Gardenia pfordii `Kula' aka Yellow Kula Gardenia

[PalmWarbler]

This is a new find for me and I thought I'd share it with the forum members. Mine has just bloomed it's second time and it is absolutely a keeper if you are into fragrant and showy flowers. Heck it's a keeper just for the waxy-green showy leaves.

What's interesting is that the blossoms start off a pale yellow and over the course of 2-3 days turn a much deeper yellow and then finish as a striking deep gold. Mine has not yet found a home in the yard although it will this weekend; it's been kept in a breezeway with afternoon sun and has done amazing there; I'd expect it to perform the same as other gardenias in the yard. I will say that the one blossom I've had off this small plant so far has absolutely filled the breezeway with the most intoxicating scent it's striking! I can't wait to see how it smells once the plant grows and is covered with blooms.

Anyway, here's a few picks showing the procession of the bloom as well as the plant itself. I bought both of mine off ebay and I don't want to plug any particular vendor as I don't know if it's against forum rules but ask if you want the info.

First pic; morning of first bloom

2nd pic; afternoon of first bloom

3rd pic; 3 days into first bloom

4th pic; overall of the plant. Amazing it's blooming at this early stage

[rick]

Awesome looking little plant! I'll have to be on the lookout for one.

[mike-coral gables]

have to agree, incredible fragrance, shiny green leaves. not very cold tolerant , especially if kept in a pot. suggest some protection for temps below 50F

[PalmWarbler]

Mike, great news thanks for sharing. I'm assuming it'll like to be treated like a normal Miami Supreme, yours looks fantastic. Hoping for a lush shrub like that in the future. I've got a part sun location picked out completely shielded from the north wind. Hoping it'll do well there.

[PalmWarbler]

It's been 6 months since it was planted and I thought I'd update with some pics. It seems to bloom consistently throughout the season and has grown prolifically as you can see. The scent from these flowers is very rich and every person who sees the blooms asks "what is that!??!!", so it fits right in with my attempts to create a garden full of surprises both in a sense of vision as well as scent.

The photo shows the different stages of the flower color, from light as it first opens to deeper/darker gold color the older they get.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2015 by PalmWarbler

[palmislandRandy]

I left mine at my last house. What a fabulous plant. When in bloom the fragrance permeated the entire garden. Every garden should have one of these. One of my favorites!

Mike, Mine was in the coldest part of my garden, with unprotected western exposure. I never saw any cold damage, even through temps in the 40's.

Does anyone know if theses can be air layered or how to reproduce?

 

-Randy

[PalmWarbler]

2 hours ago, palmislandRandy said:

I left mine at my last house. What a fabulous plant. When in bloom the fragrance permeated the entire garden. Every garden should have one of these. One of my favorites!

Mike, Mine was in the coldest part of my garden, with unprotected western exposure. I never saw any cold damage, even through temps in the 40's.

Does anyone know if theses can be air layered or how to reproduce?

 

-Randy

Randy, I would have taken that bush with me when I sold the house.. Man is that gorgeous! I'll be a lucky man indeed if mine approached that.

[palmislandRandy]

17 minutes ago, PalmWarbler said:

Randy, I would have taken that bush with me when I sold the house.. Man is that gorgeous! I'll be a lucky man indeed if mine approached that.

It was pretty close to the house & as you can see by the roof line over 12' tall. Not a bush, but a small tree. About 7 years from the size your's is now!

[PalmWarbler]

Did you ever try propagating a cutting? My only concern with these is the root stock and potentially having to graft onto something decent. Mine are not grafted, so I'm hoping they will remain healthy as they grow.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

We have the Tahitian Gardenia in the Arboretum.  If the Kula respond like them, just pin down some of the young stems into the soil and they will root.  Then you can remove them from the mother plant and pot them up or place somewhere else in the garden.

[PalmWarbler]

1 hour ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

We have the Tahitian Gardenia in the Arboretum.  If the Kula respond like them, just pin down some of the young stems into the soil and they will root.  Then you can remove them from the mother plant and pot them up or place somewhere else in the garden.

Thanks Jerry, great info. I've added the Tahitian to the yard as well and it is a beautiful bloomer but it doesn't seem to hold a candle to the Kula as far as scent. I'll give that a shot on the kula as it gets larger. It would be great to have them scattered throughout the yard.

[palmislandRandy]

2 hours ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

We have the Tahitian Gardenia in the Arboretum.  If the Kula respond like them, just pin down some of the young stems into the soil and they will root.  Then you can remove them from the mother plant and pot them up or place somewhere else in the garden.

I no longer have the plant, but I can take some cuttings. If I remember, mine may have been grafted. Mine was grown more as a "standard". What is a good stock plant that i can buy that I can try to graft this to?

[PalmWarbler]

Probably the same thing they graft all the Miami Supreme gardenias on, they seem to do very well in our soil also.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The rootstock is generally G. thunbergia.

[palmislandRandy]

17 hours ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

The rootstock is generally G. thunbergia.

I'm going to do it in the spring. Thanks!