Growing Gardenias

Successfully growing Gardenias can be tough as they need very specific care. Take your time and do things right and you will have large and beautiful Gardenia shrubs.

Soil, Planting and Feeding

Make sure the soil you plant your Gardenias in is very well conditioned. Mix peat moss and compost material into the soil to hold moisture. The soil needs to be moist at all times, but be careful not to drown the roots. You should also cover the soil with a material like wood chips, to make sure the soil maintains its moisture throughout the day. Maintain the pH of the soil around 5 or 6. Feed the Gardenia every 3 weeks with a rhododendron-azalea food.

Sunlight and Temperature

Gardenias will grow the best in full sunlight while being shaded on the hotter days during the summer months. High temperatures will stop your Gardenia flowers from blooming. The ideal temperatures for Gardenias are 65 to 70 degrees F during the daytime and at night, around 61 degrees F. Anything higher or lower than these ranges will stop the buds from forming. Gardenias also light humidity. If the area where you live is not humid naturally, mist the shrub daily to reproduce this effect.

Gardenia Pruning

You can prune a Gardenia shrub fairly deep. You must however keep some leaves on the plant in order to produce food and energy for the plant and roots to survive. You should also only prune the shrub when the Gardenia is dormant.