How to Prune Hardy Gardenias

Gardenias require regular pruning to maintain their health and appearance.

Gardenias are beautiful shrubs that are known for their fragrant, showy flowers. Although gardenias are heat-loving, certain varieties are considered more cold-hardy than others. The Daisy cultivated variety is among the cold-hardiest of gardenia species. Gardenias require regular pruning to keep them healthy and looking their best. Gardenias aren't good candidates for shearing, so you'll need to take some time and care when you're trimming the shrubs in order to prune them properly.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears or loppers
• Shrub fertilizer for acid-loving plants

Instructions

1. Prune your hardy gardenia in early spring to shape the shrub, cutting selected growth back to the main stem or closest branch intersection. During the first year after planting the gardenia, pinch back the growing tips during spring and summer to promote healthy, heavy branching and a compact form.

2. Remove faded flowers from your gardenia to promote reblooming throughout the summer. Deadhead the flowers as they die by removing the flower head but not the bud beneath it.

3. Prune your hardy gardenia after it's done flowering to remove all leggy or straggly branches. Cut these branches back to the main stem. Also prune away all dead or bare limbs from your gardenia.

4. Feed your gardenia a dose of fertilizer made for acid-loving shrubs after you prune it. Apply the acidifying fertilizer according to the dosage and application instructions on the label.

Tips & Warnings

• Aside from pruning, your hardy gardenia needs proper irrigation, fertilization and weed control to remain healthy and bloom vigorously. Provide your gardenia with at least 1 inch of water each week -- either through rainfall or supplemental watering -- while the shrub is actively growing. Feed the hardy gardenia with an acidifying fertilizer once every month during this time as well. Also, maintain a 2- to 4-inch-thick layer of organic mulch on the ground around your gardenia to control weeds and preserve soil moisture.

• Pruning your hardy gardenia before the flowers fade or in the spring before the shrub starts blooming will inevitably remove some flower buds. If you want to prevent accidentally pruning away flower buds, perform the pruning to shape the shrub after it's finished flowering instead of during early spring.

References

• National Gardening Association: Plant Care Guides -- Gardenia
• Clemson University Cooperative Extension: Gardenia
• University of Hawaii at Manoa Cooperative Extension Service: Common Gardenia

Resources

• Purdue University Extension: Gardenia -- A Gardener's Challenge