So, I planted bear's breeches (acanthus mollis) next to my gardenia and what was very bloomy and healthy last year is now a stick tree with approximately 20 green leaves at the very tippy top. Undoubtedly its those darned bear's breeches, they look so pretty but they've killed this gardenia I think. The philodendrons near them don't look so hot, either.
Is it worth it to move the gardenia? I really love it but if moving it is going to kill it I may just give up.
Worth it to move a gardenia?
How big is it?
I need to take a pic!
I planted it about 20 months ago from a 2 gallon pot. It's now about 3.25 ft tall.
Okay. I would move it this fall after the weather begins to cool down. When you dig it up look as see if the roots look healthy. If the roots are healthy the plant should do fine. Dig your hole wide to give the roots enough room to spread. During the coldest winter I would mulch it with leaves, hay, or straw. Whatever you may have on hand.
I've never grown acanthus mollis so I have no idea what affect it might have on your gardenia.
Good luck with your plant!
Lin
I rescued a gorgeous, HUGE gardenia from demolition this winter. Given its size and the fact that it took 3 of us about 3 hours to dig it up, I was really worried about its survival. Why did I go to so much trouble? I've never seen a gardenia that really, truly bloomed year round. This one did - reliably. It was an old bush . . . probably had been 40-50 years in the ground, if not longer (I know I'd watched it bloom for 30 years). I nursed it through the winter with frequent applications of SuperThrive and it's been blooming this summer. So, yes, you can safely move a gardenia IF you do it during winter (don't wait past early January), take some care in digging, and use SuperThrive (NOT root stimulator, a totally worthless product that consists of diluted fertilizer) to douse it.
Wow Leslie that's great. I love old established plants. You should post a pick of it sometime.
Wombat I think your Gardenia will do fine after you move it. Leslie has some good advice on how to care for it.
Post a pic sometime later on.
Lin