Trimming Large Potted Gardenia Plant

Question

I have a Gardenia plant that is over 25 years old. I keep it indoors before the first frost and until mid-May and then move it outdoors on a covered porch facing east. My question is, since I cannot put it into a large pot, I was told to trim it back 1/3 before bringing it in this year.

Is this your suggestion? It is presently (in the large pot) about 5 1/2 feet high. When is the best time to trim it and how much?

Answer 1

Cutting back by no more than 1/3 would be ok to do. If you are pruning to prepare it for coming indoors, you can do it right before you bring it in. That being said, unless you really need to prune it, due to size reasons, we would say just leave it unpruned when you bring it in. Pruning it will risk reducing the number of blooms you will get over the next year.