Use and Care Manual

Frost Proof Gardenia
How to Plant the Frost Proof Gardenia:
Dig the hole for your Gardenia wide enough to allow about 12 inches
of clearance all the way around the plants container. Dig the hole
deep enough to allow the plant to rest in the hole with its soil mark
slightly higher than ground level. Carefully remove your plant from its
container and place it gently in the hole.
Fill in the hole with soil and moisten each layer of soil with water. You
might want to use the handle end of your shovel to help tamp the soil
and remove all air spaces. Mound the earth so that when the soil
settles it will return to ground level. You may also want to make a
ridge of soil around the rim of the hole.
This will help keep water around your gardenia when it is watered.
Mulching helps keep the moisture around the root system of your
gardenia and protects the roots from extreme hot and cold
temperatures. A 2- to 4- inch layer of mulch is ideal. There are a
variety of mulches you can use, such as wood chips, leaf litter, pine
straw, peat moss, or shredded bark.
For container gardenias, start by watering once a week until water
runs out the bottom. As the plant increases in size and if the
temperature increases, watering twice a week may become
necessary. Plants in the ground should be on the same schedule with
enough water applied to go to the bottom of the root ball. The top 2 to
3 inches of soil should be dry before the plant is watered again.