..gotta love that nursery. I pray it blooms and lives..
Actually, my thumbs and fingers are pretty black right now from digging in muddy dirt outside. LOL. We've gotten more rain this last week than all spring. I hope summer's here for sure. After weeding, planting and lugging house plants outside, then it can rain..in fact, T-storms are so cozy. Anyone else love them?
See, Merci, that's part of the Serial Plant Killer story..gotta have T-storms..foggy nights, lightening zig-zagging in the sky, roaring thunder to block my approaching footsteps so the neighbors haven't a clue as to who's IT. LOL..Okay, I'm beat, getting giggly here..lol..luv ya guys..Toni

Oh, you are talking about bindweed, does it have milky sap (BLOOD...BLOOD FROM INNOCENT PLANTS!! ON MY HANDS!!) come out of the stems or leaves if you break (CRUSH, MANGLE...KILL!) them? Yeah, I'm always pulling (THROTTLING, CHOKING THEM...HAHAHAHA) those out of the ground...so many weeds, so little time! :) Just put in corn, had to wait for the temps to get warm finally!

I actually was just cheering myself up reading the suicidal gardenia thread...misery loves company! I finally said to hell with it and stuck that rat a)) plant on the back porch where it can live or die. And then I'm going to order another one and kill that one (OH SO SLOOOWLY) too!! =:O I will never give up, if I have to waste 1,000 bucks on gardenias till I get one to survive (KILLING PLANTS MAKES ME HAPPIEEEEEE...), I'll do it...ha ha ha ha ha haa..... Yeah, I'm going crazy.

I got a book on taking care of flowering plants, I was going to look up night blooming jasmine for you..and do you know that our poltergeist in our house hid the book from me?!?! I HATE when they do that! They are always taking stuff, last time it was a box of cereal. Never did find that. ;D

If I find the book, I'll type out what it says.

Almost Eden...hmm, maybe I should try them. Do their gardenias usually die a fast death, or a slow agonizing one?

Yeah we've been having oodles of rain, at first I thought we were gonna have another drought, but seems to be quite the opposite for now. I'm just glad I don't have to keep watering my new plants outside. At least I can grow SOME plants, ha ha!

I love thunderstorms! I love seeing them approach. I get all excited and pull out my razor sharp pruning shears and sneak up on my sleeping gardenia...gripping the handle, my knuckles turning white under the pressure I....

;) I'll let you know when the poltergeist gives me my book back!

Ciao baby! :)
~mersie

You guys are a riot!
Thanks, I needed that tonight!

hello, guys, this year is totally strange. for some reason, all my jasmines died ( i have had them for almost 10 years) and 2 of my citrus: meyer orange and a satsuma orange. one day the lemon had flowers, the next day the whole plant just died. my hibiscus tree (which I have had for 5 years) also committed suicide. I guess they are all tired of living with me!! my gardenia tree is still hanging on. i saw some beautiful gardenias and jasmine today in the garden centre: but i resisted; i think of my recently deceased ones and cannot bring myself to replace them so soon.
sue

Littlem, did you somehow offend a witch doctor? Either that or your plants did a suicide pact....oh I know how you feel....

My condolences! Hey, just get right back up and buy more plants! Your other ones who have passed on would want you to do that.

Hey Toni, the poltergeist returned my book. Here is what it says about night blooming jasmine....

Light: Full Sun

minimum temp: 40 degrees F

Soil: any well drained potting mix

Fertilizer: moderate amounts, year round

best time to prune: prune winter bloomers in early summer,and summer bloomers in late winter; prune any time growth is excessive. Hard pruning can delay flowering for several months. Only flower on canes that are mature.

It doesn't go into what Ph it likes, or what types of fertilizer to use, I guess any all purpose one would work.

Hope this helps!

Mersiepoo, you are so funny...I just absolutely love reading your posts, you have me in stitches. Don't ever lose your sense of humor. We plant lovers need that, especially when it comes to some of those temperamental plants...thanks for making me laugh!

Sue, I am sorry to hear about your plant loss. You are among good company, as we all have gone through it. When you feel better you will replace them and try again. Gosh knows that's what I do. You are one of the reasons I have gardenias. Take care,

Take care

Puglvr, thank you for enjoying my witty posts, I'm glad you like them! It's either laugh or cry with plants sometimes, so I figure I better laugh about them instead! :)

Hope Toni is having some good luck with his night blooming jasmine...drat, another plant I just have to get now! I saw they have a red variety...must add to my addiction now.

You're mad, all of you; mad, I say!!

Growing jasmines and gardenias isn't hard, I just listen to the big purple elephant who sits on my left shoulder and whispers secrets to me in classical Urdu. Funny thing is, I can understand everything he says perfectly, I just wonder why he keeps telling me that all people from Rhode Island are evil and must be avoided at all times?

I don't think there's a particular secret to night-blooming jasmine; it's just not an easy windowsill plant because it needs so much sun and warmth, and also because it grows so fast it's hard to keep the plant/pot ratio right, so it often ends up running out of space and soil and dries out too quick, or stays too wet.

In the Caribbean it grows as a 6' high and wide clumping bush, so you can't treat it like a little bitty sambac that can stay in a smallish pot for years.

Littlem, so sorry about your old friends -- something that quick suggests a virus or fungus attack; when you do replace them, I'd get rid of all the old soil and give the pots a scrubbing and disinfecting, too.

Now excuse me, please, my purple-trunked master is telling me to get back to work sticking voodoo doll pins in my map of New England . . .

Jim

Hey Jim,

Ha ha, yeah I'm nutso too, but admitting that is the first step, at least that's what my counselor says.
BTW, how do you get that purple elephant poo off your clothes? Doesn't it stain?
Reading your notes on night blooming jasmines, I may stick to killing just gardenias. But the temptation is still there!

hello, everyone, thanks for your support. you guys are so great and funny. sorry i did not respond sooner.
sue

So Toni,
did you finally off your night bloomer? Inquiring minds want to know!

:) Hope it's still around. :)