Growing Gardenias
The Art Of Growing Gardenias
Although growing gardenias is not particularly difficult, conditions need to be right for one to have success. The gardenia is an evergreen shrub, normally having intensely fragrant double white flowers. This is a warm weather plant, requiring plenty of summer heat to do well. It is somewhat hardy, being able to withstand frosts, but may not be able to survive when temperatures drop much below 20 degrees. Gardenias do need some protection from the mid-day sun in very hot climates, and when hot sun is the norm, a good location for the plant is in filtered shade.
Growing Gardenias - Plant gardenias in a well prepared soil that both drains well and holds moisture. When growing gardenias, the best results can be achieved if peat moss, bark, or a combination of the two are worked into the soil in plentiful amounts. When setting out a gardenia plant, plant it a little high, as one might do with an azalea. Because of the shallow roots near the stem or trunk of the plant, mulch the immediate area instead of cultivating, as cultivating could damage the roots. Gardenias are rather heavy feeders, and require fertilizer every third or fourth week during the spring and summer growing season. A fish emulsion is a good choice as is blood meal, although any acid plant food will usually suffice.
Gardenia Thunbergia - Gardenia plants come in many sizes, from smaller spreading plants less than a foot high to larger shrubs which can grow to 10 feet or more. One of the taller species is Gardenia thunbergia, a nicely shaped plant, which while growing to 10 feet in height, has a spread of up to 20 feet. G. thunbergia is a warm, almost tropical climate gardenia which usually flowers in the winter. It will grow in temperate climates but is not frost hardy. Unlike other species of gardenia, this type does quite well in poorer soils.
Gardenia Jasminoides - Most of the gardenias found in the United States are of the species G. jasminoides, of which there are several popular varieties. The best known variety is "Mystery", a shrub reaching about 7 feet in height and featuring double white flowers, 4 to 5 inches in diameter. This variety comes into bloom early to mid-summer and in warmer climates, such as in the southern United States, may bloom well into November. A very prolific bloomer is "Veitchii", a compact 4 foot plant which blooms from May well into late autumn. Even more prolific a bloomer is the "Veitchii Improved" a slightly taller shrub with slightly larger blooms. Three other mid-sized gardenia varieties which enjoy significant popularity are "Golden Magic", noted for its white flowers which turn to a nice golden color as they age, the "Four Seasons", a rather compact 2 foot to 3 foot shrub, and "August Beauty" a taller shrub, reaching 6 feet and a heavy bloomer featuring large double blossoms.
A Nice Dwarf Variety - While some who are growing gardenias may have a fine larger specimen plant as their goal, there is a dwarf variety which can be useful as a ground cover, and also makes a wonderful container plant. "Radicans" grows to no more than a foot high, half that high being more common, and has leaves and flowers somewhat smaller than typical for the gardenia, not too surprising given the plant's dwarf size. "Radicans" also is noteworthy for its variegated leaves, which are a very dark green, streaked with white. This smaller gardenia does not have as long a blooming season as most varieties, blooming during the summer months only.
Some grow gardenias a much for their intensely dark green foliage as for their flowers, though most grow them for both reasons, plus for the strong fragrance most varieties of this plant have.