These two Gardenia topiary plants were calling my name and I had to get two. Somehow it seemed wrong to get one-too lonely. I plan to keep them in my carport outside, where they will get early morning sun but just indirect light after that. We'll see how I do! Hopefull I'll get at least one flower to open.
Anyone ever try one of these outside over summer?
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Thanks everyone! I really enjoyed fussing over these two over summer. In fact, it's fair to say I have somewhat bonded with them. So, I've decided I'll try to bring them in the house over winter to see if I can manage to keep them for next year. That will be a greater challenge, as I don't do well with houseplants, but I'll try. Too bad my kitchen is so darn hot over winter I might try the fireplace area of my LR, as it's kind of cool in there and there's hopefully enough brightness from a nearby window that faces south. (morning sun) If that dosen't cut it, I will be able to make use of the horrid fluorescent bulb lighting there, which I totally hate but hey, it might come in handy! :laugh:
How gorgeous! I can almost smell them. I was at RBG one winter and they had these gardenias in a cool room, so Dawn make sure you keep them in a cool room over the winter....good luck and thanks for sharing
Beautiful flowers, Dawn :) Congrats on being so patient and such a devoted waterer!! ;)
they actually look like they must smell good. I bet you can't wait for the rest of the buds to bloom. Worth the wait.
Absolutely breathtaking Dawn!
Thanks! Here's a final shot that better captures the beauty. Wish you could smell them too-the fragrance is heavenly. :)
Well done Dawn! :clapping: They do say that "patience is a virtue" - looks like your patience has paid off. Enjoy your beautiful blooming plants!
Dawn, aren't you proud of yourself having that gardenia flower for you after so much loving tender care. It is a very healthy looking plant and I'm sure you'll enjoy more blooms later....thanks for sharing.
Fantastic Dawn! I have been following this story all summer! LOL!! Glad to see your persistance has paid off!!!
:clapping: Mel
FINALLY! I discovered the birth of flowers with tonight's watering. It's too dark outside for a great photo, but I'll post one taken in daylight once the display progresses.
:bliss:
Still no flowers, but the good news is that I haven't lost the small buds reported in my last post. Those have grown fairly large, and more have started since then.
The twice-daily watering to prevent their original small pots from drying out has been working, so far. That routine ensures that they are moist before their time in the sun begins, and that they are 'refreshed' soonafter the sun has induced drying in the soil. The water never runs right through this way, as they are never allowed to totally dry out.
That's all for my update. It's been a while and I thought I might be lucky enough to have at least one flower open for me by now. Here's hoping there is enough summer left to carry these buds through to a flowering day!
Actually, I have tiny buds now! I forgot to mention that. :)
The last picture shows one-hard to see but it's right in the middle. I had a huge bud on one plant when I first started out that succumbed to bud drop, but my hopes are up again because small ones have formed. (but I don't know if I will be able to get them to bloom) I'm pretty sure all it would take to lose these buds is letting the soil dry out just once.
Normally I could not be bothered to tend to anything this fussy, and I'm sure all the other plants out there that are expected to live under my 'tough love' rules are really jealous! :laugh:
Dawn those gardenias look so healthy........you said no flower buds which is making me wonder if they're in the sun too much......I think indirect sunlight is preferable with those plants.
Saw them at Rona the other day and was really tempted to get one but wasn't sure where I'll keep it away from my cat......instead I bought a Majesty Palm and 4 more orchids.
Good luck with your gardenias.....I think they prefer a cooler room in the winter time when you bring them indoors.
I'm pretty darn sure i'd kill them if I tried to bring them indoors for winter. I kill normal houseplants by accident, so ones this fussy do not stand a chance. I may ask around to see if a more green-thumbs kind of person wants to give it a shot. (if they are still alive at the end of summer! Fingers crossed!)
It looks like they are doing okay. It's kind of funny you talking about buying for next year because you should just be able to bring these ones in and if you can keep them going have them ready for next summer.
I'm also not much of an indoor plant person (well I like them they just don't usually do too well). Anyway I have a fig and ivy in one big pot that used to go outside at my old house. I should really take it out again but there isn't really a good spot like it used to have (on the veranda). Anyway, it did really well outside all summer and then inside the rest of the year so you may be able to do the same with yours.
BTW, what I understand about plants is they don't like water at night. Better to water them early in the day as at night they are dormant and the roots don't absorb the water. Also it can attract slugs or snails or provide good conditions for various fungi and such.
An update:
They are still alive! This alone is a big deal, as I consider these things houseplants and I am not known for my ability to keep houseplants alive! :laugh:
No blooms yet-the buds present on the plants were lost. Personally, I think the reason for the bud drop was to do with a few times the moisture in the soil was not kept constant, or from the process of getting a little too dry. Of course, since there were at least TWO times wind knocked them off the table I set them on could have had something to do with that! I also have some yellow leaves on one, and I think it's from when I did a too-much-too-soon 'rescue watering' when I found them dry. Basically, I try to water twice a day: once in the morning to relieve them after a good dose of the morning sun, and again in the late evening when they are in total shade so they will not get dried out with the next morning's sun. I have left them in the original pots for two reasons. One is because I read that they bloom when rootbound, and Two because I am just afraid to! I also read that you don't fertilize them in the blooming season, so I'm testing that out too by not giving them anything but water. I'm going with the assumption that the nursery put a slow-release fertilizer in the soil they came in, making feeding unnecessary.
So the new challenge continues, and I shall keep up my efforts to make sure the soil stays evenly moist, and keep 'rescue watering' as a slow drink if I accidentally let them dry out again. I moved them to the cement between my carport and my carport garden, with hopes that the sun reaches the foliage and not so much the soil, which I don't want dried out. Also, they are a litte more protected from the wind there. If all goes well, I'll buy some earlier next year and begin indoors, putting them in nicer pots before moving them outside.
I got the idea of trying them last year, when it struck me that gardenias might like the shelter of my carport over summer. At that time I got a little $3 plant at the nursery and decided to keep it in the laundry room window where I would see it often...and remember to water it! I usually fail at keeping houseplants alive, but I managed to keep it going until summer was done so I'm ready to try outdoors this year! (as though it's an annual)
That's a great info page you posted-who knew there are so many varieties? The one I have is just the florist-type, so likely that means it's the most finicky of the bunch. I read somewhere that they have to be almost potbound/rootbound to flower, so I"ll keep them in these pots for at least a while and see what happens. I have one good bud going, so the first challenge is to see if I can get it to open. I check on it every morning when I water my front gardens. Already I think I overwatered the other day, so I've started to just lift the pots to check how heavy they are to see if they need water, and I make sure there is no water in the saucer when I give them some.
Dawn those 2 gardenias look beautiful and so healthy too.....I have never had them so I can't really give you any advice except that perhaps you remove the moss at the bottom of the tree and take a look at this site [url]http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG336[/url]
How pretty! I love gardenias - there is just something about how shiny the leaves are and how nice the flowers smell. No advice, just admiration! :)