Gardenia Plants Indoors or Outdoors

Gardenia Plants Indoors or Outdoors

Gardenia Plants Indoors or Outdoors

Gardenia plants can be grown indoors as houseplants or outdoors as part of your landscaping, it all depends on what climate zone you live in and you understand what their needs are for both areas. Gardenia plants are evergreen shrubs with aromatic flowers that range in color from a soft pale yellow to white and have dark shiny green leaves.

The gardenia's existence began in Japan and China and likes to grow outdoors in warm climates; it can grow between 2 and 8 feet tall and their spread can be the same depending on the varieties. If you grow them indoors as a houseplant they will need full sunlight but grown outside they like to have a bit of shade. The soil needed should be a well-drained rich acidic soil. They can be planted on the west side or east side of your house since they do not need full sun. The best place to plant them would be near a window or close to the deck so you can enjoy their beautiful aroma. They usually start blooming in the middle of spring and well into summer.

Gardenias love the humudity but if droplets of water accumulate on their leaves without any air circulation it can cause fungus. So it is best if you do not plant them under or near any plants that will drip water on them. They will need approximately 1 inch of rain or water every week. A 2 to 4 inch layer of organic mulch placed at the base of the plant keeps in moisture, maintain a constant temperature of the soil and eliminate the need for weeding. When it comes time to water gardenia house plants just insert your finger an inch deep into the soil, if the soil is dry soak your plant well. If any of the excess water collects in the container's tray, empty it right away. Remember the gardenia shrubs like to have some humidity and the best way is fill the tray with pebbles or tiny stones; once the water drains through is creates moisture and provides humidity for the plants.

The growing season for these plants is April through November and they will need fertilizing on a monthly basis. An acid fertilizer or fertilizer designed for azalea plants will fulfill nutritional requirements of the gardenia. After some of the flowers have stopped blooming it is a good idea to prune back the older stems; this will entice new growth and the plant now has a tendency to bloom more.

When planting gardenias outside the hole needs to be at least as deep as the root ball and 3 times as wide. You need to have an acidic soil containing some peat moss and compost. When you place the gardenia in the ground make sure the top portion of the root ball is just barely above the soil's surface. After placing soil and water in the hole half way, tamp it down to remove air pockets. When the water has soaked through you can fill the remainder of the hole with soil and tamp it down again to remove additional air pockets then water the gardenia completely.

You can plant gardenias in the spring or in the fall. They should be planted three to six feet apart. They would like the outdoor temperatures during the day to be between sixty-eight and seventy-four degrees F. and during the night about sixty degrees F. Some gardenias can withstand temperatures much colder at night. I live in a Southern California inland community and our gardenia that we planted is now 20 years old; a number of nights this winter have dropped to the low thirties and high twenties, but not consecutive nights and that gardenia of ours had no problems. It is now early March and we have already enjoyed some early blooms.

Gardenias can be vulnerable to a number of garden insects such as spider mites, scale, whiteflies, aphids, mealy bugs and a few others. To avoid these problems try to keep them healthy and not over-crowd with other plants. Other insect problems may be caused by too much moisture that has collected on the leaves, the temperatures are either too hot or too cold, and too much moisture. Enjoy the wonderful aromas of your gardenia plants regardless of where you plant them.

POST COMMENT

Home Owners—Prepare now for the Swallows Invasion Is Short Sale Beneficial To The Home Seller? Terrific Space Saving Kids Furniture Smokeless Indoor Grills work like a charm! Decorative Window Boxes and Hanging Baskets Perfect For Your Home How to Tell if Green Carpet Care Is Really Green Home Buying Credit Report Tips Wealthy Affiliate Forum - Home Of The Best In The Marketing World? Work form Home? The Benefits Of Vertical Blinds In The Home Use Your Diet for Lower Cholesterol Perfect Plans for Furniture Having the Best Home security