Gardenia bushes

When is it time to dig up and move about 6 gardenia bushes? My husband potted them after I rooted them and set them behind the house to let them get a start..it's been about 7 years so I know they have grown well into the ground.. He never moved them before he died and now I need to.They are about 4ft or so tall.

Now is the best time when they aren't actively growing.

X

I plant them and move them year round but yes, now would be a great time to move them. Just make sure you water them in fairly well, that the ground drains well, and careful with any root damage while digging them up.

Best of gardening to you!

Shoe
(Any idea what kind you have? I'm a gardenia freak!) *grin

I think mine have been growing. The warm spell did it. The ground around here is still pretty warm.

You may be right that they're starting to grow again, CoreHHI, but the recent cold spell will have slowed that down, and you can still move them. But do it soon---or wait till next winter.

Yup. My mini's have buds. :)
Deb

We moved from CT to SC in September, and there are two large gardenia bushes near the driveway. I'm concerned because the leaves are quite yellow, some have large brown patches. I don't know anything of their history, and I know nothing about the care of gardenias. Can anyone give me some pointers? Thanks!

Gardenias are acid loving plants. They actually prefer dappled sun or morning sun and afternoon shade inspite of what the garden center folks say about them loving sun. The brown spots may be sunburn if they are in full sun. They are heavy feeders and you pretty much can't over feed them. Use a food for azaleas and also do a foliar feeding with a liquid. Feeding them should correct the problem. If it doesn't green up you may have a magnesium or iron deficiency. If the leaves are yellow with green veins then they have a magnesium deficiency. Epsom salts will take care of that. If the leaves are green with yellow veins then they have an iron deficency. Ironite will fix that.

From your picture it appears they need magnesium. When you do a foliar feeding, do it in the late afternoon so they leaves won't get sunburned.

X

Thanks very much, Xeramtheum, you're very helpful!!!