Tag: gardenia

View from the bench

In my front garden I have a bench which sits in the “Gardenia Bed” and faces the front garden. I like to sit there on occasion to admire all the trees – the one big Shinus sp. which looks a bit like a willow tree and the trees that border my property outside the boundary wall. I sat here for a while today and contemplated the change of the season and how my front garden has developed in the last year. I thought I’d share the view from the bench and few shots of how this little area looked just 14 months ago.

This bed was planned to be a “fragrance garden” with Gardenias and Mock orange blossom (Murraya exotica). It hasn’t turned out that way. I’ve removed a few Gardenias that were taking strain in the heat and added a few less formal plants including the Mexican Petunias and Switch Grass which I love (Panicum virgatum), amongst others. I prefer the more relaxed wildness that’s going on in this bed now to the way it was originally planned.

The bench …

Here is how it looked in December 2010

[one_half]To the left of the bench in December 2010[/one_half]

[one_half_last]and to the right in December 2010[/one_half_last]

And how it looks today …

[one_half]The bench from the back[/one_half]

[one_half_last]A lovely spot to sit and contemplate[/one_half_last]

And sitting on this bench you see this view. A few more shots of what I see from the bench …

[one_half]To the left: my little Rose Bed[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Still left, the Lavender and bower vines[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The Camellias and Pepper Tree[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The gorgeous Gaura flowering now[/one_half_last]

PS: The Mexican Petunias are so dead easy to propagate. I broke off a piece, stuck in a bottle of water, two weeks later = 1 new plant! Awesome.

Have a fabulous weekend
xxx

Tags front garden, gardenia

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

Gardenias 101

I thought of titling this post as “How I finally managed to get my Gardenias to flower”, but this post is actually about so much more than just getting them to flower. I think for inexperienced gardeners (like myself) Gardenias are tricky. Its a labour of love to successfully grow Gardenias – personally I have found them far more complicated than roses. Roses are a dream if you pick the right rose for your location, follow the guidelines, use a bit of common-garden-sense and they will reward you pretty quickly. Not so Gardenias … or at least that is my experience.

The eight Gardenia shrubs were planted in my garden 3 years ago, small fledgling plants, planted in what I now call my “Gardenia Bed” (yes I know, very unoriginal!). One shrub flowered that first year if I remember correctly, because I did manage to take one good photograph of a Gardenia bloom. But I also recall the bloom lasted only a day and then fell off, and the rest of the buds on that shrub all fell off without flowering. None of the others flowered. And so its been an ongoing battle with these shrubs. Never mind the flowers, the shrubs always look(ed) poorly and a few weeks ago I made the decision to give the remaining plants one last go or … into the compost pile.

I removed the very worst looking specimen and then took to my books and the Internet, compiled notes and set to work. Here is what I learnt:

Gardenias apparantly like:
Well-drained, slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.
Water regularly – Gardenias like to be well watered but roots will rot if they ‘stand’ in water and buds will drop.
Do not over fertilise (they are sensitive to salt build up)
Compost and MULCH!
If the plant’s leaves begin to yellow, spray with chelated iron. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) can also help to solve this problem.
Fertilise with Seagro (they seem to like that)

I did all this six weeks ago, have watered them regularly, have fertislised regularly (using less than recommended by the manufacturers every two weeks), composted, mulched and …

[one_half]Leaves looked poorly 6 weeks ago[/one_half]

[one_half_last]The very worst of it[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Looking much better six weeks on[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Looking better after treatment[/one_half_last]

The Gardenias shrubs look a whole lot better and today, (imagine my excitement) I found to my delight that the first bud has opened! It was pouring with rain but I had to run outside and take a photograph as proof!

My Gardenia actually flowered!

I am thrilled!

Happy Gardening
xxx

Gardenias Jasminoides – (Mine are Gardenia Jasminoides) – Gardenia jasminoides, (common gardenia, cape jasmine or cape jessamine) is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical plant. With its shiny green leaves and fragrant white summer flowers, it is widely used in gardens in warm temperate and subtropical climates. It has been in cultivation in China for at least a thousand years, and was introduced to English gardens in the mid 18th century. Many varieties have been bred for horticulture, with low growing, and large- and long flowering forms.

Tags gardenia, gardenias

30 Day Challenge Christine's garden Gardening

The 30 Day Challenge – Day 17

Post author By Christine
Post date November 19, 2011
6 Comments on The 30 Day Challenge – Day 17

Today I am grateful for … Change! Yes, really, I said it. I actually fear change, don’t really like it much when things I’m accustomed to are turned around or when life deals us a blow and what we know as ‘normal’ is no longer. “Change”, for me, is daunting at best, shocking at worst – but usually with change comes hope and new possibilities. The older I get the more readily I embrace change and find it easier to adapt to shifting circumstances. Change brings with it growth and transformation – in life and in the garden. Not all change is intimidating – (although the freezing temperatures experienced by gardeners in the Northern Hemisphere would intimidate this gardener no end …). The good side of change? With the changing of seasons comes new growth and new opportunities for gardening, new beds to prepare, garden beds to change … For this I am grateful.

Photo: Gardenia – I’m showing Gardenias as my “Flower of the Day” today, because … well these are going to CHANGE!! This is The One and Only decent photograph I’ve ever been able to take of a Gardenia as they have been a huge dissapointment to me. The eight Gardenis shrubs that were planted in my garden three years ago almost put me off gardening altogether. They are fussy, hard work and (in my experience) for minimal return. They were the only plants I took care of pre-2011 (the year I started gardening”) and they have seriously had everything go wrong with them. Of the eight shrubs I had, five remain – and they are not great. The others fell victim to who-knows-what. I would say they are in the wrong location – except they were planted by a Professional Landscape Designer. You would think they would get it right? No disrespect – some of my favourite people are landscape designers – but I’m guessing this guy didn’t do his homework. So the Gardenias are on borrowed time in my garden… If they don’t flower or do something magical this year then … I’ve had not a single bloom in the last 18 months, and before that, the blooms lasted what seemed like an hour, then fell off. The leaves turn yellow, they get eaten by all sorts of critters and generally they just look poorly. I’ve honestly tried everything with them – except pulling them out – thats next!

Gardenias Jasminoides – (Mine are Gardenia Jasminoides) – Gardenia jasminoides, (common gardenia, cape jasmine or cape jessamine) is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical plant, a favorite in gardens worldwide. With its shiny green leaves and fragrant white summer flowers, it is widely used in gardens in warm temperate and subtropical climates. It has been in cultivation in China for at least a thousand years, and was introduced to English gardens in the mid 18th century. Many varieties have been bred for horticulture, with low growing, and large- and long flowering forms.

Haha, just found this on Wikipedia: Gardenia jasminoides is generally considered to be somewhat difficult to take care of.

About the 30 Day Challenge

Cat of The Whimsical Gardener, has invited Garden Bloggers the world over to join her in the 30 day challenge of posting a photograph and sentiment that you are thankful for – every day for 30 days. Find something you are thankful for every day, for 30 days, can’t be too difficult, can it? See all Barbie’s and my posts filed under “30 Day Challenge“.

Tags 30 day challenge, change, gardenia

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous Products

My Gardenias and insect repellent

Post author By Christine
Post date January 9, 2011
1 Comment on My Gardenias and insect repellent

I thought I was finished for today, but then I had some more I wanted to say … remember that discussion we had about the insect repellents and how toxic they smelt (and felt)?

Today I had to do some major spraying because I found aphids on quite a few of my Gardenias – also on the Camellias in the garden. So I got hold of Ludwig’s Insect Spray to try. It was easy to mix up, and was quite okay to use. It smells of garlic – for people who don’t like garlic that might be an issue but I didn’t feel like I was “poisoning” anything in my garden.

According to the blurb … “Ludwig’s Insect Spray is Authorised for use in organic agriculture by ECOCERT SA F-32600. Ludwig’s Insect Spray +Broad spectrum organic insecticide for the control of insects on edible crops, roses, herbs and ornamentals. Contains: garlic juice extract, canola oil, natural pyrethrum (pyrethrins). It works on ants, aphids, red spider mite, white fly, astylus beetle, chafer beetle, CMR beetle, Flower beetle, American bollworm, thrips, wood-eating termites”.

I felt okay using it Dexter and his “doggy-nose” stayed way clear of me whilst I was busy with it! Quite unusual for him because he does like to interfere and sniff everything when I’m gardening, so he obviously doesn’t like the garlic smell either 🙂

I’m still very under-whelmed by the performance of my Gardenias. Only one of them really does well and gives me beautiful flowers. I think the others in the front are probably getting too much sun? (the performer is in more shade). I will have to find out what is wrong with them because I do like these plants, a lot.

Tags gardenia, insects