Mike, 'Maid of Orleans,' is the only Jasmine that doesn't give me problems. I've tried other types, but they died.

You didn't detect fragrance? About 10 yrs ago, I bought four Maids to place in different rooms as natural air freshener..flower scent is strongest at night. 'reminds me of citrus flowers.'

Because of space, I ended up potting all 4 Maids in a large pot. The pot's in the upstairs bathroom, west window.

Besides daily misting, every so often I set in the tub and we both shower, lol.
Over the years I found mites, once. I sprayed w/my home-made insecticide, and they died. (2 yrs ago) Never had problems again.

Reasons I like them: Easy to grow. Flowers year round. Very fragrant. Needs minimal care.

This isn't the best pic, but all I can find on Flickr.

{{gwi:105888}}

Got mine at Accents @ 4.95, but price might have increased.

BTW, is Duke, deciduous? Toni

Most flowers last 1-3 days, some longer. But think of some of the most gorgeous plants in the world flowers last 1-2 days, including Hibiscus.

Pros: It grows FAST. It smells great! Once it is happy, even if the blooms last one day, there are others ready to take their place the next day. It has attractive leaves, and takes to pruning fairly well. I kept one alive under a CFL for a surprising amount of time. It even bloomed!

Grand Duke of Tuscany is a slow grower, but gorgeous blooms. Toni, as far as I know, Duke isn't deciduous. I got mine in the fall and it grew just fine over the winter.

Cons: This is the main one for me, and it was a doozy: MITES. If I could keep the plant showered regularly, it would be fine. I just don't manage to, and now I don't have the room. Still, if I did manage to find some room, I'd definitely get another one. Maybe keep it near the kitchen sink so it can get hosed down regularly.

It's not my favorite but it's a heavy bloomer and easy to grow. The flowers lasting only a day doesn't bother me as I have loads of plants whose blooms are very short lived. GD is my favorite for scent and visual appeal. Quinn my prolem isn't mites, it's mealies. If it's not one thing it's another when wintering over the non hardy plants.

Hi Toni, Karyn, and Quinnfyre..

Thank you for your input...Still not convinced I should bring one home this winter for a couple of your reasons..But I think juts maybe, just maybe I might get another if I use the spray you taught me Toni and if I cut back my plant in the fall, it just may be a non problem plant when it comes to bugs...A plant as to be well worth it to me to take up a sunny space and rub shoulders with all my other special plants..lol

Thanks for the site of where to but one...I would not even pay a dollar to get another from a place I use to get all my plants from, not yet anyway..

Mike

I'm reluctant to post a response to your thread, but here goes.

If one has to be talked into a particular plant, perhaps it's best to pass on it altogether.

I grew one for a while (I think a GD) 'til I gave it away. Mine was VERY fragrant, was very thirsty. I kept it well watered & never had a hint of bugs (but my plants don't go outdoors).

Mike, if you decide to buy one, go to Accents. His prices are great and you'll get a nice-size plant in a 4" pot.

Karen, My MOO never goes outdoors. It's kept in the bathroom year round, in a west window. Toni

Pg: You and my mom thought alike...That is exactly what she told me today..lol
Thanks for your input..:-)

Toni: Thank you for directing me somewhere else other than, you know where..If you only knew...I will show you later the latest plant I got from you know who..Disgusting..

Good night all

Mike

I've wanted a jasmine for a while. In fact, I bought seeds a while back. I tried a few this summer but they didnt germinate.

It sounds like getting one in the winter is somewhat doable. So, if I wanted to get a jasmine, which ones would you suggest?

I love the smell and Toni I like your idea of using them as a natural air freshener.
- deburn

Deburn. There are many Jasmine varieties, including beautiful variegated types. One is 'Night Blooming Jasmine,' 'sorry, don't remember botanical name.'
Almost Eden sells variegated Jasmines.
But IMO, MOO is the easiest to grow, and doesn't attract mites like other Jasmines. Besides the reasons I mentioned above, it grows upright, 'not a vine.'
Google jasmine pictures, many will pop up. Also check out almost eden plants. Good luck, Toni

Hey Mike, How about I send you a cutting off of mine and you can experiment on and probably solve what my problem with mine is? LOL

Theresa

Thanks Toni, I was looking for recommendations on the "easiest" jasmine to grow, and it sounds like MOO is the one but I got freaked out a little reading about mites and mealies!

deburn

Had one for about 2 years here, bloomed heavy in the summer and best in shaded areas. Didn't have a problem with mites or bugs other than a bald faced hornet queen that tried to overwinter in the pot(talk about a fright! she was huge) the plant spent the winter in my cool sunroom (I miss that room already, new home here) and in additon to the fragrance another benefit was flavoring tea or water with the flower...I just float a flower or two in the glass for a few minutes and the liquid takes on the taste of the flower, very cool

Deburn, try not to worry about mites; if you do you'll never have another plant in your home. lol.
Most, if not all tropical plants attract mites, though I admit some plants are more susceptible than others.
On a scale from 1-5, 1 being the least chance, MOO's come in about 2.
As long as a MOO is cared for, 'like any other plant,' you'll have nothing to worry about.
I don't know what type of plants you have, or how many, but you can bet any plant can attract mites. Everytime you bring a new plant home, there's a chance of hitch-hiking mites and/or other pests on the new plant. This happens quite often. One well-known nursery, 'perhaps I shouldn't name it now,' is notorius for sending plants with bugs. One member here purchased plants from this nursery, and found four different types of insects on one plant. He isn't the only one who's dwelt with this problem from the same nursery.

Although I detest mites, 'who doesn't except for other mites, lol,' there are many other insects much harder to rid/kill, like Mealy.

Ohh, Chaz..how scary..Did your plant have more than one hornet or a whole nest?
What did you do?
Let me tell you what happened to me this summer.. I keep small plants in window boxes on a picnic table. Although there are holes in the window boxes, they sometimes clog. Sure enough, one window box, holding succulents, was filled with water, to the brim of the box.
I removed the succulents, then tilted the box over, to toss water out. A good portion of water fell on another plant beside the table. All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain on my leg, then a second. I started screaming. I didn't know what was happening. I ran, and felt another pain, this time on my hand between thumb and finger.
My son was standing outside while this was happening. I was in a state of panic, so I ran in the house, screaming and crying. It turned out, a nest of, I think honey bees were living in the pot beside the table. Guess they got scared when water landed in the pot/their nest, and attacked me. I got stung 5 times. The worse was the one on my hand..That thing swelled. Never being stung by a bee, I checked the puter, for remedies..That's when I saw Danger and Warnings. Bascially allergic reactions. I got so scared, I blacked out! My son called 911..lol..Well, turns out I frightned myself, which is the reason I blacked out. The paramedics assured me I was okay. If I had been allergic I wouldn't be talking.
Anyway, sorry didn't mean to write a short story, lol. One lesson I learned, NEVER check the puter for remedies after something happens. lol..Learn ahead of time.

Anyway, I think those darn bees are still living in my pot, though they're weak. I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave the plant out to freeze, however, I sure don't want repeat stings. Allergic or not.

I don't use chemicals..Do you know how to tell if bees are living in the soil, and how I can rid them, organically?
I really don't want to kill them, just get rid of them.
Years ago, I feared bees, later, ignored them. After getting stung you'd think I wouldn't want to be near another bee, but I don't feel this way..Spiders are another thing..if there were a nest of spiders living in a plant, plant and spiders could winter outside. I HATE spiders. So, do you have any advice? Did the queen live? Is she still in your pot? Or, did she fly elsewhere?

You flavor water/tea with MOO flowers? Is it sweet? Do you let sit before drinking? That's interesting? They're not poisonous? lol.. Toni

Thanks Toni, that's good to know. Being a 2 sounds like reasonable odds to me! And I think I'm ready to start on flowering plants - yay

Your bee story sounds quite traumatic. Glad you came out of it ok. How old is your son? My boy is 6 years old and I immediately thought of how he would feel if something like that happened.

Ok, short story from me too :-) Last year I had a bad fall when I was with him. I fell flat on my face (too embarrassed to tell you how that happened :-) Anyway, I was bleeding profusely, mostly from my nose/face, my sunglasses had shattered and I thought I'd broken my nose.

I asked my son to gather the pieces of my sunglasses, because I was looking up to slow the bleeding from my nose. I'm wondering how traumatized he was by seeing his father bleeding so much.

I shouldnt have bothered :-) after a few minutes, he says, can we go now??? I thought that was funny and I was glad too...
deburn

Gardening can be hazardous to your health! Wow what a story about the bees and the fall. Our plants will probably kill us all...

Mike, talk about mites, how about Plumeria's. You were growing them. Talk about mite magnets, I've never dealt with any plant that attracted mites like Plumies.

The Jasmine sounds interesting. How much light do they need?

Great stories,
Jane

Mites...Plumies, desert rose, brugmansia covered every winter so I let them go dormant and drop their leaves in the basement. I didn't have that problem with the MOO but did with the winterblooming vine.
Mike, didn't mean to hijack your thread but will answer Toni's question quickly. The queen was looking for a place to hibernate over the winter so she was alone, needless to say she didn't make it till the next spring. She decided to take flight into my living room and I wouldn't have been able to sleep knowing she was in the house so after 45 minutes of searching for her she was terminated. Wasp/vespa/hornet one of the few things that absolutely panic me. I had nightmares about her for weeks!
now, the flowers in water. Yep I just float them and let them sit for a while, it's not sweet but takes like a softer version of the scent. Pleasant if you like the scent!

Plumeria, mite magnets? You are not kidding about that...

The only time leaves exsist on those plants are either outside, or in my garage, and well sprayed as the start to grow before they are brought outside..After this until fall, they seem to disappear...
Once they are to come indoors for the fall, I snip "every" leaf off, spray them down with a a good pest preventative, then place them in the cellar in darkness until spring...Completly bare and no mites..

Quite a story Toni..Wow...I hope you never have that happen again....I really miss this plant alot, since I gave all mine away to family and friends, because I just didn't want to deal with the mites in hidden places..By the way, did I tell you that yours is a beauty?

I never stop thinking about this plant though, therefore it was a good reminder of why many still grow them, and possibly me again..I was actually givin a suggestion to try another and let it go wild all spring and summer, then once I am about to bring it in come the fall, to cut it way back, so I can easliy keep any possible infestion down to a zilch..Hummm

Thanks everyone..

Never a problem with anyone sharing any thoughts here Chaz, no problem.. I appreciate your contrubutions no matter what..

Mike

Jasmine is often used to scent tea. It is delicious! Try some jasmine green tea, if you like tea at all.

One thing I do remember about Maid of Orleans was that even if it got mites, if I rinsed the mites away fairly quickly, it grew fast enough to deal with some of the leaf loss that occurred from them. Sometimes it lost most of its leaves, and things would look dire. But it would always come back, as long as it was kept watered properly. I just lost the battle the last time because it lost a bunch of leaves and I let it get too dry for too long. It tolerates dryness quite well, just not forever.

Jane, jasmines tend to like a lot of light. I grew one of mine outside on an east windowsill that got direct sunlight til about 1pm, and then indirect light for the rest of the day, and it bloomed like mad. I also grew one under a CFL for a while. It was a 13W, I think, right up against the leaves almost. It worked moderately well, as Maid of Orleans tends to grow in an upright shrubby fashion, and CFLs only direct their light in a limited area.

I think I'm talking myself into getting another one, ha. I miss it. I just have no idea where I'd put it right now. My windows are crammed with hoyas and African violets. African violets, when happy, are surprisingly major space hogs.