Boy, Sue...I'm not sure what to say....my NBJ is just now starting to set buds....it's one of the easiest in the yard and roots from cuttings in a heartbeat....we've dug them up and moved them and they've come back..I chopped this one to within an inch of it's life in February..it always comes back fuller than before. I have one that gets full morning (til about 2 or 3 PM- sunlight...once in awhile gets fertiilzer...sometimes water. When it decides to bloom, it blooms it's lil heart out...and seems to have several 'flushes' of blooms a year. If I recall it's best in summer months.....one of my very favorite plants, but it probably gets the least attention. Have you considered popping it into the ground???

Yes, I'd love to put it into the ground but leery as to what light conditions it prefers. My neighbor across the street has been dealing with bugs, etc...and wishes me good luck. I've always been blessed with happy plants and I want this one to be happy too. So far, it seems quite happy in it's pot. I know the roots must be.
What fertilizer would you recommend? Have you dumped coffee grounds under it? I'm sure it's a pretty maintenance-free plant...I'm probably just being too maternal thinking that by moving it into a "larger-pot-syndrome" with too rich a soil may be putting it into a temporary shock.
Thanks for your note back Beth,
Sue.

Mine has bloomed once, and it has a new set of buds.

My mom kept the one I gave her in a big pot for a few years, it did fine. Hers is on an eastern exposure and I swear it blooms more than mine does in full sun. They do get continually eaten by caterpillars, but I just consider that natural pruning :) and I rarely spray. Mine aren't blooming right now. I do believe the old wive's tale that blooming corresponds with the moon cycle. I always have more blooms around the full moon. And much more in summer than winter. I'd say be patient and you'll have blooms in no time. By the way, I rarely fertilize or water mine.

I've been wondering when this would happen too!

Mine is just now sending out new flushes of growth and setting buds. It gets about 5 hours of sun, mostly in the morning. In my experience, this plant does fine in shade or sun, it just needs to be watered if it gets too dry. It is not particular to soil. The soil should be fertile, but I would not worry about a ton of amendments. This plant is tough and usually does not complain.

As to the old wive's tale, I believe it too. NBJ is in the Nightshade family which has many mystical and factual associations with the moon and night-time.

Can anyone post pics of the NBJ? I'm not sure if I bought the right ones a couple of years ago...mine have been moved to an area (by side gate) where I am building an arbor out of white lattice.

Kim

My NBJ dies back in the winter. It is now very bushy four feet tall. I never fertilize mine,no problems with bugs. I just water her once in a while. She should start blooming soon.
The flowers are very tiny but oh, the scent is awesome.
later in the season there is white berries which when they drop they sprout very easily.
I have planted several new ones in several places but it seems to do best facing the east.
I save the coffee grinds for the compost.
Felix

I have 3 NBJ's. Only one has blooms and the other two do not. But, the other two were turned into swiss-cheese by whatever likes to eat NBJ.

I just discovered that the systemic that I use on my roses (Bayer) also works excellent on NBJ. No more leaf eaten NBJ. All the leaves are coming back, but that is probably why I have no blooms on those two bushes.

Mine is in bloom now. Just as everyone else said, it gets no special attention, water and fertilizer when everything else does. It does get eaten by something but bounces right back. It is in the ground, so I don't know if in a pot makes a difference and it gets full sun. It gets huge and I must prune it back,so if you do put it in the ground allow enough room. It is one of the easiest plants I grow. :o)

NBJ reminds me of Bouganvilla - it thrives on neglect . Those cut back take longer to bloom than those left alone . My original plant was cut to almost nothing and is returning with beautiful growth - no flowers yet . Cuttings that are several years old and received no trimming have buds but no open blooms - yet .
You may be just far enough north of us that it might take a week or two longer for your plant to set buds .
NBJ seem to like plenty of sun and to be in the ground . Cuttings practically root before your eyes . My best performing NBJ is directly under a strong security light that runs all night long .
I think that no matter how much or how little you do for this plant , it will survive and do just fine . I recommend planting it in the ground . Then start cuttings and put those in the ground in different places under different conditions . That experiment will tell you more about your own garden and plants than we ever could .

Thanks guys! Excellent advice as always. Maybe the next time we have a full moon, I'll camp outside and see if that's the magic touch it's waiting for.
Sounds as though eastern exposure and in the ground is the route I plan on taking. I'm first going to wait on the full moon and then take it from there.
Thanks again everyone, you're the best!
Sue.