What is that fragrance? I wondered as I climbed up the stairs to my roof garden. The smell was amazing, romantic and almost dream like. i just couldn't figure out where it came from, but that wasn't for long, my eyes fell on my blooming bonsai and I knew where this came from. This is the Murraya exotica or Madhu Kamini (translated Honey seductress).
A few months ago when I bought a five inch plant with just two branches for a princely sum, my husband doubted me. He felt that I may have paid more than I needed to, he even said that the seller cheated me. He could have been right, but I had been hunting for this plant for a few years now and I knew I could nurture it into a fine bonsai and soon it could be multiplied.
Well I haven't yet propagated it as the pruned bits were way too tiny. I have let the branch on the right grow (can you see it?) so I could soon have another plant through air layering.
Exactly five months down the line the plant has grown bushier and branched out well, though not the way I would have wanted it to. However, I am not the kind of bonsai stylist who would wire, twist, turn and mutilate to achieve what I want, or to get the required structure.
I am a patient, trim and grow, natural stylist. So this may not be your perfect bonsai but this plant is only a year and a half old (it had been lying neglected with the seller for a year) and has a long life before it. It could go through a few changes before it become the tree it should be.
In the natural the murraya exotica would be a huge bush at this age and I couldn't dream of having it in my roof garden for want of space. The art of bonsai makes it possible for me to have these beautiful trees in miniature in a small space like my garden.
A close up of the flowers and the tiny leaves. It is totally about 9 inches tall and 10 inches wide. Getting the leaves to this size and retaining the plant at this height has been a success for me, however I have a lot of work to be done on the basic structure.
This is how it looks this morning after the rain at night, the petals have dropped and the fragrance has faded a bit, but the fragrance is still amazingly beautiful.
A week ago this is how the plant looked, it filled me with expectant excitement. When I saw it in bloom like this I felt as proud as a mama at her son graduating out of Medschool. 😁
All images are the sole property of @sofs-su.
What a beautiful plant. Looks like you have a little pruning to do yet, but its form is taking shape! The blossoms sort of look like orange or lemon flowers.. I bet the DO smell AMAZING! With I could smell them through this screen. lol.
Air Layering? Wow.. look at you pulling horticultural terms out of your pocket🤗 I have a few degrees in Horticulture and Plant Science. Don't use them now that much, but I used to enjoy the plant science field quite a bit. I have done a ton of air layering and even have a small bag of "Roottone" (naphthaleneacetic acid) in my garage. I should propagate something in my yard for the fun of it! 😊
Agreed a lot of work needs to be done on the structure. The plant is still young and I do hope to see it grow into something beautiful in a couple of years. Right now, I am enjoying the blooms.
Although the flowers look like those of the citrus fruits, the smell if that of jasmines and ylang ylang combined in a milder and more pleasanter form.
I propagate most of my plants through marcotting or air layering. Cheapest and best with a high rate of success.
Propagating from cutting is a pain for me though I do it from time to time.
I learnt these things from my dad when I was about ten y o.
So, I guess these terms come naturally to me.
You should propagate for the fun of it. Most of the experiments I do start as fun but I hope to make them into a source of income for me now, especially with grafted cacti.
I already started selling these but the pandemic brought it to an abrupt stop.
Thanks for stopping by to add your thoughts here.