I have three small gardenias that I planted in
containers this summer. They have done wonderfully but I am
not sure what to do with them for the winter. I live in
Seattle, WA and am not sure if i should bring them inside?
Please advise me on the best way to take care of them. I can
also plant them but don’t think this is the right time to
plant?
I don’t know which species of Gardenia you are growing, but
according to the book Hot Plants for Cool Climates by Susan
Roth and Dennis Schrader (Houghton Mifflin, 2000), Gardenia
augusta (also called Gardenia jasminoides) may be
overwintered in a conservatory or as a houseplant, but you
will need to make sure it gets enough light, and is kept
cool, particularly at night. If you grow it indoors, it will
also require high humidity.
Missouri Botanical Garden advises the following:
“Plants appreciate significant humidity year-round. In the
St. Louis area, plants should be grown in pots or containers
in conservatories or warm rooms. Plants may be taken outside
in summer, but should be brought indoors in late summer/early
fall for overwintering. As an indoor plant, grow this
gardenia in bright light with moderate room temperatures.
Water moderately, but do not allow soils to dry out. Prune as
needed after flowering to shape. Fertilize as needed from
March to August. In St. Louis, this low growing plant could
be sited outside in the ground in a protected location with
an organic root mulch, however winter survival would be a
serious concern. Gardenias need lots of attention and are
generally considered to be difficult plants to grow well.”
We are considerably warmer in winter than St. Louis, and
there are a few Gardenia cultivars which are said to
withstand colder temperatures, such as ‘Klehm’s Hardy’ (to 0
degrees F), ‘Chuck Hayes’ (to zone 6b), and ‘August Moon’
(about 0 degrees). The book Palms Won’t Grow Here and Other
Myths by David Francko (Timber Press, 2003) mentions these
cultivars, and adds the following:
“Gardenias require extremely well-drained, highly organic
soils. This species does best in partial shade and definitely
out of winter sun and wind. (It) can be grown as a container
plant but does not do well as a houseplant. Plant it near an
entry way to your home or whatever part of your garden you
happen to gravitate toward most.”
Seattle gardening expert Ciscoe Morris also says that keeping
the Gardenia indoors is problematic, because our homes are
usually far too hot and dry in the winter months to keep this
plant happy. It is liable to get spider mites inside, and he
suggests taking a shower with your plants to keep the mites
off the leaves, and to give them a good dose of humidity.
Since you have three plants, you could experiment by bringing
one indoors and keeping it in the best possible conditions
(no excessive heat, good light, sufficient humidity), and
then place or plant the others in the garden in a sheltered
spot (away from wind and intense sunlight).