My next acquisitions in the fall and next spring, of course!

It's not easy being obsessed.

At the top of my list are:

1. Michelia champaca or alba
2. Ylang-Ylang
3. magnolia coco

The first two are legendary for fragrance, and are probably much too big for my limited space, but of course that makes me want them even more! The third seems like it would actually work as a houseplant during the winter, but I've heard reports it's not as easy or as fragrant as the growers say it is.

What's at the top of your must have/really-want-but-could-never-grow-it list?

Enjoy the flowers, and have a great 4th of July weekend!

Jim

Kasie

Not to easy to come but so easy goes ;-]

Sorry to hear about your wrightia -- I've heard they can stand a complete defoliation, but I haven't tried it with mine; I'll be cautious in the future! I had a terrific flush of blooms in early summer, I may cut back the branches and see if I can get another.

Kaisie -- I'm still waiting for a dwarf champaca to be developed! ;>)

Jim

Just purchased a Michelia Alba...
Really would like a champaca for my backyard and I hear we can leave those out all winter in Z9. Also, in side yared of my house, I am putting about 13 roses in. Have a whole list of wants there....have been reading the rose forum and a number of other sources to try to find roses that waft!!

Oh, also want a tall pink brugmansia!!

Never just 1 want!!!
Karen

The coco is a nice plant but the bloom barely last a day and is only scented a part thereof. The smell is really pleasent but the flower is so shortlived.

You cannot go wrong with the michelias. They bloom profusely and waft a great scent.

Wow, you have earned the bragging rights on those blossoms. Is your's the double or single flowers?

I had only just began to learn a little during the 5 years that I had the Wrightia. I seem to recall reading somewhere
regarding defoliation as well. Have you ever considered trying this treatment with yours? I would really like to hear
conformation how well your's responds to this treatment and your observations of how the new leaf flush performs.
If you should receive another flush of those lovely blossoms I would also love to hear about that as well.

For those looking for a dwarf michelia, I top off one of mine every year and it's none the worse for wear. Seems like you could keep one just about any size with this technique.

What's special about wrightea? Never heard of it...

Yup, my want is simple.
Elaine

thanks for the thumbs up on the mag. coco -- what michelia are you growing, by the way?

Here's my take on wrightia --

to the best of my knowlege, it has a long history of cultivation in gardens and containers in Southeast Asia, and a shorter history as a tropical bonsai species, but was pretty unknown in North America until about 4-5 years ago.

Somebody imported it because it's fragrant, pretty, compact, takes pruning well (but see Supannee's post above!), and blooms in flushes on new growth, and suddenly it became "the legendary wrightia religiosa" -- gotta love a botanical name like that anyway -- and so I naturally took the bait and ordered one.

Here's the catch: I ordered a three foot high specimen from a company, Bloomin' Good, that no longer does mail order! Some nurseries sell small starters, and I suspect they're harder to grow because they don't have extensive root systems -- it's really a tree, not a woody vine like most true jasmines.

Mine has been very tough within limits, it takes full sun and loves the heat, has survived night temps down to the low 50s with only some leaf dieback (I wouldn't leave it out in anything under 50 degrees), and has survived spider mite attacks in winter.

The flowers look like single fuschia flowers, and all hang on roughly the same horizonal plane in a cluster, so several clusters open at once look very elegant. The scent is not, I'd say, quite as wonderful as a sambac jasmine; it's not as heavy, and slightly less rich, but it's very nice, again particularly when you've got a lot of flowers.

I don't seem to have a picture of it right now; if I get more blooms soon I'll post 'em!

Elaine, I'm pretty sure "Cottage pinks" is just a name for a group of carnation cultivars, not one particular variety. Check some seed catalogs and Flower Scent Gardens online to see if you can find some good ones!

Jim

A bit more on Wrightia religiosa. As the species name 'religiosa' implies, much like Ficus religiosa not only does this Plant
has a long history in association with the Buddhist religion and Buddhist Monks, 'Mook koew' is highly regarded for
containing medicinal properties as well.

Which plant becomes special to someone is a matter of a personal perspective. I think every gardener has his or her own special
favorite that is close to their heart. For myself, it is simply a pleasure that I allowed myself a bit of time learning what this plant
needs and it's natural requirements in keeping it looking at it's best. Together with my attempt with a little manipulation and hope
that the plant will respond to my optimistic desire for it to have a presentable appearance and, my eye, pleasing personality.

During this process I somehow lost myself to this lively greenery thing becoming dear to me. Lol.

Supannee: I've enjoyed your posts for years. I broke my leg a couple of weeks ago and am now in a toe-to-hip cast for six weeks. Among my first thoughts when I got the news: My dog! My horse! My plants! (It all worked out, thank god.)

There is also a variegated wrightia. The scent is just slightly less that the non-variegated.

I wanted to know if any of you might have the wrightia religiosa double variety or where I can get it. I am looking for seeds or plant. If no one has it I can settle for the single variety if possible. Any help would be appreciated so much as I am new to this site. I have looked everywhere but no luck.

Thanks
Tini

It continuously gives blooms as long as the weather is great. It can bloom indoors too if its in the right spot on a sunny window. For those of you who are low on space, you can keep it in a relatively small pot, as litte as a 1 gallon and it will still be floriferous. The cuttings root very easily too. And the flowers can be used to infuse in cold water for drinking, or to make tea.

Grand Duke of Tuscany Jasmine may not be as exotic as something like Michelia alba, but the fragrance ranks high up there too in my opinion. I love Michelia alba, but when ever it goes into a 'rest' period, I have Grand Duke of Tuscany to enjoy.

There's a nursery that some folks have big problems with (initials are TT) that may carry the double variety; also check with Gardino in Delray Beach, they're good folks to ask about exotic stuff.

Musaboru,

My main problem with GDT was I couldn't keep it happy; unless it was very warm and humid, the plant just stalled and dropped leaves; when it was actively growing, it was very leggy. I totally agree about the fragrance, though, it's just fantastic!

Jim

There are several other plants I'd like to try, including Buddleja paniculata, Diospyros armata, Lawsonia inermis, and Rondeletia splendens. Unfortunately, some of these are very hard to find.

Personally I prefer Michelia X alba over M. champaca, but I know many friends from India have opposite opinions. Since the fragrance for these two are quite different, it is not a bad idea to test-smell them first. I am trying one Cananga odorata, but I do not think that it will bloom before it out-grows my greenhouse. My amazingly robust Wrightia religiosa came as a tiny 2" seedling from Logees in 2004. It has gone completely dormant twice but has come back with no ill effects. This year I used bonsai soil and gave it more shade than before, and it seems to respond with better foliage. The fragrance is so-so, but the plant is long-blooming, unlike Magnolia coco. A couple months ago, I brought my Magnolia coco to one of my local horticulture society's regular meetings. There was one pristine flower that just opened that morning. It started to disintegrate just when I was lifting it up to show the audience that evening, probably accelerated by all the shaking and movements along the way. The fragrance is very fruity and very strong. With its nice form and beautiful foliage, I am sure it would be much more popular if someone could make it bloom longer and repeat more often.

For the record, I've smelled Michellia x alba, and though it was lovely, I don't think it's tops of my list. Shocking, I know, but everyone's nose is different. It's also just too big for what little room I have left inside.

Carrie, I'm totally with you on sweet olives, it's one of my 'must-have' plants. M. figo, though, is too banana-ish for me, and the flowers, like others in the genus, seem to be very short-lived, especially up north here and indoors.

Still planning on a magnolia coco, and my new (old) want is that old standby, mitriostigma, aka african gardenia. I smelled on at a farmer's market in Manhattan, having forgotten how nice it was, but tried to be sensible and didn't buy one, and now they don't have them anymore! D'oh!

Daxin, someone, I think Pat McCracken down in North Carolina, had a m. coco x m. grandiflora cross, which hadn't bloomed yet. If somebody can get a hybrid that gets the best of these two, I think you're right that they've got a big, big hit on their hands!

Happy fall,

Jim

i agree with everyone's nose being different. i have a large 25feet michelia alba in my front yard.atleast 4 times a year it blooms and blooming lasts for a month at a time. early morning, late evening wafting fragance is just feast for the nose. i am not talking about smelling one flower at a time though.

Radha.