Wednesday, April 29, 2009

When should Gardenia be sown indoors for it to bloom in the summer time?

I live in zone 5 Ontario Canada. Obiously Gardenia would have to be an annual in my zone. So when should I sow it indoors, so it will bloom in summer? would 8-10 weeks be enough? A link for them is here, but it is for growing in a green house. http://www.tmseeds.com/product/1482 .and also, are they hard to grow or if you have any advice, i'd appreciate it. thanks.

When should Gardenia be sown indoors for it to bloom in the summer time?
This link shows the needs of a gardenia and how to grow it:


http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plant...





In your zone you will want to grow your Gardenia indoors until all danger of frost is past. You can put it in the ground, but because your summers are rather shorter than the plant enjoys, my recommendation would be to keep it in it's pot. You can drop it, pot and all, into the soil, reducing the shock it would endure by digging it up every winter. Every couple of years you will want to replant in a larger pot to allow for root growth. If you grow it outdoors as an annual my concern would be that it might not really get big enough to bloom before the cold kills it.





It doesn't have to be an annual...you can move it indoors annually, and have a truly lovely shrub over time! The link you put in your question pretty much sums up how to grow, just take care you don't move it outside too soon.





They are reported to be somewhat difficult to grow, but I'd give it a try...course, I love a challenge.





Happy Gardening!


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