{"id":2772,"date":"2019-05-18T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T07:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-563\/"},"modified":"2024-01-31T10:03:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T18:03:04","slug":"on-overwintering-container-potted-gardenias","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/on-overwintering-container-potted-gardenias\/","title":{"rendered":"on overwintering container-potted gardenias"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have three small gardenias that I planted in<\/strong>
\ncontainers this summer. They have done wonderfully but I am<\/strong>
\nnot sure what to do with them for the winter. I live in<\/strong>
\nSeattle, WA and am not sure if i should bring them inside?<\/strong>
\nPlease advise me on the best way to take care of them. I can<\/strong>
\nalso plant them but don’t think this is the right time to<\/strong>
\nplant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I don’t know which species of Gardenia you are growing, but
\naccording to the book Hot Plants for Cool Climates<\/em> by Susan
\nRoth and Dennis Schrader (Houghton Mifflin, 2000), Gardenia
\naugusta<\/em> (also called Gardenia jasminoides<\/em><\/a>) may be
\noverwintered in a conservatory or as a houseplant, but you
\nwill need to make sure it gets enough light, and is kept
\ncool, particularly at night. If you grow it indoors, it will
\nalso require high humidity.<\/p>\n

Missouri Botanical Garden advises the following:<\/p>\n

“Plants appreciate significant humidity year-round. In the
\nSt. Louis area, plants should be grown in pots or containers
\nin conservatories or warm rooms. Plants may be taken outside
\nin summer, but should be brought indoors in late summer\/early
\nfall for overwintering. As an indoor plant, grow this
\ngardenia in bright light with moderate room temperatures.
\nWater moderately, but do not allow soils to dry out. Prune as
\nneeded after flowering to shape. Fertilize as needed from
\nMarch to August. In St. Louis, this low growing plant could
\nbe sited outside in the ground in a protected location with
\nan organic root mulch, however winter survival would be a
\nserious concern. Gardenias need lots of attention and are
\ngenerally considered to be difficult plants to grow well.”<\/p>\n

We are considerably warmer in winter than St. Louis, and
\nthere are a few Gardenia cultivars which are said to
\nwithstand colder temperatures, such as ‘Klehm’s Hardy’ (to 0
\ndegrees F), ‘Chuck Hayes’ (to zone 6b), and ‘August Moon’
\n(about 0 degrees). The book Palms Won’t Grow Here and Other
\nMyths<\/em> by David Francko (Timber Press, 2003) mentions these
\ncultivars, and adds the following:<\/p>\n

“Gardenias require extremely well-drained, highly organic
\nsoils. This species does best in partial shade and definitely
\nout of winter sun and wind. (It) can be grown as a container
\nplant but does not do well as a houseplant. Plant it near an
\nentry way to your home or whatever part of your garden you
\nhappen to gravitate toward most.”<\/p>\n

Seattle gardening expert Ciscoe Morris also says that keeping
\nthe Gardenia indoors is problematic, because our homes are
\nusually far too hot and dry in the winter months to keep this
\nplant happy. It is liable to get spider mites inside, and he
\nsuggests taking a shower with your plants to keep the mites
\noff the leaves, and to give them a good dose of humidity.
\nSince you have three plants, you could experiment by bringing
\none indoors and keeping it in the best possible conditions
\n(no excessive heat, good light, sufficient humidity), and
\nthen place or plant the others in the garden in a sheltered
\nspot (away from wind and intense sunlight).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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…<\/p>\n

Continue reading on overwintering container-potted gardenias<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[697],"class_list":["post-2772","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-gardenia"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2772"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}