Gardenia - Cape Jasmine

[farah]

Asalam alaikam

does anyone have any experience with gardenias?

My uncle gave me one randomly with instructions not to over-water and keep out of the direct sunlight..

Similar to the one at home:

http://www.hear.org/starr/images/full/starr-070906-8543.jpg

[Riz]

Asalam alaikam

does anyone have any experience with gardenias?

My uncle gave me one randomly with instructions not to over-water and keep out of the direct sunlight..

Similar to the one at home:

http://www.hear.org/starr/images/full/starr-070906-8543.jpg

hi farah..

the flowers smell really nice too, although i have never grown one, i always thought it was a outdoor plant, but i guess they can be grown indoors too.

[farah]

The gardenia seems to be from a cutting of one that he already had at home, one of my mum's friends wants a cutting from this one as well which I'm not to sure how to go about without damaging the plant... It hasn't been watered as often as it should be... :s After some research though the best care advice I've come across -

There are over 200 Gardenia species. The main species grown is Gardenia jasminoides, and from it many cultivars have been raised. Gardenia jasminoides is native to southern China and Japan. The genus Gardenia is thought to have been named after Alexander Garden, a doctor from Charleston, South Carolina.

The Gardenia bears beautiful, pure white, waxy, double flowers, 2.75 inches (7 cm) across, at the ends of the branches. The flowers turn to creamy-yellow as they age, and get flatter as they continue to open. The Gardenia flower has a heady, sweet fragrance, which can fill an entire room. The stem length is usually no more than 16 inches (40 cm). Flowers on very short stems are often used floating in shallow bowls indoors. Also used as a corsage. Available in summer.

The best time for the purchase of a Gardenia flower is when the outer petals have opened, but are not yet too separated from the stem, the inner central petals still being closed. Even with good care Gardenia flowers have a very short vase life of no more than 2-3 days once open. Hence it is important to buy at the right stage of development.

In the home, Gardenia flowers must be placed in a cool spot, and frequently misted with water. (I read elsewhere not to mist with water too much as this can cause moulding) A Gardenia flower bruises easily, and needs careful handling. When bought the blossom is backed by leaves to protect it from damage.


Care of Gardenia Pot Plants

Gardenias must have a rich, acid soil (pH of 4.5 - 5.5), which drains well. You can use a prepared, acidic, potting soil as used for Rhododendrons, Camellias and Azaleas. Use a plastic pot to retain moisture.

To keep your Gardenia healthy and flowering well it is essential to keep the soil constantly moist, but avoiding soggy conditions. Don't stand the pot in water or allow the soil to dry out. Large variations in soil moisture will cause bud and leaf drop. The watering aspect of Gardenia care is critical because it largely determines the number of flower buds that remain on the plant to maturity. If water stress occurs in a heavily budded plant, many buds will fall before opening.

It is best to avoid using tap water, which is often alkaline and can cause chlorosis (yellowing) in the leaves. Use soft, tepid water, rain water or water from defrosting your refrigerator. Chlorosis can be remedied by applying iron sulfate or iron chelate to the potting soil once or twice a week for a month, until the plant recovers.

Gardenias need high humidity. So stand a tray of water next to the plant to raise humidity levels, but don't stand the pot in the water.
(I also read somewhere else to place some pebbles in the pot)

Keep Gardenias in bright light, but not direct sunlight in summer. The ideal place is a south facing window with a light curtain for shade. However with dull weather over several days, extra lighting may be needed to prevent bud drop.

Apply a water soluble, acidic fertilizer monthly while the plant is in active growth.

It is essential to keep to a rigid temperature range when a Gardenia is developing flower buds. Gardenia flower buds do not form if temperatures are over 70 deg F (21 deg C) in daytime, or over 65 deg F (19 deg C) or less than 60 deg F (15 deg C) at night. The ideal temperature range is 65 to 70 deg F (19-21 deg C) during the day, and 60 to 62 deg F (15-17 deg C) at night. Also there must not be any sudden changes in temperature, or drafts. Such sudden changes can cause the buds to drop. Premature bud drop can also be caused by low humidity, overwatering, underwatering, and insufficient light.

For a Gardenia plant to survive indoors, its basic needs are warm days, cool nights, and moist, humid conditions. Repotting will be required every 2-3 years.

http://www.aa-florist.com/Gardenia.html

Now I really want to see some flowers!

[farah]

hi farah..

the flowers smell really nice too, although i have never grown one, i always thought it was a outdoor plant, but i guess they can be grown indoors too.

I think outside is best if you have a tropical climate so maybe in the UK you could have it outside on lovely :sunny: days like today but indoors when it comes to autumn time....

[~Obsidian~]

Wa Alaykum AsSalaam,

How is it doing now? Post a pic!

[farah]

Its flowered! Sorry about the quality, it's quite dark today...

[Nife180]

That is one pretty flower, Does it smell fragrant too? How strong is the smell?

[farah]

The flower smells jasminey lol can't think of any other word to describe it, the leaves are really gorgeous and dark as well.... its quite a small flower yet but it does smell quite strong... i'm sat about a foot away and occasionally the perfume wafts over... so I can only imagine that its going to get very strong the bigger the plant gets. Its being sprayed with rain water per the instructions and I can see new leaves at the top beginning to grow, i'm starting to wonder how tall the flower gets though.

[Riz]

nice farah...

It looks so healthy and leafs are shiny.. Are you going re pot it eventually !!!?

[farah]

The instructions say repot every 2-3 years... so maybe next year...

[khabbab]

There are 3 varities of cape jasmine here. One is green+white variagated which grows a little bit slow. Other 2 are not variagated but have either double or triple patels flowers. One variety have yellowish blooms. It is not blooming in my garden as temp. is around 100F but it blooms twice a year in our climate. First in spring then in fall. i have it growing in a clay pot. will post the pics in late october when it will bloom. nice fragrance but less powerful than arabian jasmine and murraya.