A friend's mom gave me a piece of Gardenia to grow. It already had roots and was doing great for a week or so... then it started looking awful! I thought it might be getting too much sun so I moved it to a shadier area. That didn't help either. One of my aunts told me that you had to start Gardenia by planting it "sideways". Have any of you tried this before? Or have any other suggestions of getting this to grow?
I haven't heard of the sideways method, but if it already has roots that probably isn't going to be necessary. I know they don't like their roots disturbed and they like moist but well drained acidic soil. Also, the cutting does best if it is from the current years growth, not woody and not soft.
Toni... I do believe the cutting is fairly "new"... it's not woody or soft. I've put it back in a sunnier location. Do you think the sunlight, or lack of, could be contributing to the problem? This isn't the first Gardenia I've had trouble getting to grow. Perhaps it's just me?
Sun to part shade is what they usually like, maybe morning sun with afternoon shade in your area. I gave up trying to grow Gardenias and Azaleas years ago. No matter what I did they just laughed at me and died.
I'll give it another try with a morning sun location... and plant it sideways as much as I can. If this doesn't work... then I'm going to give up on Gardenias too!
Cheryl I read somewhere that Gardenia cuttings like humidity. Try placing a clear plastic bag over the pot to see if this will help. Best not to place it in direct sunlight though so shade or partial sun would be best as you don't want to 'cook' it.
I'll help you cheer. Gardenia is something I'm not going to try since they're house plants up here, and I am notorious for killing houseplants.
