I've noticed a new seller of Cananga seeds on ebay. Unlike the other sellers, this one says that the seeds were picked this month from the seller's own trees, so they will be very fresh. (I think the other sellers import theirs, so they're quite old by the time they get here.) Fresh local seeds have a very good chance of germinating, so long as you can provide them with heat and humidity.

Interestingly, although you don't see Cananga plants in nurseries, they might not be hard to request from a nursery. If you want a plant instead of seed, you could simply ask your local nursery to get you one.

Of course, once you get it, you then have to nurture it until it flowers. (I'm still waiting for mine to flower, hoping the winter frost doesn't kill them first!)

Thanks Cestrum

I've already got 2 Cananga plants at the moment. One Ive purchased from Dailey's and the other one from a nursery that specialises in herbs (i cant remember the name tho).

I've tried the seeds from E-bay but they just wont germinate, and this during summer last year too. The seeds werent fresh enough I guess.

The ones Ive got are still very young. It will probably take a year and a half for these babies to produce their first blooms.

I am also waiting for my Michelia Alba/Longifolia and Michelia Champaca to flower. Theyre already mature plants so Im expecting them to flower this coming Summer.

Boy, I just cant wait for this little beauties to bloom.

Cheers

Glad you were able to track down--not one--but two canangas. Well done! I've browsed Daleys website but from memory the minimum order was too high for me.

Know what you mean about ebay seeds that wouldn't germinate. I'd bought batch after batch, over two summers, without any germinating. It was only when another GardenWeb member sent me some fresh seeds from his tree that I got them to germinate. (He didn't just give seeds: he sent the entire fig!) I think that was in the summer of 2005. The largest is only about 1.5m tall, but that's probably because they have to contend with frosty winter nights here. (I'm always afraid that I'll lose another one over winter.) Yours will grow faster and fruit sooner if the climate's milder.

I also have a champaca (three actually; it's a long story), although I've given up (for now) on the alba, as I believe the best plants are grafted ... which is expensive. The largest champaca is about 2m tall and about 2.5 years old; I reckon it might flower in another 2.5 years. I can't wait!

Please post a pic if any of your canangas/michelias flower first.

I will post a pic or two of my Ylang2 and the michelas as soon as they flower. It will take a while for the former tho as they're still young plants but the michelas will hopefully flower this Summer(fingers crossed).

Ive bought another batch of Ylang2 seeds from an ebay seller and I was hoping this time id hit the jockpot. Its got a harvest date on it (May 2008) and Im sure that they should be fresh enough to germinate. Its only $3.00 so I wouldnt be too disappointed if it turns out be another dud batch.

I love the scent of Ylang2 so much I've bought Givenchy's Amarige fragrance. Ive purchased the cheapest smallest bottle and dab some on my pillowsheets, bedsheets and towels. I know Im a nut but the scent is very relaxing (for me, that is). Im 10000% sure that the actual flowers will be fantastic.

Regarding the M Albas, I've heard they only come in grafted form. Ive read somewhere that they do not bear figs/fruits not like the M Champacas. Therefore people tend to grow Champacas from seeds then graft the Albas on them. This way they will bear flowers quickly.

Im thinking of grafting some Albas myself. If successful I will send you one (if you still want one ie). This will take a WHILE tho (maybe 2 to 3 years) as I still have to sow the Champacs seeds first. Ive got them from Ebay (again) and they didnt look very promising unfortunately. * Sigh *

Post some flower pics of your plants too. Im sure they'll be awesome.

Your michelias must be large? My largest champaca is actually about 3.5m tall--it's grown about a metre in the past spring/summer--but I reckon it's still a few years away from flowering. Yours must be bigger/older to be so near flowering. It'll be thrilling if it/they flower soon.

The best scent I've got in the garden right now is a new acquisition--an Osmanthus fragrans (sweet olive). It's a small plant (about 15cm high) with tiny flowers, but the perfume is intense without being cloying. I hope when it's larger I'll be able to take cuttings, but if you ever see it for sale (mine came from Bunnings, of all places), do grab it. You won't regret it.

Best of luck with the cananga seeds (like you, I can't stop at one either).

Both potted Alba and Champaca are about 7 1/2 feet tall. I reckon the Alba would flower first as it was propagated by grafting. I've bought the Alba at Haymarket in Chinatown last year for $145.00. I know its very expensive but I cannot help it and I think its worth it.

Most of my plants are ones that produces fragrant blooms. I've got Jasminum Sambac, Spanish Jasmine, Jasminum Polyanthum, Michelias - ( Figo, Coco, Yunnannenses, Bubbles, Doltsopa, Alba and Champaca), Magnolia grandeflora, gardenias, lots of lillies, irises and orchids - and they're all potted.

Unfortunately I live in a flat so we do not have any garden space at all. All my plants are just outside my unit, ready to be picked up by a burglar, hehehe.

Ill ask my nursery here at Bondi if they have any Osmanthus. I will definitely get one of this baby. I just love fragrant beautiful flowers, they tend to uplift the spirits.

That's a fine collection of scented plants you've got. There's safety in numbers, so you might want to keep that Michelia alba tucked away in the middle of the group, although fortunately most thieves aren't gardeners. (I used a bicycle chain to secure my expensive grafted maple to the railings of my ground-floor flat, but it was the only plant on the balcony and so really stood out.)

Re the Osmanthus: try to get a plant in flower so that you can smell it before buying, to ensure that you get that beautiful scent and not an inferior (or mislabelled) one.