This is an old thread but I just had to post as I've seen the comment on the monoi oil. Maybe that oil isn't that natural smelling at all. There's a scented and an unscented one. It's true that monoi is composed of tahitian tiare flowers soaked in coconut oil, BUT to have a strong scented oil gardenia oil like that of monoi, a ton of Tiare flowers may need to be used. As an example, It takes hundreds of strongly scented jasmine and rose flowers to have only a few ml of essential oil and that cost and arm and a leg. If that would be the case then scented monoi would cost a lot more than it actually cost. The scented monoi is enhanced with fragrance. My Tiare flowers doesn't smell like the monoi oil I have here, so don't expect the scent of true Tiare flowers to be like the scent of Monoi. Also there are plumeria, sandalwood and pikake scented monoi and it still have natural Tiare extract BUT not it's scent. Also, there's no natural Gardenia jasminoides essential oil, just natural or synthetic aromatic compositions. Juan

The package came today in the mail. I ordered the Tiare Tahiti Gardenia Eau De Toilette spray as well as the Monoi Tiare oil. Floating inside the oil bottle is what looks like a sprig of some type of flower. In the package they included two small bars of Tiki Tiare soap, very nice touch by the way... About the fragrance, well let's say nothing will stand up to fresh gardenia scent and if you think what you are purchasing will smell like it, you will be very disappointed. I layered the oil along with a few spurts of the spray onto my arm and it smells a hint of coconut with a very sweet tropical floral smell. Not sure if hubby will like it and I plan on getting feedback from a few friends at work on what their opinions are. I would most definately buy from Tahiti-Iti.com again, great service. I will be browsing their other scents too.

I think you just let the gardenina flowers sit and steep in warm (just warmed not hot/boiling) oil and or in the sun. Implements/oil must be very sterile or mold will form. In tahiti where monoi de tahiti (gardenia oil) is popular I believe they use macadamia nut oil as the carrier. :)

Thank you for that advice. Although they are partially shaded in the afternoon I went ahead and shaded one with an umbrella and they look fine this morning. Fewer yellow leaves so I am hoping that we are on our way back to health. I plan on spraying it again (in the late evening this time) in 5 days. Do you think the dish soap will be strong enough since it is so hot. I have looked at the plant and cannot find any actual pests so I do not know what I am actually fighting but this morning was the least amount of new yellow leaves in about a week. These are the 2nd set of gardenia's I have planted, the first 2 started with the yellow leaves and I thought it was a soil issue. I tried EVERYTHING suggested here in GW but lost them by the end of the summer. We have had gardenia's in this yard in the past with no trouble so now I think it was a pest issue last time and am hoping I have finally found something to save them. IF these two die again I will be coming back to GW looking for suggestions for other fragrant summer blooming bushes - will just give up on the beloved gardenia!