How to Prune Gardenias in Georgia

Grow your gardenia in dappled shade in Georgia.

The gardenia plant (Gardenia jasminoides) can be a challenge to grow, even under the best of conditions. Prized for its creamy white, highly fragrant flowers, the gardenia demands a lot of care. They do best when grown in light shade, acid soil, high humidity and temperatures from 68 to 74 degrees F. The gardenia is a shrub and, like most shrubs, requires pruning to keep it in shape and to encourage new growth. Prune the gardenia, with very sharp pruning shears, once every two years right after the blossoms fade in the summer.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Trash bag

Instructions

1. Cut the entire gardenia bush to one-half its size. Reducing the plant's size puts less stress on its roots during drought periods in Georgia, according to University of Georgia horticulturists. With watering restrictions in place, they suggest this may be the only way to save the plant during the hot Georgia summers.

2. Cut off all dead flowers.

3. Remove any diseased, pest-infested or dead branches, using the pruning shears.

4. Prune any leggy stems coming from the side of the gardenia bush. Trim them back so that they are even with the other foliage and then prune the gardenia to the desired shape.

5. Remove all branches, dead flowers and other pruning detritus from the garden bed. If left on the soil, this debris will provide a breeding ground for typical Georgia garden pests such as whiteflies and aphids.

References

• University of Georgia: Extreme Heat Can Sizzle Landscapes
• ‭"‬Landscape Management:‭ ‬Planting and Maintenance of Trees,‭ ‬Shrubs and Turfgrass‭;" ‬James R.‭ ‬Feucht and Jack D.‭ ‬Butler‭; ‬1988
• Clemson University Extension: Gardenia