How to Plant & Care for the First Love Gardenia

First Love is a large white double bloom.

A Chinese shrub, gardenia arrived in the United States in 1761 and was first cultivated in American soil in South Carolina. With double blooms 5 inches wide, First Love (Gardenia jasminoides 'Aimee') produces the earliest and largest of all gardenia flowers in spring. The plant is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 to 11. First Love is an evergreen with fragrant blossoms that requires the same planting techniques and care as other common gardenias.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Organic matter
• pH test kit
• Soaker hose
• 15-5-10 fertilizer
• Fish emulsion or blood meal
• Shears

Instructions

1. Find a planting site in full sun. Incorporate 2 inches of ground bark, compost or peat moss 6 inches into the ground to increase its fertility. If other acid-loving plants, such as azaleas, are thriving in the area, there's no need to check the pH. Otherwise, get a test kit from a garden supply store. The ideal acidity for First Love gardenias is 5 to 5.5.

2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the gardenia's root ball. Remove enough topsoil to position the root crown 1 inch higher than the surface.

3. Plant the gardenia in the center of the hole without disturbing the roots. Refill the hole with topsoil.

4. Irrigate the First Love gardenia to the root zone at planting. Keep the soil moist. Use a soaker hose to keep the foliage and flowers dry, preventing disease.

5. Feed the gardenia a 15-5-10 fertilizer twice a year. Apply the second dose after you prune the plant following blooming. In addition, encourage flower production with regular fish emulsion or blood meal applications throughout the growing season. Follow the manufacturer's application instructions for any product you use.

6. Prune dead and diseased wood, as well as dead flowers, as they occur. Trim the tips of stems on first-year gardenias during the growing season. Cut them back to where they sprouted from to promote the growth of new branches, making the bush dense. Prune to control the plant's size and shape after the last blooming if you wish.

Tips & Warnings

• Grow indoor gardenias in bright light and at 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Raise the temperature to 70 to 75 degrees in the day. Repot when the roots begin to stretch out of the drainage holes.

References

• Monrovia: First Love Gardenia
• University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service; Common Gardenia; Kent D. Kobayashi, et al.; May 2006