Need gardenia information please!

MIL bought a good-looking gardenia and wants me to plant it out by her gazebo. She's very sentimental and it reminds her of her deceased mom who had a big one at the house that my MIL grew up in.

I have never grown much in the way of acidic plants and shrubs. Could someone please give me suggestions for prepping the soil? I am in South Texas where it's really hot. I plan on planting it in part shade per nursery attendant's recommendations .

Thanks!

Patty

Part shade is the way to go. What's your soil ph? The biggest problem with gardenias is yellowing leaves, which simply means it needs more iron. I use Milorganite works very well on gardenias.

My best guess would be AM sun, PM shade in a hot climate like yours. If one side of your house is cooler than the other, I would also put it there. At my old house I had a covered patio in the back and a courtyard in the front, because the patio was covered it was in shade for the same amt of time during the day as the courtyard, but since the courtyard faced north and was in the shade of a tree it stayed probably at least 10 degrees cooler than the south facing patio, and my gardenias hated the patio but loved the courtyard. They also don't like to dry out too much, so make sure you keep it watered. I've found that they can be temperamental for me here and since you have a difficult climate I suspect you might find the same thing. So you might try putting it in a container for a while so you can move it around until you find a spot that makes it happy in terms of amt of sun/shade and temperature. Once you have that nailed, then you can plant it in the garden and you'll know if it starts to look unhappy it's the soil, otherwise it's very hard to tell if it's the soil, the sun, the temperature, etc. I've decided I like them better in containers anyway, most of my plants don't want a ton of water so by keeping it in a container I can keep it happy without overwatering the rest of the garden. Also solves the problem of trying to grow it in limey soil that way.

Your soil is probably alkaline as is most of our state. Adding sulfur will help to lower the soil pH. Corehhi is correct in that you should find out what the soil pH is. Changing the pH of soil can be tricky and won't last too long. You will have to add a source of chelated iron at least once a year. Gardenias also need a soil rich in organic material. Adding acidic compost or potting soil made for azaleas and rhododendrons would help to lower the soil pH as well.

Yes definately alkaline soil which is why in my own flower beds, I avoid acidic cause I don't want to mess with two different composts, plant foods etc. The soil at my MIL is a little different. She has lots of sand whereas I have clay. I usually always use composted manure and cotton burr compost when prepping soil. I do believe I saw cotton burr compost for acidic soil so I guess I will try and pick up some of it. I also have sulfur too. I told my MIL this would be an experiment cause I had never tried to grow one and I've heard they are temperamental.

Thanks everyone for wonderful input. Wish me luck! My MIL is a sweet lady and I would love to make her happy by getting this to grow.

Patty

I love gardenias, but none of my plants have ever lasted more than a few years. I have killed so many that I've given up growing them. I do have to admit that I haven't tried growing them here in Texas. I have lots of acidic sandy loam that would have to be amended. Unfortunately, the acidic soil patches are out in the wooded areas of the ranch away from the house. I wish you better luck.

If had a problem with whiteflies on mine. I used Bayer (imidicloprid), but I think horticultural oil will work too. If you have pines in the area, gather up some pine straw to put around it.