#Gardenias
6 messages in this thread
Do any of you have suggestions as to how to keep these beautiful plants
healthy. I have two neighbors that have virtual "trees" in their living
rooms ane the whole house smells wonderful all of the time. They said that
they merely keep it watered and away from cold drafts. My buds keep
falling off. Please tell me what I am doing wrong. Anne (MD)
Hello Anne,
The fragrance of the gardenia is one of my favorites! Is it the flower
buds that keep falling off? It could be from a lack of humidity, from
chilly temperatures (below 60*) or from keeping the soil too wet. If the
air is too dry, you might stand the container on a saucer filled with
pebbles and water. The pebbles should hold the container up out of the
water. Before watering, check the soil with your fingertips. Water when
the surface is slightly dry.
Alison
Anne – i too have a huge "tree" of a gardenia that doesn't bloom. i'm told
they are very susceptible to drafts (i guess i'd better get it away from
the front door) and need tons of light. patti hagen, who writes the
gardening column in the wall street journal, says the key is adding coffee
grounds to the plant – acidic, and somehow magical, she says, for gardenia
blooms.
Judy – My gardenia wouldn't bloom until I stimulated bud production by
providing night temperatures in the 50's. Once the bud nodes became
visible, the plant was moved to the brightest hottest window in the house
and began a long blooming cycle. I keep this one on a humidifying tray,
mist it every morning, feed it "acid-loving" Peterson's, and keep the soil
moist. It's worth the work.
Lucia – my night temps get to about 58; are yours lower than that? i'm not
getting bud initiation at all, so i highly suspect the light. the plant
does go outside for the summer, but the winter sun is not the greatest. i
agree. whatever i have to do to get this thing to bloom, it would be worth
it. gardenia is one of my favorite fragrances in flowers. thanks.
I've had good luck with gardenias in a west window, in a kitchen, so the
humidity was high. They need acid soil, and they need iron. Check for a
fertilizer which provides both. I can't give you a name; I haven't grown
them for a while.