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Our landscape company planted five gardenia bushes last February, and they bloomed last year. Not a lot, but they bloomed. Everything else they planted has done well to very well, so I guess the landscape guy knew what he was doing.
This winter, in our record cold weather, we noticed they gardenia's were getting yellow leaves, and dropping leaves. Now, they have dropped most of their leaves, have very little new growth, and look spindly. To be honest, they look like they are dying.
Did they get shocked by the cold and do they need replacing? (We did lose three rosemary bushes the same way, but so did nearly everyone in our neighborhood.)
If they need replacing, suggestions for something else that will bloom easily besides Azalea's (we already have plenty of those).
Jk,
I live in AIken,SC, which is about 14 miles from Augusta Ga.
I am in zone 8, and the winter was horrible down here.
All my gardenias lived, but looked a sorry for awhile.
I don't know your zone, but I do know that gardenias are very hardy
plants. Are you watering them when it doesn't rain?
Do you have them on a sprinkler system for your lawn?
Gardenias really should be hand watered, because they rot so easily.
Try hand watering them and spply about 2-3 inches of mulch around
them and see if they perk up for you.
I've seen gardenias with only a couple of green leaves left come out ok.
If they don't improve for you, you might try replacing them with
a Hawthorne.
Look Hawthorne up online. Nice evergreen bush, inexpensive, loves
sun, and easy peasy to grow.
They usually come in white or pink.
I have Indian Hawthorne in white, but they may have even more colors
available.
Then there is always albelia.
Very nice bush, easily trimmed, pretty fragrant white flowers, evergreen,
I have "Kaleidoscope", it has multiple color leaves on it.
Also very easy peasy to grow.
Sorry about your gardenias.
I'm within spitting distance from you and mine did just fine through the winter but very few blooms. They are 6 years old. I did however lose a bunch of perennials I'm in the process of replacing.
Have you gone to Tony Avent's Plants Delight near you? Not to be missed.
Our landscape company planted five gardenia bushes last February, and they bloomed last year. Not a lot, but they bloomed. Everything else they planted has done well to very well, so I guess the landscape guy knew what he was doing.
This winter, in our record cold weather, we noticed they gardenia's were getting yellow leaves, and dropping leaves. Now, they have dropped most of their leaves, have very little new growth, and look spindly. To be honest, they look like they are dying.
Did they get shocked by the cold and do they need replacing? (We did lose three rosemary bushes the same way, but so did nearly everyone in our neighborhood.)
If they need replacing, suggestions for something else that will bloom easily besides Azalea's (we already have plenty of those).
Have you fed them? I have one huge plant that I keep in a big pot. About 5 years old. I top it off with African Violet soil each spring. We don't freeze too bad down here, but I still keep it covered if there is any danger of ice.
It is just now starting to bloom. Has lots of buds. I applied the African violet soil about a month ago.
I don't know what to attribute my lovely gardenias to. Just luck I guess. I doubt very seriously the landscape crew amended this horrible clay soil when they planted them as part of the foundation planting. I haven't fed them in 5 years. Thanks for reminding me I need to do that.
Give them a chance, I have 3 very large August Beauty gardenia out front and they have looked horrible (lost foliage, blacked branches), they are about 8 years old and very well established. But just today I noticed them shooting out teeny green leaves getting ready to "re-leaf" themselves (location = Charlotte). My "frost-proof" gardenia are getting ready to bloom and didn't seem to take the beating the August Beauties did, just in case you need to replace. I feed mine Holly Tone twice a year after bloom.
I'm within spitting distance from you and mine did just fine through the winter but very few blooms. They are 6 years old. I did however lose a bunch of perennials I'm in the process of replacing.
Have you gone to Tony Avent's Plants Delight near you? Not to be missed.
Yes, we went last year and purchased some things that are doing splendidly. We wanted to go back this spring, but were out of town last weekend, and have other plans this weekend. Maybe in July.
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