order: gentianales
family: rubiaceae
genus: gardenia
species: jasminoides
cultivar: ?
Gardenia turned out to be the most fragrant plant in my garden this spring and summer when it's in flower. While watering it every morning, I'd draw a deep breath with the flowers close to my nose. Ah, that's so heavenly. I enjoy them as much as I enjoy roses. different fragrance, differently nice.
The leaves are dark green and very glossy. They grow in whorls and I must add that I'm very astounded how compact they grow. Some leaves that are hidden inside often have some brown patches or they just dry off if they don't get the amount of light they need. So you'll want to check periodically and remove them so light can reach other leaves. The white flowers are double. Actually, I'd rather describe the colour as ivory which turns creamy as the flower ages. The flower buds take a few days to swell and open. The green tepals unfold revealing the white petals. The flowers last a few days. When they turn light beige, the petals become loose and you can easily remove them with a twisting motion. You can also remove the flower stalk together, but I usually wait until they come off by themselves.
When keeping this plant, it's important to use an ericaceous soil. For my case, I mix the standard ericaceous compost with the japanese kanuma soil to improve airiness. I have my plant sitting on a north-facing windowsill outside, so it doesn't get too much direct sunlight while it's still sufficiently bright. While it's good to keep the plant above 15°C all year round, it doesn't like it too hot. The optimum temperature, according to the result of my research, is in the range of 21-24°C during the day and 15-18°C at night. I feed my plant with organic fertiliser exclusively, because it resents the accumulation of salts. Gardenias can grow to be many metres tall but that will take many years.
There are many interesting species in this genus, which I may or may not want to collect in the future, depending on the availability of space and time I have.
family: rubiaceae
genus: gardenia
species: jasminoides
cultivar: ?
Gardenia turned out to be the most fragrant plant in my garden this spring and summer when it's in flower. While watering it every morning, I'd draw a deep breath with the flowers close to my nose. Ah, that's so heavenly. I enjoy them as much as I enjoy roses. different fragrance, differently nice.
The leaves are dark green and very glossy. They grow in whorls and I must add that I'm very astounded how compact they grow. Some leaves that are hidden inside often have some brown patches or they just dry off if they don't get the amount of light they need. So you'll want to check periodically and remove them so light can reach other leaves. The white flowers are double. Actually, I'd rather describe the colour as ivory which turns creamy as the flower ages. The flower buds take a few days to swell and open. The green tepals unfold revealing the white petals. The flowers last a few days. When they turn light beige, the petals become loose and you can easily remove them with a twisting motion. You can also remove the flower stalk together, but I usually wait until they come off by themselves.
When keeping this plant, it's important to use an ericaceous soil. For my case, I mix the standard ericaceous compost with the japanese kanuma soil to improve airiness. I have my plant sitting on a north-facing windowsill outside, so it doesn't get too much direct sunlight while it's still sufficiently bright. While it's good to keep the plant above 15°C all year round, it doesn't like it too hot. The optimum temperature, according to the result of my research, is in the range of 21-24°C during the day and 15-18°C at night. I feed my plant with organic fertiliser exclusively, because it resents the accumulation of salts. Gardenias can grow to be many metres tall but that will take many years.
There are many interesting species in this genus, which I may or may not want to collect in the future, depending on the availability of space and time I have.
No Comments yet.
Post a Comment