Artabotrys odaratissimus

Artabotrys is an ornamental woody bush climber, commonly grown in the gardens for  its exotic fragrant flowers. It grows 8 - 20 feet tall. It has dark green, glossy leaves and the flowers are beautiful. The flowers are greenish/yellow and very often hidden by the leaves.

The color of the flower is changed over the course of the flowering from delicate green to dark yellow. Flower has a wonderful smell. It smells most in the evening and remains an intoxicating presence all the way until dawn. This plant flowers year round. People like these flowers for their unusual fragrance.

These woody shrubs can climb on trellis.fence or on top of special structures. If left by themselves this climber will grow on top of itself forming a mound. This bush is evergreen and can be cut regularly, to keep in shape.

How to grow Artabotrys:
This plant can be propagated by stem cuttings and air layering.

By stem cuttings:

1) Early morning is the best time to take stem cuttings. Keep the cutting cool and moist until  they are stuck.
2) With a sharp knife cut 4-6 inches long terminal parts of stem and remove leaves from lower one-third to one-half of the cutting.
3) Fill a pot with sterile low fertility well-draining medium( peat and sand mixture).
4) Insert the cutting one third to one half their length into the medium and water it.
5) Cutting rapidly put forth roots and begin to grow.
6) Transplant the rooted cuttings into larger pot or in a permanent location.

By air-layering:
Air layering is a propagation method for woody plants that allows you to root branches while still attached to parent plant. It is useful for plants that are hard to propagate by cuttings.
1) Choose the branch you want to root. It should be at least 16 cms and leafless.
2) Make an upwards-slanted cut about half way to two thirds through the branch.
3) Take a small piece of plastic and insert it into the cut.
4)Take some damp moss and wrap it around the cut.
5) Holding the moss in place with one hand, wrap a plastic sheet around it.
6) Tie the plastic sheet tightly below and above the ball of moss.
7) After a couple of months roots grow through the moss. When you can see well-developed roots, cut the branch below the moss ball.
8) Remove the plastic  and pot the new plant up using good quality potting mix.
9) Transplant the new plant in a permanent location after 2 months.