August Beauty Gardenia

Hi Laurie, fall is a great time to plant gardenias! A good rule of thumb is as long as your ground is workable and you have a few weeks to first freeze, for them to throw some new, strong, healthy roots!

There may be a number of reason why Gardenia buds do not bloom: 

**Soil with an improper pH may be the reason when there are no blooms on gardenias.

**Extreme weather– Temperature extremes, either too hot or too cold, can also prevent blooming or cause buds to drop. When plants are stressed, the blooms and buds are the first things they stop producing. 

**The number of hours of light and darkness the gardenia receives can affect its blooming. Gardenias are short-day plants, which means they form buds when there are 10 to 12 hours of light and 12 to 14 hours of continuous darkness per 24-hour cycle.

Gardenia's are best grown in a warm protected environment protected from hot afternoon sun. Morning sun is the best position. They also require good drainage and soil enriched with organic matter and compost. When watering make sure the the water doesn't stay on the unopened flower buds as the hot sun could burn them. Try and water around the root systme and under the foliage. Applying a mulch around the plant will help to keep in the moisture. Gardenias are also heavy feeders so apply a slow release fertiliser such as Acticote or Dynamic Lifter to keep the plants healthy. I am sure your plants will will continue to produce some beautiful blooms for you during the swummer months.