Description
Characteristic Features of Gardenia Jardinei
Gardenia is a genus of tropical evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rubiaceae. It is known to scientist for over 250 years already and has a lot of synonyms: Varneria (1759), Thunbergia (1773), Berghias (1776), Sahlbergia (1790), Caquepiria (1791), Piringa (1820), Sulipa (1837), Pleimeris and Yangapa (both in 1838), Kumbaya (1840), Decameria (1859) but the final name that survived to our time is Gardenia. It was given in 1761 in honour of Alexander Garden (1730-1791) who was born and educated in Scotland, in 1752 moved to South Carolina, fought for the South in the American War of Independence, and in 1783 was forced to go back to the Old World. He went down in history primarily as a botanist and then as a physician and zoologist. Thus, it is wrong to link the name "Gardenia" with the English word "garden".
The genus contains either about 60 or about 250 species. Almost all species are endemic to India, Southeast and East Asia (China, Japan, including the Ryukyu Islands), as well as Africa and Australia. Perhaps the only species outside these areas is Gardenia taitensis, also called Tahitian Gardenia or Tiaré Flower, a bush growing 1.5-3 meters tall, common in French Polynesia (the Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu Islands, Gambier Islands, Society Islands, and Tubuai Islands). The famous painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) who died in those parts of the world, in 1891 painted "Woman with a Flower". There is no doubt that the woman is wearing a Tiaré Flower in her hair. Tahitian Gardenia has fragrant flowers with 6-8 creamy white petals that are sometimes pinwheel-shaped. The flowers can reach 7.5 centimeters in diameter.
Other Gardenia species include:
- Gardenia brighamii, a small tree with very fragrant white solitary flowers.
- Gardenia jardinei is native to Australia and grows up to 7 meters tall. The open flowers are rose-like, white, and fragrant.
- Gardenia speciosa is a large shrub, up to 4.5 meters tall, native to West Africa. Flowers are dark purple inside, with dark red spots on the neck and creamy white lobes.
- Gardenia carinata is a tall shrub reaching up to 3 meters in height. Large tubular solitary golden yellow flowers are strongly scented.
- Gardenia spathulifolia is a shrub growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Pure white flowers later turn creamy yellow.
- Gardenia ochreata is an 8-meter plant native to Australia with white flowers 5 centimeters across.
- Gardenia ovularis is a shrub native to Australia with a height of 2 meters and 6-centimeter-wide white flowers.
- Gardenia thunbergia is a South African shrub growing up to 2.5 meters tall and bearing white fragrant flowers.
- Gardenia globosa is a 2-meter plant native to Africa. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, with yellow tongues and a sweet scent.
Indoor plant enthusiasts are globally offered only Gardenia jasminoides. The plant is also called Gardenia Augusta, Cape Jasmine, Cape Jessamine, and Danh-Danh. It is cultivated in Europe exclusively for its white highly fragrant flowers that change to yellow with time.
In the wild, Gardenia jasminoides is a bush growing to 1 to 2.4 meters tall and 1.5 meters across. Potted plants grow to be to 45-80 centimeters tall. Blooming usually occurs in July-October or May-September. The flowers are usually solitary or infrequently collected in inflorences of 3-6 flowers. They appear from leaf axils (axillary flowers) or on the shoot top (apical flowers). Different cultivars have various characteristic features, for example:
- 'First Love' blooms from early spring throughout the summer. It may bloom a second time in the year. The flowers are large, up to 13 centimeters in diameter, and double.
- 'Flore Pleno' also has large double flowers.
- 'Fortuneana' has smaller flowers (10 centimeters in diameter) similar to Camellia's flowers.
- 'Kleim's Hardy' has waxy flowers, not so large, blooming in the spring and summer.
- 'Radicans' has double white flowers.
- 'Riegata' has double flowers and features yellowish white spots on the leaves.
- 'Veitchii' is prized for its late flowering. This cultivar blossoms almost up to Christmas and even New Year and has relatively small double white flowers and glossy dark green leaves.
All species and varieties bloom best when young. Therefore, you can find advice to discard the plant after 3-4 years and get yourself several young shrubs of different ages.
ATTENTION! Some experts point out that Gardenia jasminoides is ideal for cultivation under glass but difficult for indoor cultivation because:
1) It requires rather high temperatures and air humidity for active flowering, which is not very comfortable for people.
2) Unfortunately, the fragrant flowers with heady smell can cause allergies.
Consider if indeed it would be better to grow Gardenia in a greenhouse and bring it home for a short time (10-20 days, or even less)? Also, is Gardenia acceptable for growing in the children's room?
The Secrets to Successfully Growing Gardenia Jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides loves bright light but requires protection from direct sunlight on a hot summer day. Specifically, east- or west-facing window will not require any other conditions; if you keep the plant in a northern exposure window, provide artificial light; for a south-facing window use a mobile protection screen.
You can place the plant in the open air before flowering. When flowering starts, make sure to bring the plant back home. Note that during budding. Gardenia needs high air humidity. Place the pot on a tray of well moistened peat moss, sphagnum moss, or expanded clay. Alternatively, you can place the pot OVER a tub filled with water (not in the tub, the bottom of the pot should not touch water!). The plant will benefit from daily misting. Stop misting when the blossoming starts because even small water droplets that get on the flower will turn into ugly brown spots on its white. Instead, wipe the leaves with a soft moist cloth.
The best temperatures are:
- 22-24 ° C in the summer
- 17-18 ° C in the winter. Avoid abrupt fluctuations in the temperature. The temperature can go down to as low as 16 ° C and up to 22 ° C (undesirable if higher). Make sure the plant gets fresh air but no drafts, and the soil in any case has the same temperature as the environment.
The soil should be acidic (pH = 4.5-5.5). If you prefer commercially available potting mixtures, buy soil for Azalea or Rose. Alternatively, prepare the soil from loam, leaf mold, peat, coniferous mold, and sand at 1:1:1:1:1. Over time, gradually increase the share of humus and peat in the mixture. The pot should have good drainage to make sure you the soil is moist at all times in the summer. Mulching with pine litter and / or shredded pine bark reduces evaporation and protects the roots from overheating. All year round, make sure the feet of the plant do not stand in water. In the winter, allow the top soil to dry out for no more than 2-3 days because Gardenia can not tolerate drought conditions. Water with soft rainwater or boiled water cooled to room temperature. Once per month, add a small amount of citric acid. Ten drops of fresh lemon juice per a glass of water will be sufficient.
Fertilizing is also recommended to be combined with watering. The easiest way is to apply plant fertilizer weekly, from the spring until late summer (20 grams per 10 liters of water). Make sure the fertilizer contains potassium (K) is calcium (Ca) free. In March and June, use fertilizers that contain iron (Fe). There are more complicated options taking into account the age of the plant. For example, there is an opinion that young Gardenia jasminoides must be fed twice a month by alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. You might want to experiment; make sure the fertilizers are lime-free.
Experts do not have consensus on repotting.
Some say the plant should not be repotted unless necessary; repotting should be done only in early spring or after flowering.
Others insist that it is necessary to repot at the end of each winter and last year's growth should be cut by third for the plant to branch better.
Still others suggest watching the growth rate. If the plant is not potbound, do not repot.
Others say that young specimen should be repotted each year and mature plants once every 2 or 3 years. Repotting should be combined with trimming the roots.
Others exhibit broad flexible thinking: if the plant is watered with hard water, calcium salts accumulate in the top soil as a white crust so topdress (rather than repot) the plant every year.
Gardenia jasminoides can be propagated by seed in the spring. However, semilignified apical cuttings taken in the spring or late summer are more commonly used for propagation. Hormone rooting powder and bottom heating can accelerate rooting in a propagating case. After rooting, move the cuttings into pots and pinch at a height of 15 centimeters to stimulate the growth of side shoots. To keep the plant bushy, carefully pinch outside shoots when they reach 10-12 centimeters.
If you want to form a crown with fancy outlines or, on the contrary, make it compact, remove branches when the post-winter period starts, i.e. in March. You can also prune mature plants in other seasons after flowering. Cut out weak shoots and shorten the rest by 1/2 or even 2/3. If you want to have a tree-shaped plant, prune all side shoots, without touching the tip. When the plant reaches the designed height, pinch out the growing point of the top and start pruning the side shoots.
Deadhead yellowing flowers.
Try wiping the leaves with leaf gloss, preferably vegetative rather than synthetic, once in two months. Avoid dripping leaf gloss on the flowers. Leaf gloss will contribute to making the plant even more attractive.
Potential Problems
Gardenia jasminoides is generally considered to be capricious. Be ready to make efforts into making it flower profusely.
Leaf drop and drooping can be caused by a sharp drop in the temperature.
When the buds appear, do not move or turn the plant, otherwise it can drop buds.
If the light is low, the plant will wither and the buds will dry up and fall off.
Unstable temperatures, irregular watering, and lack of airing during budding will lead to instability and eventual death of buds.
The leaves can get ugly white spots if iron content in the soil does is insufficient. High alkalinity will lead to the appearance of hideous yellow streaks.
Underwatering or using cold water for watering will cause the leaves turn yellow and drop (or drop immediately, without any change of colour).
There is no evidence of pathogenic effects of bacteria, viruses, or fungi on Gardenia jasminoides.
The plant is often attacked by whitefly, red spider mites, mealybugs, thrips, and aphids. Prevent infestation by keeping the plants clean and maintain humidity as specified above. Inspect the plant frequently. If you notice affected leaves, dispose of them immediately. If the time is missed, use commercially available or home-made acaricides and / or insecticides.
