Steady As She Goes Gardenia

The new Steady As She Goes Gardenia hybrid (Gardenia jasminoides) is bred to handle both heat and cold better than most. That is good news for gardeners who cant get enough of the long-lasting fragrant flowers atop deep, glossy green leaves. This charmer produces elegant white flowers in spring and summer and its foliage stays on in winter for some deep green interest. As pretty as it smells, deer tend to ignore the shrub. Steady As She Goes Gardenia blooms--well--steadily from spring through summer, and the continuous blooms need little help or time. All gardeners in zones 7 through 10 have to do is stop and smell the flowers! Place several of the nearly 5-foot high, 6-foot wide shrubs together to form a beautiful and aromatic border. Or add one to a patio container as the pots thriller and place it near where you enjoy cool summer evenings and the floral fragrance. Its also a perfect focal plant, drawing the eye to the contrast of its soft white flowers and deep green foliage. Steady As She Goes Gardenia Care This gardenia flowers best when it gets full or partial sun of about 4 to 6 hours a day. It might benefit from some afternoon shade in the warmest of its growing regions, but Steady As She Goes is more heat tolerant than some gardenias. The soil should drain well and be more acidic than alkaline for best results. This gardenia needs consistent watering and its flower buds will drop as a sign of too little water. Once past spring frost, feed with a balanced, extended-release fertilizer, preferably one intended for acid lovers like azaleas. Avoid fertilizing the shrub in fall. The shrub needs little pruning, but any trimming to remove dead or damaged branches should be done in spring. Avoid over-pruning. Steady As She Goes Gardenia Spacing For borders, space several of these gardenias according to their mature size, not their size at purchase. In general, place them at least 48 inches apart (from center to center) and up to 84 inches apart, depending on the effect you want (closer for a tight border or screen and further for a specimen plant.)