General signs of gardenia, tips for growing at home, recommendations for reproduction and transplantation, pests and diseases, interesting facts, species. Gardenias (Gardenia) belong to a family called Madder (Rubiaceae), which includes about 250 more species. The homeland of this evergreen beauty is considered to be the territories of Japan, China and South Africa, where the subtropical and tropical climate prevails. The plant got its name in honor of its discoverer Alexander Garden, who lived in the 18th century (in 1730-1790) in America, although this gardener, naturalist, naturalist and doctor had Scottish roots.
In their natural environment, gardenia is a semi-shrub, shrub or small tree and can reach a height of one and a half meters. The shoots of the plant are well branched, may have slight pubescence or be bare and smooth, and some species have spines on the branches. Elliptical leaf plates, with a pointed apex, with a dense surface, glossy, leathery, up to 10 cm in length. The arrangement of leaves opposite each other (opposite), sometimes they are collected in whorls of 3 pieces. They also possess triangular stipules.
The special pride of this plant is its magnificent flowers, which in their appearance and aroma can compete with roses or camellias. Flowers are located at the tops of the shoots or in the leaf axils. The bud can be simple or double-shaped. They are located one by one or are collected in inflorescences of the corymbose type. Their color is snow-white, milk or cream. Interestingly, over time, it changes to a yellowish tint. The flower on the bush lasts up to 5 days. The flowering process is observed from mid-spring to autumn days. Sometimes gardenia can bloom its flowers during the winter. The diameter of the flower in opening reaches 7-10 cm. The calyx of the bud has a conical, ovoid or tubular shape. The corolla is bell-shaped or funnel-shaped. There are 5 to 9 stamens per flower, which are attached to the base. The ovary can be either one or two nests. Flowers are distinguished by an unusually rich aroma.
After flowering in natural conditions, a sessile fruit ripens, which has a pear-shaped or cylindrical shape. Inside it there are multiple seeds, sometimes fleshy or dry. Cracking occurs in different varieties in different ways.
The plant is extremely picky and it will not be easy for a novice grower to grow a gardenia. Basically, only one variety Gardenia jasminoides, or as it is also called Gardenia rooting, is cultivated indoors.
Important!!! All parts of the gardenia are poisonous, especially its fruits, this must be taken into account when growing the plant in rooms where there are small children or pets.
Agricultural technology in the cultivation of gardenia, rules of care
- Lighting and location selection. An east or west window is suitable for growing gardenia, but on the south it will be too hot for the plant at midday, and on the north there will not be enough light and you will have to arrange supplemental lighting with phytolamps. The same must be done in the autumn-winter period, since the duration of daylight hours will decrease, and a flower needs up to 10 hours of good lighting. On the window of the southern location from 12 to 16 hours in the summer months, it is necessary to hang light curtains so that there is no sunburn of the leaf plates.
- Content temperature. The plant is thermophilic and for its maintenance it will be required that the heat indicators were in the range of 20-22 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn, the temperature should not fall below 16-18 degrees. Gardenia does not withstand drafts and temperature changes. It is necessary to carefully protect the root system in the winter months from hypothermia. You can put a piece of foam on the windowsill so that the roots do not cool, and a screen is also built to protect the gardenia leaves from the cold coming from the glass.
- Air humidity. In its natural environment, gardenia grows in places with high humidity, so it is necessary to maintain the same indoor conditions. In the summer, if the heat indicators rise above 23 degrees, then daily spraying of the crown of the bush will be required. To do this, take soft water at room temperature. If you use hard water, white spots will appear on the leaves. Loves gardenias when showering and the water should be hot enough (so that the hand is hot). This will stimulate growth and remove dust from the leaves. With this procedure, you will need to cover the soil in the pot with a plastic bag. If the plant in the autumn-winter period is located next to heating devices or central heating batteries, then it is necessary to put a wet towel on the battery, this will not only increase the humidity of the air, but also protect the plant from the influence of hot air from the devices. Also, to increase humidity, some growers put vessels with water or humidifiers next to the plant, if possible, it is best to install a flower pot in a deep and wide pan, at the bottom of which a layer of drainage material is poured (for example, expanded clay, pebbles, or cut sphagnum moss) and poured some water. It is important to ensure that the bottom of the pot does not touch the liquid level. You can put the flowerpot on an inverted saucer for this.
- Watering your gardenia. The plant reacts very quickly to water quality and temperature. The liquid must be free of lime impurities and at room temperature. You can use distilled water for irrigation, boiled, filtered or settled for several days. It is recommended to collect water after rain or to melt snow in winter. You can soften the water with peat soil. It is necessary to pour a handful of peat into a linen bag or gauze and put it in a bucket of water overnight. By the morning, you can use the resulting watering liquid. To eliminate the possibility of soil flooding, it is recommended to use "bottom" watering, when water is poured into the pot holder, and after 15 minutes its residues are drained - the plant will absorb exactly as much liquid as it needs.
- Fertilization. Fertilizers are used for rhododendrons, 1-2 drops of lemon juice are added to the water for irrigation.
- Transplantation and selection of soil. It is best to transplant the plant after the purchase in a week by the transshipment method. This will allow you not to destroy the earthen ball and not injure the roots of the gardenia. In the future, the transplant is carried out if the roots are visible from the drainage holes. Holes must be made in the bottom of the pot so that excess moisture flows into the pan. At the bottom of the container, it is necessary to pour expanded clay, pebbles or broken shards of medium size - this will not allow the soil to dry out quickly. After that, the substrate is already poured.
The soil for gardenia should be acidic with an acidity index of pH 4, 5-5, 5, and also have lightness, good moisture and air conductivity. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for azaleas or camellias (rhododendrons). But many growers make up the substrate on their own from the following components:
- sod, leafy soil, coniferous, peaty soil, coarse-grain sand (all parts are equal);
- sod soil, humus soil, high moor peat and river sand (parts are equal).
Instead of sand, vermiculite or perlite may be suitable, but they take it three times more than sand.
Recommendations for self-propagation of gardenia
You can get a new bush in a home or office with beautiful fragrant flowers by planting seeds and cuttings.
When planting seeds, they try to select only high-quality and freshest ones. With the arrival of spring days, they are sown on the surface of a moistened soil (a mixture of peat and sand) and a little powder on top with a substrate. Then the container must be wrapped in plastic wrap or covered with a piece of glass. The container with seeds is placed in a warm place with constant heat values of 23-25 degrees. This is to create conditions for a mini-greenhouse, with constant heat and humidity. Do not forget to regularly moisturize and ventilate the seedlings. After a short time, the first shoots will appear. As soon as a pair of real leaves grow on the sprouts, a dive operation is performed - planting in separate pots with a suitable substrate.
Twigs are cut in spring or autumn. Their length should not exceed 10 cm and have 3-4 leaves. The surface of the sheet plates, if it is large, is cut in half to reduce the area from which moisture will evaporate. It is necessary to cut with a sharpened knife or garden pruner, then the cut will be even without chipping. It is necessary to process the tip of the cutting before planting with any root formation stimulant (for example, "Kornevin" or "Epin"), and if there are none, then the cuttings are kept for some time in a weak pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. Then the twigs are planted in a warm peat-sandy substrate (the components are mixed in equal parts). After planting, the cuttings are placed under a glass jar or wrapped in polyethylene. You can use the cut off top of the plastic bottle (where the cap is). It is necessary to periodically air the cuttings and moisten the soil. If the twigs take root, then they are transplanted into soil based on coniferous soil, peat and river sand. You can use soil for azaleas and rhododendrons.
Problems when growing a plant at home
Most often gardenias are annoyed by spider mites, aphids and scale insects. At the same time, on the plant, the leaf plates acquire a yellow color, deform and begin to fly around. The entire surface is covered with a thin cobweb or sugary sticky bloom. Black or green bugs can crawl on leaves or in internodes. When such symptoms appear, treatment with soap, oil or alcohol solution is required. Apply the product to a cotton pad and manually remove plaque and pests. If these measures do not bring the desired result, then you will have to spray with insecticides, for example, "Aktara" or "Aktellikom".
If the conditions of agricultural technology are violated, the following troubles arise:
- buds are not formed, and the buds fly around if there are changes in heat indicators;
- if there was waterlogging of the soil or the temperature dropped sharply, then the leaf plates begin to blacken at the ends and fall off;
- with irregular watering, dry indoor air, the flower can drop the buds;
- a massive discharge of buds accompanies the drying out of the earthy coma and the temperature drop below 16 degrees;
- flowers will not open if the weather is cloudy and sunlight does not hit the plant;
- frequent turning of the pot leads to the discharge of the buds of the gardenia;
- yellowing of the leaves occurs from watering with too hard or cold water;
- the color of the leaves becomes very pale if the heat readings become below normal or the humidity in the room is too high;
- on the leaf blades, a green color appears at the veins, and the entire surface acquires a pale green color - this is the beginning of chlorosis (iron deficiency), you will need to add fertilizers for rhododendrons or preparations with a high iron content (for example, "Mr. Color").
Interesting facts about gardenia
In the countries of Asia, where this beautiful flower is grown, it is actively used for medicinal purposes. On the basis of leaves, roots, fruits and flowers, decoctions and tinctures are prepared, which are used for stomatitis and tonsillitis (rinse the mouth), but for wounds, burns and skin diseases, problem areas are lubricated with solutions.
It is also possible to use these agents as drugs to lower fever, counteract inflammation, and to stop blood. Gardenia essential oil has long been used by cosmetologists and perfumers. And also flower petals were used as tea flavoring.
For severe headaches, healers used gardenia tinctures, and also treated diseases of the intestines and kidneys, often tinctures and decoctions from plant parts are used as a sedative.
Gardenia species
Gardenia jasmine (Gardenia jasmine). Another name is Gardenia rooting, Cape jasmine or Gardenia augusta. The homeland is the territory of Japan and China, in the forests of the tropical belt, it can settle up to an absolute height of half a kilometer. A plant that has a bushy form of growth under natural conditions can reach two-meter indicators, and indoors their size rarely exceeds 60-70 cm. The branches are thick and smooth. This bush will not lose its decorative qualities throughout the year, even in the absence of flowers, leaf plates of a rich dark emerald color with a shiny surface delight the eye. Their shape is back ovoid or elongated-elliptical, the edge is solid. If the growing conditions are maintained, then the flowering process can stretch over the entire summer period. Flower buds are formed at the ends of the shoots or in the axils of the leaves. They can be located either singly or collected in corymbose inflorescences of 3-5 units. The outlines are mostly stellate. The petals are wavy, dense, reminiscent of the "cream" flowers on the cake. Flowers have a double shape, white or cream shade. They have a sharp, but pleasantly fragrant aroma.
There are varieties:
- Variegate - differs in terry white flowers, yellowish spot on the leaf plates.
- First Love variety has a double bud shape and rich aroma, flower diameter 13 cm, their color is creamy-whitish. The flowering process lasts from March to August, sometimes it blooms a second time.
- Flore Pleno variety has double-shaped flowers, double.
- Variety Fortuna (Gardenia Fortuneana) very similar to camellia flowers, double-shaped, up to 10 cm in diameter.
- Kleim's Hardy variety has buds of small waxy appearance. The flowering process takes place from spring to late summer.
- Gardenia cultivar rooting (Gardenia Radicans) has a pleasant smell and double-shaped buds.
- Veitchii cultivar it is distinguished by double flowers, double and strong aroma. Sheet plates with a glossy surface, deep green hue. Bloom until midwinter.
Gardenia gold (Gardenia carinata) or it is also called Yellow Gardenia (Gardenia kuta). The plant got this name due to the fact that the flower buds that appear on the bush have a snow-white tone at first, and then slowly become lemon tint, and at the very end of flowering they acquire an orange color. In natural conditions, the plant can grow up to ten meters in height, but indoors, the size is much more modest. The growth rate is very slow, then over time the bush will become a small compact tree.
Gardenia Citriodora (Gardenia Citriodora). This species is especially loved by flower growers for its compactness and impeccable appearance. The leaves of the plant are predominantly lanceolate, the surface is glossy, shiny. The color is rich dark green. The flowers are snow-white in color, but small in size, only 1–2 cm, but the aroma is very rich and strong.
Learn more about how to care for your gardenia at home from this story:
