Hey Mike,
It's been a long time since I've had a Bouvardia, they all died. You must be doing something right, so keep it up.
I don't recall a fragrance, but like I said, it was long ago. Good luck, and Congrats, Toni

Toni, I love them so so much, that I was traveling to Logees every year for the past 4 years to replace the one that I would kill too as soon as winter rolled in..lol Logees is in Conneticut mind you. They are even more fragrant than Gardenias!!! I actually love the fragrance on these more come to think of it, if they grow. Well want to laugh, not knowing that Al's soilles mix would even work for them, since every time they died I was growing them in potting soil, I gave it a shot and I went and bought 5 of them this past spring again, ok.
They are all THRIVING this time!!!!! Loaded with flowers that give off the most strongest frangrance at night you could ever imagine!!wowow. I will take pictures. I havn't lost one this time. In fact I feel really bad. I had absolutly no room for 3 of them,I thought I would loose them again, but nope, so yes, I tossed them in the trash. The smallest of them though. I hated to do this..I hated it. I almost pulled them out of the trash 6x that night. Thank god it was trash day the next. I even threw out all my little palms that would of grown 1 foot by the time I croaked into the trash bin too. I just can't fit all these plants in my only sunny room...I am evil I know.
Toni, they love the soiless mix they are in. Their roots are so fine, and EXTRA sensitive to wet soil. They die of root rot for everyone I have known to grow them. Even Logee's looses some here and there. Theirs are growing in peatmoss of course.
You should try one of these with Al's mix. When I mean they are thriving, I mean it. Growing like weeds.
I will send you a barerooted one and soil to boot so you can enjoy this beautiful plant once again...Just for you, after all your help!! Oh ya, No insects on them either because of you. They are prone to them also. No rot, No insect, they flourish!!!! I wish I could bottle up the fragrance and send it to you in a bottle....:-)

Hi Mike!
Ah- Bouvardia is one my favorite plants to kill. I've killed three- two from the grocery store and one from Logee's.(I LOVE Logees!) The fragrance is truly to die for- mine all smelled like Fruit Loops cereal- no lie. I will try again and again with these plants, I love them so much!
Congratulations on your success!

Hey I found the key to sucess with these..Ok I killed a few too before I learned.
Their roots are so fine, that they easily get root rot. They have to be planted in a VERY fast draining medium. Al's mix or, potting mix with at least half perlite and more bark.
Then give them lots of light in the winter months. The more sun the better!!
It is the soil that they grow in that is the key. If you grow them in just potting mix from the store, they are sure to do poorly, especially, "Miracle Grow" at least for me. The peatmoss collapses on those tiny roots and suffocates them extremely fast.