The trick for long living Gardenia

11 years ago

The longest living gardenia plant for me is about three years. Last winter, my beloved big fat gardenia was in a decline. I know it's going to be a painful slow death no matter what I do. Hard to reverse that process.

Becoming an eye sore, I throw it into my unheated garage, the temperature could dip into -10C with very little light. I didn't even watered it for almost two months. It stayed the same the whole winter. Then this March, I dragged it into my solarium as a compensation of the whole winter torture. Sure enough, it continued it decline. I was fed up, I throw it out to the yard, with nights colder than -10C. Its leaves kind of scorched by sun and frost. When I wanted to throw it away, I pull it out of the pot, quite surprised, I saw some healthy roots. So I dug a hole and throw it in. Slowly it recovered with new growth.

Could it be the trick? Cold treatment? Warmth, low light and dryness is the real torture. Cold is not.

Here is a picture taken today, a Denia is recovering. I am thinking digging it up at the end of Oct and put it in my unheated garage.

Another recently planted tree standard Gardenia.

My two regular maintained, no cold treatment gardenia, three years old in a 10 inch pot. A hint of decline this spring, but recovered once put outside.

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Comments (5)

kandhi
11 years ago
Yellowthumb, why don't you try some hardy varieties that are available in market now. I have 3-4 varieties of hardy varieties that are doing great outside in ground, no special treatment. Just peat moss and some basic fertilizer took care of them..
yellowthumb
Original Author
11 years ago
I don't think there is any Denia that is hardy enough to zone 5a.
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User
11 years ago
Yellowthumb,
you are right about the secret of long living gardenias.
THey HATE it indoors in the heat.
They really can live indoors in very cool temps in the winter, like an unheated garage as long as the temps are freezing. They will do better that way.
But heat in a house will dry them out sooo fast.
My gardenias stay outside all winter, through freezing tepms, occasional snow fall, (it doesn't last though) and they are beautiful in the spring.
The key is you put them in the ground.
That is where they want to be, in the ground.
birdsnblooms
11 years ago
Yellow, you're so very right about Gardenias and cold temps.

My Gardenia/s go outside as eary as possible and are brought indoors when temps are in the 30's.

I haven't any choice placing in the ground, 'don't want to lose any,' so when temps drop below 32F, indoors in comes.
Thankfully, I have one cool room w/an indoor fountain and a humidifer in an adjacent room. Plus misting.

From Dec-Feb it starts looking a bit scraggly, but survives. Since 2011/2 winter was mild, it did much better than previous winters. Got to stay outside longer, too.

This summer has been hot. 100-104F/37-40C. My oldest 'denia suffered. Outside!
It was doing great until the heat-wave. Within a months time, it developed 20+ blooms.

Now that temps are in the 80'sF/39C, nights 60F/16C, hopefully it'll come around. Toni
meyermike_1micha
11 years ago
Yellowthumb......You?????? With a gardenia problem? No! You are a greenthumb to me and see you have a problem with any plant is a shock to me.
I hope your gardenia woes turn around!
Toni has helped me with mine and they are growing much better since I met her.

Toni! Hello:-))))) Boy, are you HOT! lol I have yet to see any kind of temps like that!

Mike