Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: struggling Gardenias, 1 by mhamilton85

mhamilton85 wrote:
I planted 4 new gardenias last summer that have been struggling and I can\'t figure out what they need/want. They were fine through autumn last year, but we had a very harsh winter in NC and they appeared to have been severely winter burned. This spring they just don\'t want to seem to bounce back. The stems are still green and supple, but the leaves are yellow/brown and wilted. No new growth.

They look like they want water, but the ground under the mulch is damp, so I don\'t want to overwater them as I\'ve read they don\'t like soggy roots. I did try a little all purpose fertilizer around the base about 2 months ago, that didn\'t seem to do anything.

The gardenias I have on the other side of the house (4 years old--shown in last photo) are doing great, they\'re blooming right now. All of these Gardenias get the same southern exposure, with direct sun from morning through about 1-2pm. All are planted in the same clay soil.

Should I try some camellia/azalea fertilizer? Or just leave them alone?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
-Michael