Frost Proof Gardenia - Indoors Possibility??

9 years ago

Heya,

I bought 2 Frost Proof Gardenia - they are a zone 7-11. I live in a Zone 6B. I initially planned on pushing zones and planting it outside facing a south side wall. However, it was advised to plant them in Spring in other to allow it's roots to develop/harden... especially since our last winter (live in Michigan - I'm at the "Detroit" region) was pretty bad (so they'd surely die if we get another one of those this year). My thoughts are I would plant one outside next year and hope for the best... but I am considering planting one indoors (just to see how both fair)....

The plant comes in a 3 Gallon Pot - the plant is relatively big too! I looked into them, they are relatively slow at growing,

Mature Height: 3-4 ft.
Mature Width: 3-6 ft.
Sunlight: Full - Partial

1- How big of a pot should I transplant it into? I'm considering an earth box... suggestions?

2- Is regular potting soil okay to use?

3- Should I use fertilizer since it's an already big plant? It's not like I need to help it with a root booster if it's indoors.... though I'm unsure how large thae roots are or how far they extend. I would like to see the flowers bloom - I hear they smell amazing!!!

Any other advice?

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
grew up in Livonia.. now in adrian ...

in my entire life.. i have never seen a G in MI ... in a garden ...

i highly doubt it will winter over outdoors ...

i have no clue how you keep two 3 gal ... 3 foot tall .... pots in the house all winter ... its usually the forced air furnace that destroys the humidity the plants need... to live ...

and even if you can overcome that.. with an inch of ice on all your windows ... on the inside in jan/feb ... then you have the lack of light ... bugs in the soil .. etc ...

i would not bother repotting this time of year... see if you can get them to live..

and i would not fert in fall .. in a pot .. in MI .. you want the plants slowing down for winter.. not getting all juiced up and growing when they are supposed to be slowing down ...

who sold these in the area... and do you have a guarantee???? .... if they dont survive.. and they wont.. they should be returned for a refund in spring ... and if it was one of the better nurseries... i am appalled ...

do note ... we in MI ... FREEZE [as in ground freeze] ... the name of the plant is FROST proof ... there is a wide gulf.. between the two words .. in a MI garden ... [as 'frost' implies the air gets cold] .. i highly doubt.. but could be wrong ... that the roots of a G.. can take ground freeze

i wish you luck .....

ken
User
9 years ago
I think this highlights one potential problem with an overreliance on gardening zones in making gardening decisions. 'Frost Proof', first of all, IS an incredibly cold tolerant plant. Can't speak for Michigan or the rest of the Midwest, but Frost Proof will sail through a normal Eastcoast zone 7 Winter unphased. Having said that, last winter was so severe that mine died back to one branch as it was under a mountain of snow and ice, not to say anything about possible salt damage. It made it through the previous Winter w.o. a single damaged leaf! It ended up not making it from the most recent Winter but I would have grabbed those two plants in a heartbeat to try again! I think the fact that are periodic Winter thaws is important for its survivability. Also, where hardy, a position getting Winter shade is most helpful. Sustained, frozen ground is a problem, but snow itself is beneficial. Are the only alternatives a warm/dry house and outside (maybe a bright attic, garage, etc). If you leave them in pots, I suggest you rest them on saucers with some water (Gardenias hate drying out).

This post was edited by njoasis on Sat, Aug 30, 14 at 13:20
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It died during the winter, so presumably it froze. Of course, it might have had another problem such as unsuitable root conditions. I have also had one of the singles crap out, again during the winter, and again planted near a sunny wall - but this was not here, but in a colder garden - although still USDA 8. With commercial sources in particular there is an apparent tendency to misapply USDA zones, a plant that fails at 10F being rated Zone 7 and so on - the top end of the average minimum temperature range for each zone being used as the basis for determination. When in fact it can get below 10F even in USDA 8 - a good general policy is to add a zone when reading nursery depictions, you will often be on target. Hopefully M Dirr is not making this mistake when talking about how hardy his introductions (and other trees and shrubs etc.) are, but I have not thought about it.
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User
9 years ago
Monkey,
First, DON"T transplant your gardenia.
THey love being root bound in a pot. their roots might look like they are root bound, but they grow slowly, slower than the foliage, so don't do anything to it.
When the nights start to get below 40 degrees, bring it in.
FInd a room with a bright window. Get one of those things that are round that you can stick under a pot if the water comes thru, I don't know what it is called, sorry.
Fill it with stones, cheap stones you can get even at HD or the dollar store, but lots of stones so the pot isn't sitting in the water.
When you water it, let some water seep thru the exsisting pot that the gardenia is in now, down thru the stones that the pot is now sitting on top of, and into the big "saucer" type thing .
I dont' know what they call those things. I will call it a saucer.
The water sitting under the stones will provide some humidity for the plant for the winter.
Your bathroom during showers will too.
If you have a skylite, you can keep it in the bathroom alot since it will get some light.
THose are just a few suggestions for you for the winter.
I grow gardenias all the time, outside, and I used to live in PA, so we had long cold winters. I could never get a gardenia to live through a cold long winter in PA. The heater always did them in.
Oh, and don't water it very much either in the winter.
Make sure it is really dry when you do water it.
Good Luck.

Frost Proof Gardenia - Indoors Possibility??

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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