PlantFiles: Gardenia, Cape Jasmine, Gandharaj
Gardenia jasminoides

I have a very large plant in a patio pot. It has lucious green leaves and many buds. However the buds get quite large, then turn brown at the stem and fall off. What causes this? It gets morning sun for about 2 hours and then shade. It is watered reguarly with a irrigation drip system. Pleae tell me how to correct this. The area is in Surprise, Arizona. Very hot in midday but plant is shaded.

I live in Western Maryland and have just purchased a gardenia. I was wondering if I could plant this beautiful flower out side for the summer ?

I love Gardenias and have grown them for 10 years. I am in zone 7 (NC) and Gardenias aren't really recommended for this zone but I plant them on the south side of my house, protected from wind and they grow beautifully.

I have a tip to pass on for those who have a problem with the white flies that love Gardenias. The sap excreted by the white flies turns into a black, sooty mold layer on the leaves that is unsightly. If your gardenia suffers from this black layer, simply take a hose with a strong sprayer attachment and blast each individual leaf with a sharp stream of water. Hold each leaf in the palm of your hand as you blast the water onto the mold and it will peel this black layer right off. It does NOT harm the leaf at all, in fact your Gardenia will thank you with the increased vigor. Don't forget to blast the stems as well. Try it, it works! (Do this before the flower buds appear.)

(I now add a systemic granular insecticide to the soil regularly to keep the white flies at bay.)

I have had great experience with growing this plant underneath the dappled shade of my Live Oak tree in Holiday, Florida (north of Tampa). The acidity provided by the oak leaves and the partial sunshine exposure seem to provide a comfortable home for the plant. Unfortunately, like magnolia blossoms, the white petals "stain" easily, but they add a great fragrance to the house.

In piedmont NC, I struggled to keep it going the first year, but once established in a spot with three hours direct sun in early afternoon and bright shade for the morning and later afternoon, the bush shielded our trash cans from view and the scent was lavish, especially in late afternoon in the spring.

The name GANDHARAJ is the common name in India and it comes from 2 words:

GANDHA = smell
RAJ = King

This plant is very pH sensitive. There is a group of them planted in front of a mall near here that suffers constantly with falling yellow leaves, and rarely bloom. The soil there is too alkaline, and the plants don´t react well with it. As the soil gets old, the plants recover themselves a little and try to bloom... but then they fertilize it again with a high pH compound, and it starts all over again. The same mistake is done almost everywhere. I have seen only one strong Gardenia in my life, with big and strongly perfumed flowers and a thick foliage. If given good conditions to grow, this is a wonderful plant to have.

This is one of my favorites with it's beautiful frangrance & contrasting dark green leaves & snow white blooms.
The blooms make excellent car freshener, lingerie sachets & the like but my sister is highly allergic to the frangrance so I no longer have my bush.

I have found a great trick to provide the proper soil pH requirement for my indoor Gardenia. The plant was a "gift" from my mother-in-law who couldn't figure out why the leaves had gone white.

I added a tablespoon of vinegar to a quart of warm water and watered the soil thoroughly. A couple of days later I added some blood meal and the leaves greened right up and it looks as though it may flower soon. Talk about an inexpensive cure!

This plant does very well in the acid soil of my garden. It roots easily in water for me.

Evergreen shrub with glossy bright green leaves and double cream or white, fragrant flowers that appear mid-spring to fall, depending on variety.

Some varieties ('Chuck Hayes' and 'Klein's Hardy') can both withstand colder temperatures (generally to 0 degrees F.) Gardenias are susceptible to whiteflies and aphids; make sure the plant can receive adequate airflow, and treat infestations immediately.

Plant in well-drained, acid soil, and feed every 3-4 weeeks during growing season with acid plant food, fish emulsion or blood meal.