Episode: #6 07/10/2006
Presenter: Judy Horton

Glossy green leaves and perfectly shaped, pure white flowers with an exquisite perfume, could only be describing a gardenia.

Gardenias are some of the most popular flowering shrubs but they never seem to flower as much as we would like them to. For a start, it is important to be patient. Gardenia flowers will usually only open up when the weather is reasonably warm and that means waiting until the nights have lost their chill.

As well as warm weather, a good fertilising is important. A really easy way to feed these plants is with a product called Shake ?n? Feed and it is really easy to sprinkle the granules around the plants or on top of pots.

Shake ?n? Feed has some fast releasing nutrients and some slower ones so it can go on feeding the plant for a couple of months. It is that easy.

Sometimes in spring the old leaves turn yellow. That is because the magnesium in the plant is moving to the new growth. You can fix this up with a once a year application of Epsom Salts which is really just another name for magnesium sulphate, just what the plants need.

Gardenias hate heavy clay soils and must have good drainage. If you don?t think your gardenia will be happy in your soil it is a good idea to put it into a pot filled with a good quality potting mix.

Another great advantage of growing gardenias in pots is that it is easy to move the pot into the ideal spot. For example the plant will usually enjoy lots of sun for most of the year but will appreciate a bit more shelter in the height of summer.

Check the plants regularly for insect attack. Scale insects are the worst problems. Sometimes, too, the scale causes black sooty mould to grow on the stem and leaves.

Getting rid of sooty mould is simple. Remove the scale with the help of a Scale Gun and the sooty mould will gradually fade away.

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Yates Epsom Salts

• For correcting magnesium deficiency in soil and plants.
• Magnesium deficiency is particularly common in gardenias, tomatoes, citrus and other fruit trees
• Magnesium deficiency shows up as a yellowing and/or browning around the outer part of the leat, especially in older leaves.
• Magnesium deficiency can commonly occur in acidic soils.
• Epsom salts are readily soluble and rapidly absorbed into the root system.

Yates Fungus Gun

• Systemic control of fungal diseases on roses & ornamentals
• Contains a systemic fungicide that travels through the plant to control black spot, powdery mildew & rust - works from the inside out.
• Controls black spot, rust and powdery mildew on ornamentals and roses.
• New addition to the popular Yates Ready to use range.
• Safe to use on all ornamentals.
• Easy-to-use trigger pack - no mixing required, no measuring, no mess