Raaat Ki Rani

One of the most fragrant plants we grow, Night Blooming Jasmine is an upright container plant with greenish-white flowers that emit a romantic and intoxicating fragrance at night. 

Cestrum nocturnum is a species of Cestrum in the plant family Solanaceae (the potato family). The species is native to the West Indies, but naturalized in South asia. Common names include Raatraani or Raatriraani (in Tamil) , Night Queen, night-blooming cestrum, Hasna Hena, lady of the night, queen of the night, night-blooming jessamine and night-blooming jasmine.

It is an evergreen woody shrub growing to 4 metres (13 ft) tall. The leaves are simple, narrow lanceolate, 6–20 centimetres (2.4–7.9 in) long and 2–4.5 centimetres (0.79–1.77 in) broad, smooth and glossy, with an entire margin.

The flowers are greenish-white, with a slender tubular corolla 2–2.5 centimetres (0.79–0.98 in) long with five acute lobes, 10–13 millimetres (0.39–0.51 in) diameter when open at night, and are produced in cymose inflorescences. A powerful, sweet perfume is released at night.

The fruit is a berry 10 millimetres (0.39 in) long by 5 millimetres (0.20 in) diameter, the colour of an aubergine. There is also a variety with yellowish flowers.

Night-blooming jasmine blooms when the weather is warm, and its narrow, tubular, greenish-white blossoms only open at night. The flowers produce a strong, sweet fragrance that attracts moths and butterflies. Glossy white berries follow the flowers. It works well as a specimen plant or as a border shrub, or as a fragrant addition to a butterfly garden. 

Planting & Care

It is grown in subtropical regions as an ornamental plant for its flowers that are heavily perfumed at night. 
It grows best in average to moist soil that is light and sandy, with a neutral pH of 6.6 to 7.5, and is hardy to hardiness zone 8. 
C. nocturnum can be fertilized biweekly with a weak dilution of seaweed and fish emulsion fertilizer.

Night-blooming jasmine is relatively easy to care for in warm climates, but may need additional care in cold environments.

Plant care

• Add top soil or organic peat humus to the hole when you plant. You can also add composted cow manure, which enriches the soil around the rootball, to the mix,
• Trim lightly after a bloom cycle for shape. Do a hard pruning in fall (by mid-October) or spring (late March) to control the plant's size.
• A regular irrigation schedule - with time to let the plant dry out a bit between waterings - is ideal.
• Fertilize 3 times a year - in spring, summer, and autumn - with a good quality granular fertilizer. You can also supplement feedings with periodic applications of bone meal and/or liquid fertilizer to promote heavier bloom.

Plant spacing

• Place these shrubs 3 feet apart. Come away from the house 2-1/2 to 3 feet.
• If you're planting by a door, walk or patio, come out 3 feet or more to give the shrub room to fill out.
• This plant can be grown in a large container, though it will eventually outgrow the pot.