I am having no luck finding a gardenia plant that will grow here. Can I start one with a cutting from my neighbors huge plant?
Rooting the cutting is easy, but getting the gardenia to survive in the landscape would be difficult. Most gardenias are susceptible to nematodes living in home soils. Purchasing a grafted plant with a nematode-resistant rootstock is still the best way to ensure success. Check the garden centers after the first of the year for the varieties like Coral Gables, Glazerii and Miami Supreme that always give a good spring performance. Planting is just the start to a health and well-flowered gardenia. The plants like to stay moist and usually need special waterings once or twice week during the dry times. Also maintain a 3 to 4-inch mulch to help keep the soil moist. Feed the gardenias once monthly in March, June and October with a general garden fertilizer. And finally, keep the scale insects under control with an oil spray as needed.
