If you are looking for a beautiful evergreen or often flowering houseplant, be sure to pay attention to tabernemontana. This unusual name hides a beautiful shrub native to Asian countries and Pacific islands. At home, this exotic does not require special care, so even beginner gardeners will like it.

Botanical description of the plant

Tabernemontana is a decorative tree-like shrub belonging to the Kutrovs. It is found in Sri Lanka, in Singapore, Thailand, India, tropical regions of Africa, South and Central America, where it is popular as a street shrub in coastal areas.

Home tabernemontana has an attractive appearance. It looks like a shrub or low tree with a lot of thin branches. Its height usually does not exceed 1–1.5 m. The stem of a young specimen is rather fragile; it grows stale and becomes covered with light bark. To it, with the help of short thick petioles, oval-shaped light green leaves (8-10 cm) with sharp ends are attached. If you try them by touch, then between the veins you can feel the dense bulges.

Did you know? An unusual name was given to the flower by the botanist Bergzabern from Germany, who used the Latin version of his own name.

In spring and summer, snow-white spiral-shaped flowers appear with double petals of 3-15 pieces in inflorescence. Blooming, the plant fills the room with a wonderful aroma, which is confused with jasmine. The end of flowering is marked by the appearance of greenish fruits with juicy pulp of orange color.

Tabernemontana has been living for more than 7 years, and with proper care it can bloom all year round with small pauses.

Main types

At home, several varieties of this beautiful bushy tree are grown today. Outwardly, they are very similar to each other, but there are slight differences:

House growing conditions

Many floriculturists of Tabernemontana like it not only because of its magnificent, elegant look. This plant is unpretentious in everyday life and does not require much time to care for it. The first step is to provide him with a comfortable environment for development.

Lighting

The best option for tabernemontana will be a place on the eastern or western windowsills: there is enough light for the normal development of the plant, but direct rays do not fall on it during the heat of lunch.

Important! Theoretically Tabernemontana can dwell in partial shade, however, it is unlikely to bloom in this case. After all, she needs at least 4-5 hours a day for buds to appear. But, if you provide it with artificial lighting in sufficient quantities, then the flowers will appear even in December.

Ventilation

All plants love fresh air, so Tabernemontana feels great in the warm season on the balcony or in the shade of the garden. However, do not allow drafts, and also avoid moving the pot at the time of bud formation: the flower can react negatively to this.

Temperature mode

Tabernemontana refers to heat-loving indoor plants. In summer, she feels great at normal room temperature, and in winter it is desirable to maintain the temperature at + 18 ... + 20 ºС, but not less than +15 ºС.

Did you know? From Latin “tabernemontana” is translated as “mountain monastery”.

Air humidity

Tabernemontana as a native of a tropical climate needs high humidity. The following techniques will help to ensure it:

• spraying from a fine spray at least 2 times a week in the summer and 1 time per week in the winter;
• regular use of an air humidifier;
• periodic rinsing under a warm shower;
• wiping with a damp cloth or sponge.

Home Care

Having ensured the proper location for tabernemontana, pay attention to the peculiarities of caring for it.

Watering

The plant loves moisture, but is afraid of excessive dampness. Use the following guidelines to ensure proper watering:

• in summer, watering is needed moderate, every 2-3 days, as soon as the topsoil dries;
• if the weather is too hot, then hydration can be carried out more often;
• in winter, the amount of water is greatly reduced. In the cold, it is worth watering the flower only after the earth in the flowerpot is half dry.

Important! The plant may suffer from moisture on the leaves, so watering is best done under the root.

For irrigation, it is worth using rain or ordinary standing water so that tabernemontana does not suffer from hard salts. The temperature of the liquid should not be lower than room temperature.

Top dressing

Healthy tabernemontana can bloom for 7–8 months, but for this it needs the strength that the plant receives during top dressing, so during flowering, apply fertilizer with potassium and phosphorus for flowering plants every 2 weeks (Agrecol, Activin), periodically alternating them with organics. The flower prefers to receive fertilizing in liquid form during watering.

Pruning

To form a beautiful crown on a tabernemontan, it is enough to provide it with uniform lighting, in which case you can do without cropping.

Did you know? In alternative medicine, infusions of leaves of tabernemontana are used as part of funds for eye diseases.

If you still want to shape it to your liking, then it is better to do this in spring or summer. Use a sharp tool for this, and be sure to treat the cut points with charcoal.

Transfer

Unlike crown pruning, transplantation is of great importance for the normal development of a plant, especially a young one. Tabernemontana is transplanted at least once a year, and during the period of active growth - once every six months. It is better to do this in late winter - early spring before flowering.As a new flowerpot for plants, choose a pot with a diameter 3-4 cm larger than the previous one. Then take care of the drainage at the bottom. The soil is no less important. For its preparation, it is better to take a slightly acidic soil, consisting of:

• sheet land;
• humus;
• coarse sand;
• peat.

Important! Loose soil is important for tabernemontana, so be sure to add perlite or briquettes of coconut flakes to the mixture for better water and oxygen flow.

If you don’t have time to prepare the mixture yourself, you can use the purchased substrates “Lemon” and “Azalea” by mixing them 1: 1 and diluting them with sand or perlite.

The transplantation itself must be carried out extremely carefully, because it has fragile roots, therefore, in this case, the method of transshipment is used, preserving the whole earthen lump. Within a month and a half after this, the plant must be preserved: reduce the amount of water when watering, temporarily stop feeding. Such measures are necessary so that the roots do not rot if there are breaks somewhere.

Breeding

Beautiful tabernemontana attracts attention with snow-white flowers with glossy leaves, so be prepared that familiar flower growers will definitely ask you for a “baby”. So it does not hurt to find out how to properly propagate this plant.

Layering

This method is used in May-June. The process looks as follows:

1. For a day, pre-water the flower well so that its stems, branches are filled with water.
2. For a future plant, prepare a pot with a mixture of sand and peat. The soil level should be 1.5–2 cm below the edge of the tank.
3. Now it's time to make layering by tilting the long stem of the plant. Make sure that the fold is at the leaf petiole, but 10-12 cm further than the end of the stem.
4. A similar bend should not break it, but the clamping will provoke the development of new roots on this very site, so the place of the bend must be fixed in a new pot by 3-4 cm. If necessary, you can use a U-shaped wire.
5. Then compact the soil and water it well.
6. Place both pots (with the mother plant and the future "baby") on one pallet so as not to damage them in the future.
7. As soon as sprouts, leaf buds appear on the layer, you can separate it from the main bush and grow it as an independent plant.

Did you know? In India and Sri Lanka, tabernemontana is called the flower of love.

Cuttings

It is convenient to propagate tabernemontana using cuttings:

1. First, choose the apical or stem semi-lignified area, on which 2-3 internodes are located.
2. Cut the stalk obliquely. If cut from the stem, then the upper cut is made over the node with the kidneys.
3. The juice that has appeared on the cuts is washed off with warm water.
4. Next, you need to nourish the future seedling with root stimulants ("Kornevina", "Zircon"), soaking them in the preparations for a day.
5. Now you need to wait for the roots to appear. To do this, the stalk is left in water with coal additives or immersed in a mixture of sand, peat, sphagnum moss.
6. Then the container with the handle must be covered with a film to create the effect of a greenhouse.
7. On average, the appearance of roots takes up to a month, after which the plant can be planted in a prepared pot.

Growing difficulties

Most often, owners of tabernemontans face the following problems:

1. Tabernemontans often turn yellow leaves. This is the first sign of chlorosis. Transplantation into a slightly acidic substrate or treatment of the existing soil with iron sulfate together with an increase in the number of top dressings will help to heal the plant.
2. On the leaves of the plant occasionally spots appear, reminiscent of moist ones, which eventually dry and turn into holes. They arise as a result of uneven irrigation (at first they did not moisten the soil for a long time, and then they flooded excessively and did not remove the remaining water from the sump). To prevent this from happening, try to evenly and regularly water the taberne montana.
3. Periodically, at the bottom of the sheet, light seals, pimples are found. Many gardeners take them for pests. In fact, it appears on the surface of the sap of the plant with excessive watering, so reduce the amount of water and the problem disappears. Also, a sudden difference in temperature in the room can cause a similar effect.
4. Tabernemontana sometimes suffers from scale insects. These shell insects can be found on the underside of leaves, in the sinuses, and even on the stems. Get rid of them by washing with soapy water or treating with insecticides (Actellik, Fitoverm).
5. Tabernemontana may be attacked by spider mites. Because of them, the leaves of the plant turn yellow, they are entangled in a thin sticky web. To get rid of pests, you must first remove the affected leaves, and then treat with the infusion of onion peel (100 g of husk in 5 l of water, let it brew for 5 days) or insecticides (Fitoverm, Neoron).

Important! If unopened buds stick together and fall off, then the air is too dry for the plant. Increase the frequency of spraying, then humidity will increase.

Tabernemontana will appeal to lovers of exotic indoor plants who do not have much time to care.The main thing is to choose the right location for the flower and provide it with minimal care, then Tabernemontana will decorate any home with its magnificent "outfit" of glossy leaves and snow-white flowers, and its pleasant aroma will complement the atmosphere of home comfort.