Gardenias are right at the top when you talk about fragrant flowers. They are such beautiful, white blooms that have a wafting fragrance that can pervade a whole yard. They like acidic soil, full sun, and moderate moisture.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of pests that also love gardenias. Foremost among them is the pesky whitefly. I seldom spray any of my flowers with insecticide because of all the beneficial insects around my yard. However, I make an exception for gardenias when the whiteflies just get too numerous. Besides, I never see butterflies or bees coming to gardenias, so I don't feel as guilty spraying this plant. This year, over half of my biggest, best gardenia bush mysteriously died. I can't figure out the cause, but it has distressed me greatly. I've cut off all the dead branches and am really hoping that it comes back in full force over the next year. No full bush pictures because the plant looks so terrible.
