Gardenia's Perfume the Garden
There is an air of tropical isles and luxuriant jungles about the gardenia. Its sweet fragrance and waxy-white blossoms add an exotic note and yet seem right at home in California gardens.
The most popular gardenia are the jasminoides cultivars. In this group are the August Beauty, Mystery, Veitchi and Radicans varieties. The August Beauty, Mystery and Veitchii are the most common selection for California gardens, and their flowers are also used in florist shops, too. Gardenia jasminoides 'Radicans' is a dwarf growing approxiamtely 6-8" high, contrasting with the usual 4-6 foot growth of the other three.
Gardenia jasminoides 'Kuchinashi, also called Star Gardenia is another popular choice, This is the variety I use most often in my designs, because it has a more compact size (2-3'), and also tends to bloom more profusely than the other types. Star Gardenia has open, 5-petaled, single-style blooms, whereas the other gardenies tend to have fuller, double-style blossoms. The open flower of the Star Gardenia also seems to allow more perfume to waft into the air, you can always smell them as you walk by in the nursery.
In general, Gardenias grow well in areas with hot days and warm nights. They prefer well-drained, acidic soil. In Modesto, because of our clayey, alkali soil, we recommend digging out a hole 2-3' wide, and 2' deep, then replacing the soil completely with Master Nursery Planting Mix. This is a soil mix especially for acid-loving plants like Azaleas, Camellias, and, of course, Gardenias. Fertilize May through Spetember with an acid plant food, and don't forget to add iron to the soil as well. (Central Valley soil is incredibly iron-poor). We recommend regular applications of iron sulfate or chelated iron to help prevent iron deficiency.
Gardenias love the hot weather, but they also prefer a bit of humidity. If you notice your gardenias seem to be showing signs of stress during the summer, make sure it isn't simply heat stress. Make sure the roots are well protected with a thick layer of mulch. 2 to 3" inches is recommended to prevent weeds from coming up, and to protect surface roots from getting too hot. Misting in the afternoon for about 15 minutes is also a great way to combat heat stress. Program the sprinklers to run for a short burst around 1 or 2 pm. This will raise the humidity in the yard, and help the Gardenias to deal with the heat.
Growing gardenias is another one of the special gardening pleasures afforded Californians, for here, as in few other areas of the country, the Gardenia is an outstanding performer.
For more information on Gardenias than you really need to know, and some pictures of them, visi the University of Florida's Gardenia Page.
Portions of this article come by way of our friends at Master Nursery Garden Centers.
