my sasanqua have a very nice scent one can smell it from a distance but there are quite a few of them there. They are simple petal varieties. I very seldom fertile my camellias except 2015 when they looked so sick from the harsh winter… Then, I bought some miracid to fertilize them but I understand they hardly need any fernier once they like the soil.
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@bogman A question concerning orchid bloom, I saw on your website talking about Coconut Orchid (Maxillaria Tenuifolia), I bought this in 2013 when it was blooming, it smelt so good, it never re-bloom again. I read several orchids forums, people seem to be either very successful or not at all. I wonder what I did wrong. I have tried everything, drying it out in winter, nothing happened. I repotted it last year, lots of new growth. I keep it indoors next to a bright but shady window in winter. Now in spring, I bring it is outside in the shade during the day , I move them back at night. In summer, for a few months it stays out. Does it need direct sunlight? I have tried gradually introducing direct sun, it turned quite yellowish, even with burnt spots, but still did nothing.
Here is the plant, One thing I notice is the pseudo bulbs were fatter and more round at the time of purchase, now it became longer and thinner.
The differences between the older bulbs and the new ones.
2013, during the plant show before I bought it.
I water it once a week, soaked for 15 minutes, growth fertilizer every 2 weeks in summer, in spring flower fertilizer is used.
Will appreciate your expertise. Thanks a lot.
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Naf, you are very close to giving the plant what it needs. This species appreciates very bright shade, diffused sun and performs better when nights are cooler than days. The potting media should not be saturated, but instead remain humid (drier in winter). We mix small gravel in the media, so it will drain, dry quicker. Since flower buds appear in the spring, I’d recommend giving flower fertilizer (high phosphorous) in the late summer/fall and again in late winter. A misting, so the nutrients can be absorbed by the foliage, is good. See if a little more light and these adjustments help.
Fragrant flowers (the good-smelling ones) are such a pleasure. We can enjoy them without looking and the aroma surrounds us. What is interesting about Maxillaria tenuifolia is it has several flower forms. A botanical visitor from Venezuela was in the greenhouse here and amazed it smelled like coconut; the types where he lived smelled bad!
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Great suggestions!
I will leave it outdoors if the nights are not too cool or in the garage in the few weeks. As we are still spring. Last time it flowered it was May or early June. I’m still optimistic! 
I mist only with water. I have never done this with fertiliser, will try it. Thanks a lot.
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You’re welcome, naf. Many plants can absorb nutrients quickly via leaves. Citrus, tomatoes, Bromeliads and Orchids, to name a few. This method is safer and more effective if applied when it’s 70-80 degrees F (21-27 C), and dim (cloudy) or no light (night). These are safeguards to prevent foliar burn. Any fertilized plant should be well hydrated. I typically dilute foliar sprays to about 1/2-1/4 strength, as it appears on the product label. Frequency depends on individual conditions.
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What is the surface of your garden? You have been working 8 hrs a day for a while, pulling weeds! I will certainly have back pain doing that for so long.
For my fleur de lawn which is a mixture of Hobb’s and Hopkins mix of grass, different clover, annuals and perennials. My ground used to be cobbles, granite and wild flower but my son objected to the wild flower since every year, they reseed and grow taller and taller. After my husband passed away in 2012, he came home more often from Holland and ordered the Flour de lawn. https://ptlawnseed.com/collections/eco-and-alternative-lawns/products/fleur-de-lawn
It is a lot of work but I hate the taller clovers as it invites a lot of bees.
I have anaphylactic shock from them and worry that my poms sometimes like to put their nose in front of the bees!
However, I hated the grass, and have been adding each year, johnny jump up, bells perrenis, and as much as possible , pull out grass because they grow tall and overshadows the clover. I have been reseeding every year with microclover.
With my poms, I hate to spray.
Other parts of the property I have lots of bulbs, some reseeding annuals.
The formal garden of boxwood I use polished black stone as mulch
Even with a layer of commercial fabric that we used on the waterfront under the stone bulkhead weeds still comes thru. It seems, dirt goes in them and that is an invitation for weeds to grow
Do not use mulch as they bring in termites, roach etc. They also do not last long.
wish I can post pictures but they will be off topic again
You can post garden pictures in this thread, this post is under the category “Not about food”.
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I use pine bark as mulch for bigger trees, slugs loves hiding below as well as other insects for decomposing the soil. I stop growing lettuces as they come out to feast in the non mulch areas too.
thanks
will try
Here is a photo one of of the garden room called whirlwind plaza
It is the most successful room as it is full of flowers, now, it is all kinds of bulbs, in may, pink evening primrose etc. I do not have to pull weeds here. 
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This is just lovely. You must get immense enjoyment out of such a tranquil environment.
Did you begin the garden from scratch? If so, did you create a master plan or did it evolve “room by room”? How old is the most established space?
I’ve never lived in one spot for longer than 7 years. I’ve always begun gardens and immediately tried to establish the backbones. Just have never been there long enough to see it to maturity. But how wonderful to have cared for a garden over the years!
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Today, I also worked on the west garden, access from a small porch
where there are 2 sculptures
crouching venus and from the heart
his picture has some evening primrose that took me last year to eradicate
2 weeks ago, I planted some stonecrop, the bulbs are there now and I sow some more bellis seeds this morning
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Here is a another garden room , i have to gone there to pull weeds between the cobbles. I have to use surgical instruments ( hemostat, kelly, to pull out weeds between the cobbles if they are too big.
My driveway is granite and cobbles, so is my entrance courtyard. I only worked on 50% last week.May have to spray
so, naf, these are only part of my very time consuming garden.
I have not even began to prune
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We bought our property 1972, within a month after Bill and I got married. It is a lovely property, 3.5 acre , pie shaped, over 900 feet of waterfront, being on the river , and cove on another side .Started planning, architect etc etc. Being custom, lots of problem. Finally moved in 1979 when we started planning our garden. One step at a time. By 1986, we finally located salvaged granite and cobblestone from a neighbor who was a stone contractor, mainly government projects. In went the granite driveway and courtyard, which took 3 years. Then, we started collecting sculptures for the garden, mainly marbles, then by 1996, we decided to visit McDonald in Carmel bec of his 18 ft bronze at Olympics in Georgia. Instead, we discovered Eichinger , and gradually commissioned 11 sculptures from him . Most of them are large( 7" tallest, 12 ft widest) for outdoor but 5 pieces were indoor, also relatively large . My husband retired 1992, started rebuilding the terraces which were railroad ties after a short stint with stone contractors from the area, and then, bringing them in from Va . We felt he would enjoy it more, cost less money, and thus, the garden slowly evolve thru all those years. We planted rare and unusual conifers, boxwood, camellias, cherry trees lined the driveway , japanese maples as the backbone, then, usually mass everything, at least 40 of peonies, 40 camellias.
Problem is now I have to keep up by myself as my son is not interested while labor here is very expensive. There are no teenagers to help pull weeds and hispanics has to come from Va, have to pay travel and gas etc etc which is not affordable now i ma retired.
I hardly want to spray as not only is the spryer difficult for my shoulders but I have now 2 beautiful emotional support pomeranians who are my constant companion in the garden and everywhere. I do not wish to have them be exposed to pesticide.
It has been difficult, with climate change, harsh weather and of course, residing in the buffer zone ( within 100 ft) of a critical area as the Patuxent River is a scenic river that is only within Maryland and the County keep a very close eye on what I plant, not able to dump weeds at the recycle center as in Va , not allowed to cut down trees even if they are dead without permission and on the waterfront, not allowed to remove trees that fell if any part of the tree fall into the water as they want the count to be the way it was when John Smith discovered it in 1608 while mapping the upper chesapeake bay.
Gardening gives me solace with carbon prints everywhere of my husband.
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Very impressive and beautiful garden! But only you are working on it? Did your son participate or has any interest? That’s a lot of work!!!
I like a lot the part with the pond, did it exist before you bought the house?
So beautiful! I only ever see those in flower arrangements.
I walked out on the back porch tonight and thought I was imaging things, but I smelled something beautiful. My night jasmine is blooming again!
It’s been three or four years since it flowered, but last year I had the gardener cut it back brutally because it was yellowish and had some kind of bug. Apparently that cut back was all it needed. I bought this as a 6 inch plant when my son was young, and it grew to about 10 feet, and now it is blooming again. I’m so happy. 
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