How to Trim August Beauty Gardenia Bushes

The August Beauty gardenia bush begs to be planted where it can be admired and its fragrance appreciated. Spring finds the bush covered in 2- to 3-inch-wide double flowers, and it repeats the flower show several times over the growing season. The bush grows to 6 feet tall with an almost equal width, providing an elegant privacy screen or stunning accent planting. August Beauty prefers a shady location in regions with hot summers; otherwise, give it full sun. One of the best treats you can give this gardenia is a trim. This keeps it to the shape you desire and encourages it to produce new growth.

Bypass pruning shears
Trash bags
Rake
15-5-10 granular fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until after the August Beauty finishes its final blooming flush to trim it. Depending upon region, this typically occurs in late summer or early fall.
- 2
  Remove dead flowers. Ideally, the shrub should be deadheaded periodically during the blooming season by pinching off fading and dead flowers. Remove whatever blooms are left before trimming the August Beauty.
- 3
  Inspect the shrub for pests and cut off any infested shoots. Bag them and remove them from the garden.
- 4
  Look for dead shoots and remove them back to their points of origin.
- 5
  Cut back stems extending from the side of the August Beauty bush. Use the pruning shears to snip these back until they are the same length as the rest of the stems.
- 6
  Prune the shrub to the shape you desire. Use the pruning shears to cut individual stems, as shearing the shrub creates an unnatural shape and an excess of new growth just before winter.
- 7
  Rake the soil free of pruning debris.
- 8
  Fertilize the August Beauty after trimming and before applying fresh mulch if you live in an area with mild winters. Apply 15-5-10, according to label instructions, and water slowly to a depth of 12 inches. Gardeners in areas with cold winters should wait until spring to fertilize.

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