Gardenias Don’t Live Here Anymore
Once upon a time I couldn’t pass up gardenias. Every year I would tell myself that I would never get another one. But every year I would walk into my local greenhouse and there they’d be, in full bloom, a million of them (okay, maybe a few dozen). Conveniently located at the entrance, there was no way to dodge them, so I had no choice but to brave the elements and walk right past them. Of course, there was always the option to turn around and avoid the whole process but that could not suffice and did not seem necessary. I was not going to be restricted from the greenhouse, unable to have a look at other tropical beauties, and besides, I wasn’t there to buy a gardenia. Or so I thought.
The scent of the flowers would cloak me as I struggled to get through, pretending I didn’t see them. But my efforts were futile. We made leaf/eye contact, the gardenia and I. Mesmerized by the graceful, magical beauty of the flowers and drunk on their scent, I would find that seductive little she-devil sitting next to me in my car whispering empty promises of success as it followed me home. It would have been fine if – just once - we’d been able to form a long lasting relationship. Instead, all the gardenias in my life became one-night stands.
This latest one was no different. The first 24 hours were uneventful as they always are. But every morning after that my new plant looked less spirited. The leaves began to turn more yellow each day, curling up as if they were pouting and the plant eventually joined all the other expired gardenias before it. The flower buds that did come with the plant never did open. Once again, I had been tricked into believing I could successfully grow a gardenia.
In all honesty, I had no one to blame but myself. The problem, I must confess, was caused by my own vanity. I had managed to get a gardenia to bloom once and I suppose that was my downfall. I believed that I’d learned the secret to their success. HAH! Boy was I fooled. Since that one lucky period I tried everything to get the subsequent ones to bloom (or even just to thrive) and I mean everything – scolding, begging, voodoo, belly dancing, exorcism, spray misting with holy water, hand stands, sweet-talking, threatening and even séances with departed gardenias (maybe I needed to make peace with those spirits). Nothing. No blooms. No lush growth. Nada. Time and time again I tried a multitude of combinations and they all failed.
I decided at one point that I have enough to deal with in my life and that I’m much too busy for these haughty plants. I don’t need this grief. I don’t deserve to be treated so harshly by such an extremely demanding wench. I deserve better than this. Going through withdrawal symptoms was difficult – how does one live without such a beautiful plant amongst the collection - but I finally freed myself. The gardenias and I finally went our separate ways. It’s been years since I had one. I’m still on the wagon.
What Are They Complaining About?
Finicky and natural sulkers, I truly believe that the slightest little change leads these beauties to contemplate suicide. They literally seem to stop having the will to live unless you give them what they want. They threaten and moan and decline while you stand over them praying and worrying, wondering what they need, what you should do.
When you first bring home a gardenia it will decline slightly and the leaves may yellow. This is to be expected so don’t be too alarmed. They don’t like change so they won’t be very amused by the sudden switch from cozy greenhouse to stuffy home. They will nag you to death about it for awhile. Hopefully it ends at some point.
So what do they want?
A gardenia’s requirements are very exact and these needs must be met or you will instigate a tantrum, a very unsightly tantrum. My own hazy past with them has not been very prosperous but I do understand their requirements. There are only a handful of demands but it seems that they are exact measurements, which I must be miscalculating. I will share this information with you and maybe you will succeed far better than I have.
They need (demand) bright light but don’t like direct midday sun in the summer time; believe me they will let you know. They prefer a more acidic soil or - at the very least – a fertilizer for acidic loving plants. Humidity is absolutely essential and spray misting daily will help somewhat but not enough. (See Improving Humidity for further suggestions) Soil must be kept moist but never soggy (a fine juggling act indeed). Make sure that the soil is also loose, well-draining to avoid over-watering. Feed your gardenia about once a month with an acidic fertilizer between April and November.
One of the most essential and critical elements required to make these plants bloom is the temperature. Ideally the temperature range should be from 60°F (15°C) to 65°F (18°C) degrees during the night and more or less 10 degrees higher during the day. Aside from being God-like, or a magician at the very least, I have always had difficulty trying to ‘control’ the temperature. But the gardenias don’t care. They feel/believe/insist that they are ‘entitled to their entitlements’. How I will meet these needs becomes my problem, not theirs. My failure with these plants – I’m convinced - is caused mostly by the inability to provide them with the proper temperatures.
They love the outdoors! If you are able to move them outside for the summer, go for it! (You might score a few points for that) Just make sure to place them in protected areas outside. While they do prefer direct sun indoors, they do best in partial shade outside. An east or (covered, protected from the sun) west position is quite suitable. Find that perfect spot outside, place your gardenia there and don’t move it again until the plant is ready to come back indoors. Gardenias do not like to be disturbed. If it’s happy with its summer vacation spot, leave it alone.
During its holiday and right before you are ready to bring it indoors in the fall, check for insects and other infestations. Aphids, mealybug, spider mites, thrips and scale are common problems. Treat any infestations you may encounter promptly.
Oh, let’s not forget about the flower buds...
Your home is not a greenhouse so if your gardenia – no matter how many years you have it and how hard you try - never again has as many buds as when you first got it, don’t be concerned. Homes have less than favorable conditions for most flowering houseplants and the fact that you do manage to keep them healthy and flowering is reason enough to congratulate yourself.
There will come a time when you will experience one of the most irritating events in your own gardenia saga – the premature dropping of abundant flower buds just as they are getting ready to bloom. This is the moment that will determine just how much self-control you have and whether plant and pot will end up out the window or in the trash. If you manage to get through this incident calmly, these are the most common causes for this heartbreak: low humidity, insufficient light, cold drafts, changing the plant’s location (especially while in bud), too many temperature fluctuations, over or under watering, pest infestations and high temperatures. If your plant is not showing any signs of flower buds, the temperature may be to blame. Gardenias do not like very warm rooms. Find a way to provide the right temperature or settle for another foliage plant.
Sometimes No Matter How Hard You Try...
Even for the most experienced houseplant hobbyist, gardenias have a richly-deserved reputation for being difficult. But although they are temperamental, it’s hard to resist an elegant collection of leaves combined with beautiful blooms that exude a heavenly coconut-vanilla scent, a scent that reminds me of suntan lotion, which in turn reminds me of beaches, vacations, tropical regions. How can you not be spellbound by such splendor?
Before you bring home that gardenia – either for the first time or for the 100th time – keep this in mind: When you purchase it, it is freshly delivered from a greenhouse where the conditions are ideal. The leaves are glossy, the plant is filled with delicate blooms and there is only the sign of good things to come with no hint of future problems. So with such impeccable health, you can’t resist. But when you bring the gardenia home, the plant is then exposed to a completely different environment; the air is hot and dry, the light exposure is inferior and the gloomy, long days of winter are more than it can bear. Many plants adapt to imperfect home conditions easily but not the dainty gardenia. If your newly-purchased gardenia decides that the conditions in your home are not acceptable, it will vacate the premises – one leaf at a time.
I followed the gardenia commandments to a tee and my brood never cooperated (or even showed the slightest bit of gratitude). Now here’s the clincher. A very dear friend of mine has a huge gardenia that showers her with tons of luscious, healthy growth and flower buds throughout the year. She knows absolutely nothing about houseplants or plants in general. Her knowledge goes as far as "You pot them up in all-purpose soil, water them when you remember, toss them out for the summer (all houseplants!) and bring them in when you start heating your house again" I am not exaggerating. This is someone who pointed at my cacti one evening while visiting and asked “Hey I’ve heard about those! Aren’t those the plants that you water only once a year?” Need I say more?
Anyhow, her steps in Gardenia care are two! 1) Place it outside for the summer. 2) Bring it inside for the winter. Same spots every year. I call it the gardenia groove. She’s had the plant for so long and it’s so big that it seems to have made a groove in the spots she places it in year after year, indoors and out. The plant is not only beautiful, it is immaculate. The first time I saw it in bloom I had to go touch it because I thought it was artificial; too good to be true. Can you believe that? She does absolutely nothing for it and it is thriving beyond anything! Sometimes I wonder if tough love is what they need…
Now that you know what gardenias want, you will agree that the requirements are few, uncomplicated and fairly easy to apply. Only the proper temperature may prove a little trickier but you may be able to manage that as well. I hope you do much better than me; maybe gardenias just don’t like me. I haven’t thrown in the towel entirely. I do have plans to eventually pick up another temperamental beauty but this time it’s going to be tried in the hydroculture method. I can’t wait to see what the finicky gardenia will say about that! It will be - if nothing else - another adventure in hydroculture.
Good luck with your own green fusspot...
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