August Beauty Gardenia Shrub

1. Planting: These plants can handle full sun all the way down to partial shade, depending on your location. For the Northern states, plant in full to partial sunlight (4 to 6 hours of sunlight daily). Gardeners in Southern states can place these in areas with partial sunlight to partial shade (3 to 5 hours of sunlight daily).

Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and twice the width. Loosen the soil removed from the hole so it can be used to plant the Gardenia. Place the plant in the hole and place the ground soil and planting mix around the root ball. Firmly pack the soil around the plant to help remove any air pockets. Once you are finished, deeply water your plant and mulch around it. Avoid letting the mulch touch the plant.

Gardenias do well in the ground but can also be successfully grown in containers. Place them in a well-draining container at least 1 to 2 sizes larger than the original container the plant came in. Fill in the pot space around the gardenia using an organic potting medium. Place it in a location with bright sun and ample humidity.

2. Watering: Water plants placed in the ground with one inch of water weekly, unless you have rainfall. If you're not sure when to water, simply check the soil about 2 inches down.

Do the same for container-planted August Beauties - when you do water, water until you see it flowing from the drainage holes.

3. Fertilizing: Your Gardenias can be fertilized once every 3 to 4 weeks from April through November. You can use a formula like 30-10-10 or a fertilizer high in nitrogen.

4. Pruning: August Beauty Gardenias are best pruned in the summer after the plant has bloomed. Thinning out the plant helps improve the air circulation around your gardenia. You can remove any dead or broken branches from the tree. Be sure to also prune back any branches with spent flowers.