How to Shape Gardenias

Gardenias are unique shrubs in that their spectacularly scented blooms are accompanied by equally compelling foliage in the form of impossibly glossy deep green leaves. Gardenias have a natural growth form that is a slightly sweeping rounded shrub. They can be pruned into a bevy of shapes from globes to rectilinear hedging to topiary or even an upright cup shape. Pruning gardenias should be done by hand whenever possible, saving mechanical shear trimmers for infrequent pruning or very large flat planes of plant material such as hedging. Hand pruning preserves more foliage and beauty between trimmings.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Secateurs
• Long-blade scissor shears
• Mechanical trimmer shears

1. Follow the natural form of the shrub and remove the tips of older branches with your secateurs. Place cuts at least 1/4-inch above an outward facing leaf node or bud to encourage new outward facing branching and bushiness.

2. Create rectilinear shapes and flat planes on the shrub by making cuts with long blade scissors shears. Hold the shears nearly parallel with the shrub surface as you make cuts. Cut as deeply as needed to create your desired shape bit do not remove more than one-third of the shrub volume in any one shaping session.

3. Form rounded or undulating shapes by using long-blade scissors shears held at varying angles to the gardenia shrub to effect a curved shape.

4. Prune branches and foliage on the lower trunk of the shrub up to the desired height to create a tree or topiary lollipop shape. Make clean cuts against the trunk with secateurs being careful not to nick or cut into the trunk wood itself.

Tips & Warnings

• Water your gardenia well after every shaping or pruning session to ease stress on the plant and support the roots to respond with new growth.

References

• University of Florida IFAS
• Texas A&M University Extension