GARDENIA CARE SHEET
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1. Exposure
Gardenias do best where there is warmth!! They will take the full
sun along the coast, but will need bright
filtered light in hotter inland areas or morning sun and afternoon shade.
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2. Soil
Gardenias need to be planted in soil that drains fast, but does
retain moisture. Use plenty of peat moss. An ideal product to use is
Bandini Azalea planter mix. If your existing soil is heavy clay, you will need
to remove about 1/2 to 3/4 and replace with a peat moss mixture.
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3. Planting
Plant on the high side and avoid crowding with other plants where they will be competing for
root space. Mulch plants rather than cultivating around the base.
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4. Watering
Keep soil moist, but where existing plants are growing in a heavy clay soil, infrequent
DEEP SOAKING is much better than frequent shallow watering. In fact it is always a good practice
to water plants deeply and less often!! Leach salts out of the soil by using a slow drip overnight
with a hose once a month.
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5. Feeding
Gardenias will respond VERY WELL to regular fertilizing. Feed every 4 weeks year round
with an acid-loving plant food such as "Mir-Acid". If your plant begins to get yellow or very
pale green leaves, it will need to be treated for chlorosis (iron deficiency). Use an Iron sulfate or
Iron chelate product.
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6. Varieties
"Mystery" can reach 6 to 8 feet and may get rangy without pruning and shaping. This
variety blooms May to July, but in warmer climates may bloom on into or even through the Fall.
"Veitchii" is a compact grower that gets 3 to 4 1/2 feet high. It blooms from May to November
and at times when we have unseasonable warm weather.
"Veitchii Improved" is taller than "Veitchii" and can reach 5 feet. It produces larger and
more blooms over all.
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7. Pruning
On leggy older plants, cut back 1/3 of foliage just BEFORE their Spring growth spurt _
around March 1st. Prune anytime LIGHTLY for shape — but remember to prune AFTER a flush
of blooms so you won't miss out on any of those fragrant flowers.
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Gardenia `Veitchii'
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