Ensure success with gardenia

Anne Swithinbank’s masterclass on: success with gardenia

- Anne Swithinbank

Q I have been given a lovely gardenia in bud and fragrant bloom, but I have killed three or four in the past. How can I keep this one going?
Constance Montgomery, London

A Gardenias are some of the loveliest indoor plants, so this is a splendid gift. The effect of double white blooms against glossy green foliage is sumptuous, but best of all is the sweet perfume. Classy they may be, but gardenias are devils to keep healthy and thriving, so please don’t blame yourself for any previous failings – I have killed several myself.

There is an argument for viewing these indoor beauties as ephemeral, enjoying them for a few months and then binning them when they lose their lustre. Yet indoor plant enthusiasts love a challenge, and it is possible to keep a gardenia going.

Despite the name ‘Cape jasmine’, Gardenia jasminoides originates from China and Japan. Best described as an ‘edge of woodland’ plant, this evergreen would like to grow into a large shrub. Most are sold as clusters of plants rooted together in a pot to give a bushy effect so they are maybe doomed from the start.