I ordered my first one from Pepper's Greenhouse and the plant arrived was good size.

Since you're in So Cal, I would check out Sunshine Growers Nursery in Ontario (they are a few miles south of the Ontario Mills on Milliken and there's also a location in Corona).The gallon-size plants are around $5 each. The people there don't know the actual name though, they call it Grand Duke, but I assure you it's actually Belle of India.

Oh thank you for that info! We're heading to Corona next week for a party so maybe I can talk DH into stopping by Sunshine.

Do you know how fast these things grow? I was hoping for bigger plants (blooming now would be perfect). Patience is not my greatest virtue. I have been waiting what seems like forever for my Plumerias to bloom this year. So I'm looking for something besides my 3 M Albas to bloom. Maybe some Gardenias and Jasmines.

Thanks again!

No Clue you need to add an Aglaia odorata too =) hehe.

Kemistry,

I will but only if it smells good! Can you describe the scent please?

It has a very pretty lemony scent. One of my top 3 fav scents (the other 2 are lotus and tuberose). Ask Robert, he will tell you how good it smells :P

Ok if Robert likes then I like. Now tell me where to get it and consider it done.

Now what is this lotus and tuberose you are talking about? I am still on the hunt for Belle of India for goodness sake! Couldn't find it but came home with Arabian Nights. Only four blooms the rest are buds. But it was nice enough so I just bought it. I couldn't very well came home empty handed.

Now I will have to find the other too you mentioned.

Belle of India grows a little faster than a gardenia I would say. Before you head out to that nursery, give them a call though before you go. The last time I was there, their jasmines were not in bloom because it was back in March. But most jasmine sambac varieties should be blooming by now here.

Ok thank you Musa!

I was looking at the GRAFTED Gardenias but I didn't buy b/c the the plants were pretty big already and I don't have space! So unless I can let go of some of my plumerias I just can't get something that's already 3-4 ft tall and equally wide. Plus I have killed every single Gardenias within 3 months under my care so at this point I'm thinking I should give up on that and try Jasmine. This Arabian Nights better hold up or else!

Thanks again!

Here is my Arabian Nights - hope I don't kill her!

{{gwi:794235}}

No-Clue, you should check out the newer gardenia cultivars such as Frostproof. I think this is one of the less finicky gardenias ever. You can probably special order this through your Monrovia retailer or order it online. Mine stays very small and compact, but I have it in a pot.

Also, I hate to break it to you, but that doesn't look like Arabian Nights (the cultivar). What you have appears to be just the plain old, single-flower Jasminum sambac. We refer to it as Maid of Orleans, but it is commonly labeled as Arabian jasmine in the nursery trade. I don't think Monrovia propagates the actual Arabian Nights cultivar yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2978/arabian-jasmine.php

So it's Maid of Orleans? It's ok bc I need to practice not killing them. Plus I really like the fragrance and it was really cheap, only $24.99.

I wish it was easier to find Belle of India. I want instant gratification so I want bigger plants... and all the online sites have tiny plants!

No-Clue,

You live in CA so you might be able to find large specimens of 'Belle of India' though it only took a year for the ones I got from Pepper's to get large (I grow them in the 5:1:1 mix). :)

As for Aglaia odorata (Chinese Perfume Plant) it does indeed smell wonderful though it is a light scent. Don't expect a heavy scent like a sambac jasmine will deliver. :)

You can order them from all sorts of places like Pepper's, Logee's, Amazon, Zone 9 Tropicals, etc.

Here's what I wrote about Aglaia on Logee's site-

I grow many fragrant plants- jasmines, brugmansias, brunfelsias, etc. and Aglaia odorata is definitely one of my favorite scents. Ive heard descriptions ranging from a clean, sparkling lemony scent to Limoncello and Roy Genders in Scented Flora of the World states the following: Said to be the most exquisitely scented of all flowers, like vanilla but with spicy undertones. LOccitanes lemon verbena Eau de Toilette comes close to the scent when the real thing is not available. The fragrance is variable depending on ambient temperatures and humidity. I do not know why more people do not grow this wonderful, attractive plant.

-Robert

I just checked Almost Eden's site and they have several Belle of India in 4.5" pots available at the moment. :)
Almost Eden generally sends large plants through the mail.

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Almost Eden's Belle of India

This post was edited by robert1971 on Tue, May 28, 13 at 15:38

Hey thank you for the Belle of India source. If I can't find a larger one locally then I will definitely get one from there.

Wow your review on Aglaia Odorata was very helpful. Fragrance is a very personal thing... like how I don't like CA Sally. She smells like stinky armpits to me! Lol. So I will have to find a place to sniff these. :)

Vedicgardens.com in NC has all the Indian plants! Call 919-612-7100