Gardenia bushes

Question

I live in south Alabama and have questions about our gardenias. We have four, only one of them is pretty with flowers. The other three were sort of yellow colored and never did bloom properly. They were about four feet high. I decided to cut these three down leaving the remaining stumps about 3″ high.

Question One: Will they grow back over time with proper fertilization?
Question Two: What exact kind of acid-based liquid fertilizer can I buy that would work for me?
Question Three: What is a good “water soluble fertilizer solution”?

Answer 1

1. Gardenias do not respond well to rejuvenation pruning. They may not recover from such a severe pruning.

2. Look for a fertilizer geared towards acid plants, like azaleas, hollies and the like.

3. Most sold at reputable nurseries will work.