Gardenias - A fragrant and elegant flower for your home garden
As part of our new "interests" section of the Just Better Care News & Event blog, we know that many of our customers and subscribers love to get out into their gardens and are interested in reading tips and tricks about their favourite pastimes, gardening.
Gardenias are evergreen shrubs with glossy, deep green leaves and large white or yellow rose-like flowers. With their lovely, soft-scented blooms appearing from late spring to early summer and their soft creamy white colour, is it any wonder that Gardenias have become firm favourites with Australian gardeners?
Dwarf gardenia varieties grow from 30 to 60 cm tall and are excellent as a low border in your garden bed or a scented ground cover. However, if you're looking for real impact in your garden, some varieties grow up to 2m tall and have flowers over 10cm in diameter.
How to Grow Gardenia in a Garden
Step 1 - Choose a Position & Prep the Soil
Choose a spot in the garden with well-drained soil that gets full sun to part shade. Enrich the soil with Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is clay-based, add gypsum and fork it in well.
Step 2 - Dig a Hole & Prepare the Plant
Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots, and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
Step 3 - Position plant and Water
Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Form a raised ring around the plant, creating a well so that water will go where it's needed most.—water in well.
Step 4 - Mulch
Mulch around the base with organic mulch, such as bark chips, sugar cane, or pea straw, keeping it away from the plant's main stems.
Step 5 - Feeding
Feed every week with a liquid and soluble fertiliser.
Gardenia Growing Tips
Mulch is over the root system with an organic layer. Milled cow manure is ideal, but an organic mix such as pea straw will also suffice.
Make sure that potted gardenias aren't allowed to dry out between watering.
In arid climates, misting water over the leaves on hot days can also be helpful, although not when the sun directly hits the plant.
Remove spent blooms to encourage further growth.
You can propagate these plants by softwood cuttings in autumn and winter.
Flowers are often used in weddings or as fragrant cut flowers indoors.
They are great for therapeutic gardens because of their lovely scent, soft petals, and easy removal of dead flowers. No tool is required to remove the dead flowers.
How & When to Prune a Gardenia?
Like most flowering plants, the best time of year to prune a Gardenia is just after flowering. Most Gardenias flower in spring and summer, so the end of summer or early autumn is generally best. Ensure the plant is well watered before and after pruning, and feed just after pruning with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.
Soon after planting, tip prune stems to encourage bushier growth. This is particularly important if you are growing a Gardenia as a hedge. Letting your Gardenia grow naturally might make it look leggy and sparse, requiring more pruning to get it back in shape.
How to Transplant a Gardenia, & When is the Best Time?
Like most plants, the best time to transplant is in autumn, when the soil is warmest. You can also transplant in spring when the weather starts to warm up.
In the days before transplanting, keep the plant well watered, prune off at least a third of the total foliage volume, and move it to a position with rich, acidic, and well-draining soil.
Continue doing what you love with support Just Better Care.
Many home care customers find immense joy in gardening, whether tending to vibrant blooms in a sprawling backyard, cultivating a miniature oasis on a balcony, or nurturing delicate indoor plants.
We understand the importance of these enriching activities and believe everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their passions. That's why at Just Better Care, we're here to support you with those everyday household tasks that might be taking away from your precious gardening time.
Let us handle the chores so you can devote your energy to the soil, the seeds, and the serene pleasure of watching your garden grow.
.png?width=855&height=560&ext=.png)
