Jasminum molle
Okay. I admit I've been a little obsessed lately with Plumerias and have been lurking on that forum but I wanted to share with my fragrant lover friends Jasminum molle, a jasmine from northern Australia.
This beaut has been perfuming our backyard at night. This is my second year with it and the mother plant has grown HUGE!
Thanks to Kemistry telling me about the Forysthe pot method I was able to create several babies from the cuttings that I took when I had to shear the beast down last fall before it spend the winter in the basement. ;)
The scent is hard to describe. Definitely not like a sambac. I always say like a musky gardenia but that doesn't do it justice. Suffice to say some will hate it and some will adore it.
Anyway it deserves to be better known.
Here's a pic of the mother plant growing like gangbusters in a huge pot with three babies around it.
Flowers open at dusk and have fallen from the plant when I get home at night after work.
You can tell when this one is blooming. It wafts!
-Robert
Comments (20)
Dar Sunset Zone 18
11 years agoHoly Molle! That is a huge plant. Only 2 years? You, sir, have an amazingly green thumb. :3 Does this variety produce seasonal blooms or does it have everblooming-potential like the sambacs? Thanks for sharing!
-DarRelated Professionals
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Original Author11 years agoDar,
Thank you! You're too kind however I only post my successes. I don't post about how I've already killed the two 'Sunrise Scentiment' tuberous begonias that I had and am now worried that my 'John Smith' might be next. ;)
Fortunately I changed out its potting mix into a modified gritty mix and so far so good. I'll post if I'm successful with getting it to bloom!Anyway to answer your question. As far as my memory and notes state it's a long bloomer. It does take a lot of water and fertilizer which is not shocking considering it's from a tropical rainforest.
Kemistry,
Yes. The blooms only last a day...I think I saw them on the ground today around 2pm?
Still worth growing since they produce so many blooms from the flower clusters!-Robert
Robert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoFor those wanting additional information on what I do with my Jasminum molles I thought I'd share the following:
I make my own potting mix. I use Al's 5:1:1 fast draining mix. I got the recipe from GardenWeb.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0212444023053.html
The hardest part is finding pine bark fines.
The best I've come up with locally is Hapi-Gro's compost (see link below) however I have to use an insect screen to sift out the pine dust that is in the mix.http://www.lowes.com/pd_383162-76450-OC02H_0__?productId=3694364
I've also started to use the insect screen for my perlite since it too can be as small as dust and needs to be sifted out.
It's important to screen out the dust or your potting mix will not be fast draining.
For fertilizer I like Dynamite's slow release fertilizer.
http://dynamiteplantfood.com/flowersvegetables.html
And if I think the plant needs some liquid fertilizer I like Dyna-Gro Grow.
But I also use Miracle-Gro since I have a lot of that from last year. :)
I grow my Jasminum molle in full sun.
I don't put the plant out until it warms up in the spring and I bring it in if the nights drop below 60 in the spring (not a problem now that summer is here).When it comes to cuttings I found Jasminum molle was much quicker to root using the Forsythe pot method than the few Jasminum sambac 'Belle of India' that I tried.
Forsythe pot method instructions-
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG4419.htmlRobert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoAlmost forgot. I used a heat mat for my cuttings which worked wonders.
http://www.amazon.com/Seed-Propagating-Seedling-Heat-Mat/dp/B004PAGPVO/ref=pd_sbs_lg_4
kandhi
11 years agoRobert, I use the same process as you stated above and all plants love this 5-1-1 mix and the fertilizer regime with micronutrients. So, you do think heatmat does help propagating jasmine cuttings.. maybe I should get it it may help them to root faster. I had my molle for past 8years and first 3-4 years it bloomed profusely in 100s of blooms but the vigor is lost as the tree grows older I guess. It is 5ft tall and in 5gallon container, I do not want to repot it in any bigger pot, maybe rootprooning and using fresh soil will bring the vigor back into plant to bloom it as it used to before. It sure does waft a lot..
Robert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoI would definitely root prune it and give it fresh potting mix! If it's not blooming I'd also cut it back to 2 or 3 feet. It should be blooming again in no time! :)
And yes. Bottom heat really helped my cuttings root fast! I also used some rooting hormones but I think the heat really did the trick.
How would you describe its scent? Very different from other jasmines. I gave a plant to some friends and they both liked it and said its fragrance was dark and rich.-Robert
kandhi
11 years agoYeah I guess, it is about time I root prune it to see if it blooms the way it used to. It is still budding and gives many blooms but not at the same rate as before. I love it's fragrance, it is mixture of gardenia +jasmine sweetness musky sweet strong fragrance. I don't know if I described it correctly. Some people find it to be very strong but I like it. And, I also love the fact that it produces several blooms at one time. I did make several plans from its cuttings and gave away to my friends locally. One thing with this plant is, it is low maintenance in winter and do not have that many pest problems unlike other sambac's. I prune the plant rutless every year and it grows back without any issues. It is sure a keeper..
this is an old pic of the plant from few years agoRobert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoBeautiful! Yes. It does produce hundreds of blooms at the same time and it does waft a lot as you said.
More people should be growing it! Laugh.-Robert
meyermike_1micha
11 years agoRobert! Wowowowo.
It's been a while since I have been around here and it is not a disappointment to be back. You gave me something to smile about! Between my broken heel which is finally better, my mother breaking her arm caring for me, then being sick, I almost forgot about this forum. I tend to stick around the citrus one lately since I have over 25 trees.lol
That is a beauty! If it doesn't smell like urine, which to me some do, than I want one.lol How did you get that plant? Was it small when you started?
Where can I purchase one? Is it a spider mite magnet?I really enjoy your pics. How have your Brunfelsia been lately? I'll bet you kept them..lol
Mike
Robert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoHi Mike!
So sorry to hear about you and your family's health issues. Glad things are better! :)
I don't think it smells like urine. Laugh.
I got mine from TT however sometimes Kartuz and Pepper's carries it (I think they're currently sold out).
Mine was a small plant but they grow fast with lots of sunshine, heat, water and fertilizer.
Mine hasn't been a spider mite magnet but insecticidal soap should do the trick if they do become a problem.My brunfelsias haven't been blooming so I've cut them back (B. giantea and 'Isola'). I also repotted 'Isola' into a larger pot and washed off the existing soil around its roots and used a modified gritty mix for the new pot. So far so good! Looking forward to it blooming...maybe by fall? :)
Can't believe you have so many citrus trees!
-Robert
meyermike_1micha
11 years agoHey Robert!
Maybe another addiction for you? Are you starting to feel the citrus bug yet?lol
If you like fragrance, then you ned to own one of these!Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it's been a hard recovery from a broken foot. It still hurts and here it is a year later!
Your plants is so beautiful. I hope to own one some day. I am glad it is not a spider mite mag.
You have been doing such a great job with yours!:-)Mike
dl99
11 years agoThanks Robert and Kandhi for sharing. Such lovely plants.
Thanks Kemistry & Robert for the Forsythe method, I will try it this fall.Attached is my molle, a tiny one compared to yours.
Robert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoHi Lakshmi!
Congrats! Good job.
I don't think yours is tiny. I bet by next year it will be just as large as ours!
How do you describe its scent?
I'd like to hear other people's description besides my 'musky gardenia'. :)-Robert
dl99
11 years agoThanks Robert, I did baby it for a while.
I got it in the fall of 2011 2 branches, then all the leaves fell and I was sure I killed it, Then come spring it went outside ,with warmer temperatures ,suddenly there was a growth spurt & nice flowers.
I feel nighttime is best to enjoy the musky fragrance. It sure is strong.
After reading a post that it smells like urine! I somehow can't get myself to smell it during the day!
Freshly opened flowers give the best fragrance.
Sunlight745
11 years agoI have been trying to get this plant, quite for some time. Just today I happened to see this forum and all the knowledge with beautiful pictures. Could you please let me know, how and where you got this plant from.
Thanks in advanceRobert (zone 7a, Oklahoma)
Original Author11 years agoHi Sunlight745!
I did a quick Google search and there are several companies that carry it. Bhatia Nurseries and Seeds of India look like they have some in stock. TT, Kartuz and Pepper's Greenhouses looks like they are currently out of stock so you might want to keep checking their sites.
Hope this helps!
-Robert
dl99
11 years agoHi,
I got it from Dogwood @ Ebayhttp://myworld.ebay.com/dogwooderitternet/
Other sources:
Accentsforhomeandgarden.com
logees.comThanks.
mrao77
11 years agoHi Robert,
Lovely Cestrum you have there! Just a word of caution, you may want to bring it in a pot indoors for the winter. I am pretty close to you, (Dallas area)and I lost my Night jasmine last winter, although we had a pretty mild winter :(
My friend in the local neighborhood had hers in the ground for several years, and it came back each spring. I had grown mine in a large pot(all my fragrants are in pots) I took the courage to plant it in the ground, as the plant had overgrown its large pot in seven years. it grew nicely over the summer, bloomed and then lost it over the winter. I am so sad.
Really enjoy looking at your pictures! Keep them coming :)Happy gardening,
mrao77
HU-731824647