Gardenia

Gorgeous. Flowering now?

Hi, yes just coming into bloom

Wish I could smell it from here!

Amazing how the whole house fills with the fragrance.

That's amazing you can get a Gardenia to bloom indoors! They only grow outdoors here in the sun. I love the fragrance of all Gardenias. My Vietnamese Gardenia just stopped flowering a week ago. It has more buds; however, the weather has turned unusually cold (highs in the upper 50's and low 60's) here in San Diego after the months of summer-like, hot weather.

Honestly, I'm surprised too, but apparently I found a 'sweet spot' for them in my porch. When they bloom, I know spring is very near.

Spring has been delayed here, sadly. Temperatures around zero for most of this week . . . even -5 mid-week.
I've stupidly booked a pedicure for Wednesday, so will be in flip-flops, lol!

Bathgate:

That's great! I know most species of Gardenia are pretty hardy. They do like a lot of light, though. Here in San Diego, if not grown in the ground they will burn in full sun.

They can be fussy. The temperature, light & humidity must be just so. They hate cold drafts and cold water. But when tbey do bloom, it's all worth it. I love the pure white against tbe dark green leaves.

Sheila at least you can wear the flip flops in the house and your feet will be all ready for when Spring finally arrives. I just want to go swimming in the ocean. I love being tossed around by the waves.

Gardenia really loves an acidic soil, which isn't common here in San Diego. I have to put vinegar in water to acidify the soil here.

I usually put the leaves from the 85' tall Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) in the front yard into the soil or pots to add some acidity.

I do the same thing- sprinkle conifer leaves all around them. Also,, you can place a conifer log under the gardenia and just let it sit there and decay. It will acidify the soil steadily for years.

Swimming in the ocean sounds wonderful Paul. How far do you have to drive for your nearest spot? Spring can’t come soon enough!

I grew up on Long Island beaches Sheila, either swimming, fishing or boating. Also clamming in the Great South Bay. We figured out how to catch our own clams using our feet. They are usually buried in sediment 3-4 feet underwater, the decent sized ones. I'm never more than a 20 minute drive from the shore. But after Memorial Day, it can take over an hour because of traffic & finding a parking spot. I agree Spring can't get here soon enough. I'm starting to see things popping up already in the garden. Nothing is blooming though.

I just discovered my gardener hacked down my Major Wheeler Honeysuckle to the ground. I hope it grows back and I'm seriously thinking of firing him. I know everybody deserves a second chance but this is the 10th. I keep telling him to ONLY cut the grass. He keeps chopping up my plants in the borders. Some were expensive and not easy to find.

Bathgate:

That's very interesting, about the conifer log. Not too many conifers here, though. Ficus species (elastica, benjamina, retusa, and rubiginosa) are the dominant trees here. lol!

I would be furious if a gardener cut down plants I didn't want cut! My neighbor just had her Santa Rosa plum cut back by a pruning company. All the bearing wood was cut off...this was after she extensively asked the person if he knew how to cut back a plum tree. Crazy!

I know it's ridiculous. Then they say "oh, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry" and leave you with their big mess they created for you.

I know, it's so insane when gardening companies say they know how to take care of plants...and they really don't!

I don't trust any one with my plants, not unless I'm right there. It can take many years for a plant or tree to recover if it's trimmed incorrectly!

Yes, IF they recover at all. He actually dug up and threw out my iris rhizomes. He thought they were dead! lol.

That's very true! My neighbor will probably have to replace her Santa Rosa plum.

Hopefully, you have some rhizomes left in the ground. That's so insane. How do these people get their jobs?! :>/

That's a very good question.

I know, right? I hope your Iris come back!

Thanks but all that's left is a big hole where they once were. Maybe hs stole them.

Sorry to hear these sad tales . . . some plants are irreplaceable. Good story about the clams though Paul - hope it won’t be too long before you get your ocean swim.

Thanks Sheila. Hope this is the last storm. Looking forward to warmer days.

Aren't we all?! Snow again today, so my landscapers can't get on . . . it's "white out" out there :(

We are having a nasty wind storm with snow and rain mix. I thought I'd loose my roof. It's been blowing all day, the sound is deafening.

Hope all will soon be calm . . .

Bathgate:

I saw all the horrible damage there on the east coast on tv. I wish you well! Hopefully, it will be over soon! Stay safe.

Thanks Andy, the storm is passing. No major damage to me and that beehive is gone. I found a few pieces of it on the ground.

That's great new! I'm glad is over. I saw so much damage to the coastal areas on tv.

Thank You! yes, the winds that came through was worse than some hurricanes we had.

Wow! That's amazing there wasn't more damage where you live.

We've had some fallen trees. I found my neighbor's mailbox and somebody's house address numbers. luckily nothing major.

Wow! It's so good it was just fairly minor damage there. The damage on the coast was pretty major (from what I saw on the news).

Yes, some got it far worse than me. It was quite a storm. Now I heard another one is heading this way.

I've heard that on the news, also. Good luck! Stay safe.

I'm so glad we're back to 70 to 80ºF weather here, again.

Thank you. Enjoy the nice weather - sounds ideal!

:>)) The weather has been very nice. It will change this weekend. We should get some rain (which we need so badly).