Gardenia

Family. Rubiaceae.

Homeland. China.

Description. Gardenia is an evergreen shrub or small tree.

The leaves are arranged oppositely or in whorls of three or four, 5-50 cm long and 3-25 cm wide, dark green, shiny, leathery. The leaf blades are wavy along the edges.

The flowers are single or collected in small apical corymbose inflorescences of 6-8 pieces, often fragrant, white or pale yellow, tubular at the base, with 5-12 petals, 5-12 cm in diameter.

Flowering is long. There are varieties with double buds. Flowering specimens have a magnificent appearance and exude a very pleasant, intense aroma, reminiscent of jasmine with citrus notes.

An interesting feature is that the opening buds have a snow-white shade, the opened flowers become soft lemon, and before wilting the petals acquire a golden-yellow or even orange shade.

After flowering, the bushes form bright, orange, oblong fruits, reminiscent of hawthorn or rose hips.

Height. The size of indoor plants is regulated by pruning, many of them reach a height of 30 - 90 cm.

Care at home

When bloom? 

Flowering occurs in the warm season - from May to July, but individual buds appear at any other time. It is interesting that having formed buds in the fall, the plant can stand with them until spring and only with the onset of long daylight hours will they open.

With proper care, it can bloom 2 times a year.

Reproduction, growing from seeds 

Growing gardenia requires some effort and patience.

The plant propagates vegetatively, by cuttings - apical semi-ripe cuttings without buds.

1. Cuttings about 8 cm long are separated from the mother plants in spring or early summer.
2. The use of growth hormone in this case contributes to the fastest and most successful rooting.
3. The lower leaves are removed from the cuttings so that they lose less moisture.
4. Immerse the cuttings in moist, loose soil consisting of a mixture of river sand and peat at a slight angle.
5. Cover the seedlings with a plastic cap or glass to maintain moisture.
6. Place the pots in a warm place with a temperature of about 25° C.
7. If the cuttings are covered with polyethylene, make sure that the film does not directly touch the shoots and leaves.
8. Ventilate the cuttings daily for a few minutes, and after a week or two, the cover can be slowly removed.
9. It is highly advisable to use bottom heating when rooting.

Gardenia can also be successfully grown from seeds - however, this method is suitable for patient gardeners.

The germination rate of fresh seeds is good and as a result you can get plants that are initially perfectly adapted specifically to the conditions of your home. 

How to care, prune

Gardenia is not so easy to grow - it requires compliance with agricultural technology rules. Proper care will allow you to enjoy abundant and long flowering of these bushes.

Trim the shoots at the end of winter with a sharp pruning shears, otherwise over time you may be left with a loose bush up to 1.5 m high.

To make the crown thicker, pinch the tips of the shoots when the plant is dormant.

Pruning and pinching will contribute to more abundant flowering next year.

In the warm season, the flower can be taken out into the fresh air.

Representatives of the species are very fond of bottom heating, but during flowering it should be canceled.

Flowering specimens should not change their living conditions - they will drop buds.

How to transplant 

Transplantation is carried out at the end of winter; if you place the bush in a small pot, it will delay its development and thus you can control the size of the plant.

Instead of transplantation, it is better to use transshipment into fresh soil, since the root system does not tolerate damage.

After planting, carefully compact the soil around the roots to remove air pockets.

Do not touch flowering specimens - for transplantation, wait until the buds have completely withered or use transshipment.

1. Remove the bush from the old container.
2. To get rid of the remains of the substrate, shake the bush slightly, but try not to touch the small suction roots.
3. When replanting, carefully inspect the roots and remove old and diseased areas, cutting them with sharp sterile pruning shears.
4. Planting is done at the same depth.
5. After replanting, when the plant experiences excessive stress, it is worth covering the crown with a transparent plastic bag to maintain humidity.
6. The leaves of the bushes can be sprayed with water at room temperature with the addition of phytohormones.
7. After replanting, do not place the pot in direct sunlight - the shoots and leaves should be in partial shade.

If you had to replant a flowering specimen and it did not tolerate the procedure well, cut off the buds without regret. It is better to lose flowers than the entire bush.

Soil 

When growing at home, gardenia prefers soil with an acidic pH - from 5 to 6.

Choose peat-based soil for the flower with a sufficient content of organic matter in the form of humus, well-drained.

A ready-made substrate would be a mixture for azaleas, or add finely chopped pine or spruce needles to standard soil for acidification; you can also add small pieces of bark.

To improve drainage, you can add large expanded clay or pine bark to the bottom of the pot.

Diseases and pests 

• Falling of buds due to too dry air, waterlogging or dry soil.
• The leaves turn yellow when the watering regime is incorrect - when the soil is flooded or the soil is too dry.
• The leaf blades dry out if the bush is kept in too dry air or near heating devices.
• The plant does not bloom in low light conditions and does not like watering with cold water.
• Changes in the conditions of maintenance for flowering specimens, for example, strong temperature changes or cold drafts, lead to the shedding of buds.
• Placement near heating devices causes plants to shed their leaves.
• Gardenias rot if there is insufficient drainage and excessive watering, especially during the fall and winter months.
• When watered with tap water or grown in an alkaline substrate, chlorosis may occur - a special disease in which the leaf blades turn yellow, but the veins remain green. Feed these bushes with an iron chelate solution, applying it directly to the leaves using a fine sprayer.

Pests include whiteflies, mealybugs, aphids and spider mites. The spider mite loves gardenia very much and forms a thin, almost invisible web on the leaves of the plant.

Watering

Flowering bushes consume quite a lot of water. Drought causes leaves and buds to fall off.

Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Reduce watering slightly in winter.

Yellowing leaves usually indicate overwatering.

Use a pot with large drainage holes and let the soil dry out slightly between waterings.

Use softened water at room temperature for watering and periodically add lemon juice or citric acid if necessary.

Remove excess moisture from the tray immediately after watering.

Fertilizers

Potted gardenias have a limited feeding area and require additional nutrients.

During the period of active growth, feed 2 times a month with fertilizer intended for plants that like acidic soil - with a high content of potassium and iron, diluted by half.

Nutrient solutions for azaleas and rhododendrons are well suited for feeding.

The flower really likes feeding with iron chelate.

Apply fertilizer only after watering or simultaneously with it - this way you can avoid burning the delicate root system.

Representatives of the genus love organic fertilizers.

Containment temperature

During the winter months, the plant should be kept cool. Cool nights (around 16°C) and warm days (20°C) in late winter - early spring promote the formation of flower buds.

The rest of the time, room temperature is perfect - 18 - 24 ° C, and you can increase it immediately after the buds appear.

At constantly high temperatures - above 24 ° C, the plant will increase green mass to the detriment of flowering and will begin to suffer from dry air.

A cool winter will allow a large number of flower buds to form.

Spraying 

Air humidity is high. Use a room humidifier or place the pot on a tray of damp pebbles.

Spraying is good to use in the summer in the morning. Try not to let water droplets fall on the flowers - this will cause brown spots to appear on the petals.

You can place the pot on a tray filled with damp pebbles or sphagnum moss - as the water evaporates, it will humidify the air. Make sure that the bottom of the pot does not come into contact with water. 

Gardenia loves good air circulation, but without cold drafts. 

Lighting

The shoots and leaves need a lot of light to bloom. Place the plant where it will receive several hours of bright sunlight every day - morning and evening.

Be sure to shade it on hot summer days.

If there is not enough natural light, use additional illumination with fluorescent lamps - flowering will not occur in conditions of chronic lack of light.

Periodically turn the pot a quarter turn to form a beautiful, harmoniously developed bush.

Purpose

Gardenias are highly valued by flower growers for their abundance of fragrant buds and are a wonderful ornamental plant for cutting. With proper crown formation, you can grow them as bonsai.

Note

Do not rush to replant the bush immediately after purchase - observe the plant in new conditions, let the gardenia get used to them without immediately exposing them to additional stress. 

Varieties:

Gardenia Jasminoides

An evergreen shrub from 1.5 to 2 m high with abundantly branching, erect stems. The leaves are dark green, up to 10 cm long, thick, glossy, entire, lanceolate. The leaf blades are covered with a network of branched veins. Leaf petioles are short. The flowers are large - reaching a diameter of 8 cm, reminiscent of a rose, and emit a very intense aroma reminiscent of jasmine. Flowering occurs from May to July. 

Gardenia taitensis

Tall multi-stemmed shrub, reaching 4 meters in height. The leaves are lanceolate, entire, dark green, arranged in opposite pairs. The leaves reach 15 - 16 cm in length. The leaf veins are often highlighted in a lighter shade. The shoots are thin, flexible, abundantly branched. The flowers are light - white or cream, up to 9 cm in diameter, and have a sweetish aroma.

Gardenia vietnamensis

Fast-growing, evergreen, multi-stemmed shrubs with thin shoots up to 1 m high. The leaves are oblong, lanceolate, dark green, entire. The flowers are cream-colored, solitary, with narrow, long petals, and have a sweetish aroma that intensifies in the evening and night hours. 

Gardenia thunbergia

Multi-stemmed, dense, evergreen, large-flowered shrub or small flowering tree, height from 1.5 to 4.5 m. Leaves are oblong - oval, lanceolate, glossy, dark green, collected in whorls of 3 - 4. Flowers are showy, cream, large reach a diameter of 8 cm. During the flowering period, the shrub emits a pleasant aroma, which is especially intensified at night and in the evening.

Gardenia Nitida

An evergreen multi-stemmed shrub up to 2 m high. The leaves are glossy, entire, 8 to 18 cm long and 4 to 6 cm wide. The flowers are white, fragrant, up to 8 cm in diameter. Flower petals are often drooping. The sweetish aroma is felt at a great distance from the bush in the evening and at night.