Off topic: companion plant

ConroeJoe@aol.com ConroeJoe@aol.com
Mon, 05 Jul 2004 18:47:51 PDT
Hi,

This is a bulb forum and this posting is off topic.  But, I've just got to 
write about my love-hate relationship with Cestrum nocturnum--night blooming 
jasmine.  The plant goes well with Crinum and rain lilies in this area.  It 
should survive the mid-teens if mulched well, but small plants seem to survive OK 
in 3-gallon containers for months in an unheated garage.

These plants get 10-15 foot tall in frost free areas, and can make 6-8 ft. of 
growth here in our hot summers.  However, you don't need a large plant to get 
the "effect."  Small plants in a 3-gallon container will put out enough 
fragrance to perfume a yard.  However, large plants bloom earlier and longer.  

The thing about Cestrum nocturnum is the incredible strength of the 
fragrance.  I've seen articles that recommend planting it near a door or window.  From 
my experience, I would make sure a large plant is not too close to the 
house--the fragrance (most people like it) is powerful--about the most powerful that 
I know of.  However, the scent can be overpowering, incredibly strong.  I have 
never wanted to pull my plant out, but there are stories (garden legends) of 
people so overwhelmed by the scent that they have pulled the plant out in the 
middle of the night.  True or false, you be the judge.  

In summer, with the lush big leaves of Crinum, castor bean, and other 
tropicalesque plants, C. nocturnum is surely one of the wonders of the plant world.  


Conroe Joe


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