How to Care for a Trailing Gardenia

Trailing Gardenia Care

• 1

  Keep your trailing gardenia in a location that receives full sunlight or no more than light or dappled shade. Avoid areas with heavy shade, as gardenias do not fare well without ample sun. If you are growing this plant indoors, a south-facing window is ideal.

• 2

  Give your trailing gardenia moist but well-drained soil. This means watering no more than necessary and avoiding locations where water gathers and the soil becomes waterlogged. If you are growing gardenias indoors, use a loose, well-drained planting mix and a container with holes in the bottom for proper drainage. Trailing gardenia is moderately drought-tolerant, but it cannot tolerate excessive water.

• 3

  Maintain acidic, moderately fertile soil with a pH of 6.0 or less. Sulphur can be used to lower pH if necessary. Trailing gardenia does not need extremely fertile soil, so avoid overusing commercial fertilizers. Do not use lime, as this can make the soil too alkaline for gardenias to tolerate.

• 4

  Avoid exposing trailing gardenia to cold temperatures, and never allow it to be exposed to frost. This is a southern plant which grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 11. If you plan to grow trailing gardenia in a cooler climate, keep it indoors during the colder parts of the year.

• 5

  Keep an eye out for pests and diseases. Trailing gardenia is less likely to have problems if it is grown in the right conditions, but it may still be susceptible to aphids, scale and white fly. Treatments vary, and problems may have to be dealt with as they occur.