Stephanotis, What's With the Seed Pods?

Hi Bill and Liz,

It is getting to Fall type weather at nights at least and it is getting time to plant bulbs soon. I had raised the pure white variety of the Lily, Stargazzers, my favorite flower. It is beautiful yet masculine and has a bold fragrance. After two years and countess flowers I dug up the 36 original bulbs and thought I would transplant them. A neighbor remarked about them and I gave them away , thinking I would buy them again and just never did. I planted a hedge where they were so now here is now room. Funny how that happens. So I know what a couple evenings at the nursey will do require from you.

Hi Debi,

I certainly hope they do make it and turn into more than seedlings.  It would be fun to grow these from seed. If the seedlings are anything like the parent , whoever I give them to will certainly enjoy them. Thank you.

Hi Renee, I am not as much of gardener anymore either. Though most see my green thumb as an alive trait.  It is more that I know how and/or can learn quickly.

Hi Jeff, Thank you. When I first mover to California, I had seen specimen Stephanotis at a lanscapers home tha I listed. It was totally amazing and he and his wife explained how he had raised it and were going to miss it the most in selling the home. I never forgot hw impressive and a few ago, I found a single plant for sale and I purchased it. I din't see many around then nor since. They must be popular somewhere though. :-) I anxious to try my luck.

Hi Sharon, Thank you for that very sweet compliment. When I was about 10 my dad touch me about how to tend to his rose collection. I used to ot in the night with a flashlight after tending them and discovered many thing abut the characteristics. I learned a helpful trick that when you first cut roses, to put them in cold water and refrigerate them for at least 24 hours. It retards the opening of the buds. So I would put the fresh ones out every day and refrigerate them at night and I had roses last sometimes for weeks and weeks. There were many other varieties as well but most of what I know I learned from observation and tending them. Another tip. If you love tulips, they also like refrigeration at night of at least 8 hours and cutting about an inch or two off the stems everyday. They are the only cut flower whose cells in the stem continue to multiply ( grow) after being cut. Cutting an inch or two off the stems each day helps to insure that they stand upright longer and remain fresher looking.

Hi Joan, Thank you very much Joan. I had just watered them and thought I should take a photo for this post. I wasn't sure if I would take a photo of the seedling ( had to dig up) or the pod. To me you can't take too many photos  so I tend to like more as opposed to less.

Hi Elizabeth. I try to fit it all in. Not so talented realy just like certain things and tend to focus my attention on them. I don't sleep so many hours ( not such a good thing really ) as there is a lot of life to sqeeze into to too few hours in a day.

You are so welcome for the pencil drawing. Isn't that a neat little tool. There are so many wonderful things you can do with it for others. Special things that don't take tha long but sure does make people happy. And I am realy into that. Making other smile , nothing like it in all the world.

Hi Myrl, I don't do nearly as much of it. If I weren't a blogger, I would be a more avid gardner. They seem that they are mutually exclusive.  As I mentioned in one of the other comments, I haven't seen very many of these plants around. They do not seem to be at the nursery's either for some reason. Maybe they know something like after they live 3 years and 1 day, they die or something, :-)

This was the first time I tried soaking the seeds. They soaked for about 2 weeks and I didn't see anything and all of a sudden there were the starter roots. That was too cool when  saw that and I really excited me that I may have a chance to grow these. Remember I live inland and anything in direct sun usually gets gets cooked, especially now with the water limitations for outdoor watering. Thankfully this plant is sheltered and likes being watered daily in limited amounts.

Good Morning Susie,

Well know you know. Will you be announncing a cowboy hitching anytime soon with no Stephanotis allowed, hehehe

Good Morning Elizabeth,

I am unacquainted with morning glories propagation but it well could be similar. These plants are not very similar to Jasmine as we know it. The Stephanotis is definetly a variety with differtent flower characteristics. For one thing they are larger with thick and waxy petals and the fragance is more like Gardenia.They grow with clumps of flowers, usually 10 or 12 in each clump.

When the pod opened, I took a few of the seeds the the plumes attached and put them in a glass of bottled water. I let them sit ( adding water only a couple times) and that was it. My logic was to try and get them to swell up, meaning that the cells inside were multiplying. My hunch was right.

Last year I planted some of the seeds from a pod in rich soil and I got one stem to pop up. It had 2 leaves which feel off after about 6 months. I still have the stem that remains green, maybe a 1/4 of an inch taller but no real plant to speak of in one year.

The experts say these are really hard to germinate and the conditions have to be near perfect. So with this start , I am hoping. I had thought about trying this method under more controlled conditions and allow them to fully sprout and perhaps grow in water until  see a small network of roots. That may cause them to rot but not sure.

Hi Sharon,

Thank you for coming back. Wouldn't it be great if they could condense all the common knowledge of what is learned over a life time and give it to kids in a pill. That way they could spend their early years learning the technolog things, financial aspects for life, their social graces and some great history, while all the practicl stuff is already there. That would certainly make their futures bright and more secure. After you learn all this stuff, you get too old to use it much, LOL.

Hi Mary, I have never tried to use cut but I suppose if they are wired , it would stand up for arrangements. One of my hobbies used to do custom arrangments for my clients as a closing gift. It got so that they became almost a trademark. When I started to get requests though, I decided I couldn't do them anymore. But I still do them once in while. Great therapy for stress. Now that I have my camera , I will do some photos the next time.

Hi Evelyn,

Look them up on the internet. You will see them mostly used in Bridal Bouquets mostly but they are  both marvelous looking and smelling flowers.

Hi Barbara Jo, I would bet you have , perhaps you have never seen it quite like I am showing it. Look up "bridal veil" on the internet and you will see it used on bridal flowers bouquets. It might then look more familar. It is usally shown accompanying Ivy where they lace these together over the long trailing Ivy.