Protect your curb appeal
Like most of you, Grumpy loves a gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides).
There are many places toplant a gardenia, but the worst location is right in front of your house.
The blooms turn yellow and brown as they fade.
Credit: Steve Bender
I’m sure many of you already have gardenias planted out frontno need to feel ashamed.
you’re free to always move the plants to a better spot in the fall.
Here’s what you oughta know about planting gardenias.
Flowers unfurl alabaster white into perfectly shaped corsages.
However, the flowers don’t stay white for long.
Is the gardenia half-alive or half-dead?
Don’t fret about the brown flowers.
Enjoy their blooms and fragrance from other places in the yard.
Gardenias that are already in the ground dont like to be disturbed.
They do not do well indoors and attract pests like whiteflies, mealybugs, and mites.
Don’t move gardenias if planted in the ground.
Tried-and-true shrubs likehydrangeas,Knock Out roses,camellias, and Encore azaleas add beauty with abundant flowers.
Forwhite flowers, consider spirea,peonies, star jasmine, andviburnum.
Azaleas and camellias prefer morning sun and afternoon shade like gardenias do.
Avoid other plants with heavy fragrances that bloom at the same time as gardenias.
The scents will compete and may be overwhelming.
Gardenias can live for 15 years or more with proper care and the right location.
check that they have full morning sun and well-drained soil, andprune dead and damaged branches.
