Gardenia: how to grow it in pots and on the ground

When we talk about flowers with an unmistakable fragrance, we cannot forget the gardenia. This plant native to Asia and southern Africa belongs to the Rubiaceae family. There are about 250 species of this plant, which is why its flowering covers a good part of the seasons. The best known is the gardenia jasminoides.

There gardenia is a shrubby plant, evergreen, with very fragrant milky white flowers, the leaves are bright green, it loves tropical temperatures therefore hot and humid but do not expose it to direct contact with the sun’s rays as it would suffer from it. Gardenia is a plant that poorly tolerates cold climates therefore do not expose it outdoors in winter if the temperatures drop below eight/ten degrees. Its maximum height can reach about two meters, although there are species that can reach three meters.

The gardenia is of milky white colourdespite boasting the reputation of being a flower with many variations, its gradation remains on the very light tones of the White cream with streaks or rosé.

In addition to gardenia jasminoideswhich is the easiest to grow, there are many other varieties of gardenia that differ in terms of temperature resistance or for the growth or again for the structure of the plant itself. There gardenia grandiflora for example, it can reach three meters in height, has good resistance to cold and blooms in the spring/summer period. There gardenia amoena, whose peculiarity is that of having thorny branches and narrow, long and sharp leaves. And then there gardenia fortuneirather rare and resistant to cold.

How to grow it

put a pot of gardenia in the house it will ensure an intense and fresh aroma throughout the day, however let’s not forget to keep it away from heat sources such as radiators or even to place it in a corner away from especially cold air currents and not in direct contact with the sun’s rays. for thedisplay in the garden the same precautions are always valid.

Cultivating a gardenia is not a particularly complicated operation, you just need to have some precautions about it position It is on soil to use. Being one acidophilic plant, needs suitable soil both in pots and in the garden, therefore it will be good practice to mix peat with the soil so as to maintain the right pH it needs to grow healthy and vigorous. It is a plant that begins its own flowering in spring when temperatures are around 15-20 degrees, but the best time to sow the cutting or the part of the plant that will be able to generate a new individual, must be obtained at the end of the summer and planted in winter. For the cultivation in the gardenmake sure you choose a place where the plant is sheltered from the wind and does not receive direct sunlight.

Furthermore, being a plant from humid areas of the earth, it requires frequent but not too close watering; it is essential to control the humidity of the soil to prevent the roots from rotting. However, in fear of too frequent irrigation, it will be enough to spray non-calcareous water on the leaves which will certainly keep the plant healthy. Planting on the ground will give you the possibility of obtaining a large and luxuriant growth of this plant which can even reach two meters.

Potted gardenia

As for the pot cultivation, the advice is to obtain a larger container than the original vase so that the plant can expand freely. The certain thing is that in a pot it will never reach the heights that can be obtained in the garden, usually in fact the stem can reach a maximum of one meter in height.

Drained soils rich in organic matter they represent the best form of nourishment for the gardenia so if we want to plant it in a pot, we will have to obtain fertilizer from which it can obtain the same sustenance. During the summer season we recommend the administration of liquid fertilizer every fortnight, while in the winter season it can be done at intervals of two months.

Care, pruning and repotting

The gardenia needs a lot of care especially just taken from the florist. L’humidity plays a key role, if too different from the old environment, it could lead the buds to die in a short time. Like any acidophilic plant, it runs the risk of contracting iron chlorosis, this condition is due to the lack of iron in the home water due to excessive limescale. To prevent or solve the problem, the solution is to adoptdemineralised water or collect rainwater.

As for the gardenia pruningmust take place in summertime shortening the branches so that the plant does not disperse its nourishment. Furthermore, the topping of the vegetative apexes is advisable. The gardenia it should be repotted every two or three years in early spring.

Meaning

Gardenia became popular in Europe in the mid-1700s in full romanticism both for its intoxicating fragrance and for its delicate and elegant beauty. The symbolism of this flower recalls feminine beauty and sincere friendship, but once its flowers are cut and placed in water they will not last longer than three days, therefore this particular one also evokes the fleeting beauty that fades over time.

Diseases and pests

Especially home-grown gardenia plants can be attacked by insects or aphids, but in general, even outdoors, the cochineal and the insidious red spider mites can lead to the death of the plant over time. Fortunately, there are natural pesticides that can be used to remedy this. By spraying them in advance on leaves and flowers they will no longer be so attractive. If suddenly the leaves should turn yellow, the motivation will be to be found above all in the irrigation water quality which evidently has an excessive amount of limestone. Also in this case by administering iron chelates to the plant the situation can be recovered, obviously the timeliness of the intervention plays a very important factor.