"Not sure what is up with my gardenias this year. They are usually blooming about now but I'm not even seeing buds."
Vic, was that the question you're referring to? Or BlueSpiral's question about long blooming gardenias?
As for your gardenia not budding it sounds like you may have trimmed it back too late in the year last year. The buds tend to be on the new growth wood of the previous year so if you trimmed late summer/fall you may have cut the buds off. If you didn't do any trimming I bet the buds just didn't form, maybe because of our excessive heat/drought last year(?).
My gardenia up by the back steps is blooming like crazy this year though but I remember throwing a shovel-ful of manure/compost around it at some point last year. Plus it is in semi-shade so maybe it didn't suffer from intense sun or winter winds (which may have burnt your buds if your plant is in a windy area).
BlueSpiral, I like August Beauty because of the double flowers it produces. It'll bloom early (June/July) and also have a few more flowers later on. Kleim's Hardy would be a good one for you (aren't you further north than us?). Although it only has the single flowers it blooms longer than other shrub types. If you want a low-growing variety that really blooms later into the year then go with Radicans. Or heck, why not get all three and have a blast ! :>)
Hope this helps!
Shoe (break is over and heading back out into the semi-heat before the real heat hits)
