This is the One Thing Your Gardenias Need in April to Guarantee Stunning Blooms All Summer Long

Nothing heralds the arrival of warmer days quite like gardenias. These gorgeous evergreen shrubs are beloved for their delicate white flowers and gorgeous scent – and now is the time to start fertilizing yours to ensure that they can thrive by summer.

Gardenias might reward you with fragrant, picture-perfect blooms, but they requires a rather specific set of conditions to reach their full potential. In April, you'll need to feed your gardenias with a specially-formulated fertilizer, before feeding again regularly once the growing season begins.

Learning how to grow gardenias can feel like a challenge, but getting ahead in the springtime can make all the difference. Below, experts explain when and how to feed your gardenias, to set them up for success in the months to come. (And if you're on the lookout for one, you can find a Kleims Hardy gardenia plant at Burpee for under $20.)

Why Fertilize Gardenias in April?

'April is the time to fertilize gardenias to set them up for a long blooming season,' explains Drew Swainston, Content Editor at Homes & Gardens. 'They are fussy plants, as well as hungry ones that need lots of nutrients throughout the season.'

These tropical plants prefer warm, humid and slightly shaded environments, but the key is acidic, well-draining soil. The fertilizer you use should be one designed for acid-loving plants – and once you start feeding them in April, you'll need to keep fertilizing your gardenias regularly while they bloom.

Drew Swainston

Drew has worked as a writer since 2008 and was also a professional gardener for many years. As a trained horticulturist, he worked in prestigious historic gardens, including Hanbury Hall and the world-famous Hidcote Manor Garden. He also spent time as a specialist kitchen gardener at Soho Farmhouse and Netherby Hall, where he grew vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers for restaurants. Drew has written for numerous print and online publications and is an allotment holder and garden blogger. He was shortlisted for the Digital Gardening Writer of the Year at the 2025 Garden Media Guild Awards.

'A spring feeding gets gardenias off to a great start, but this needs to be followed with more feeds throughout the coming weeks and months,' says Drew.

Gardenias start to bloom in late spring, and they will produce flowers until the end of summer (and even into the fall, depending on the variety). To guarantee strong growth and spectacular flowers, feeding your gardenias throughout this period is essential.

How to Fertilize Gardenias

'When feeding gardenias in April, use a specially-formulated fertilizer,' advises Drew. 'These are often sold as products for azaleas or rhododendrons and will always be marked as suitable for plants that prefer acidic conditions.'

Options such as the Miracle-Gro Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron Plant Food are easy to find at Amazon, but you can also pick up liquid gardenia fertilizer from Walmart.

'Mix the soluble fertilizer with water and use it to water your gardenia plants,' says Drew. 'Continue to feed the plants at least once a month throughout the growing season.'

Gardenias thrive in soil that is moist but not soggy – so you'll want to ensure that at least an inch of soil has dried slightly before you water again. (The same is true if you're caring for gardenias indoors.)

A soil moisture meter, like this one from Walmart, will help you strike the balance, especially when you need to fertilize your gardenias as well as watering them.

If you start to notice your gardenias producing fewer (or at least more sporadic) flowers, however, fertilizing isn't the only thing to keep in mind. In fact, you'll want to deadhead gardenias even more regularly than fertilizing them: experts suggest removing spent blooms weekly during the entire season, in order to encourage healthy growth.

So, while April is the best time to start fertilizing gardenias, you'll also want to prepare for a few other maintenance tasks.

(While you're stocking up on plant food, for example, you might want to consider upgrading your gardening tools – you'll need a reliable pair of snips, like the Felco F322 pruning snips from Amazon, to help with deadheading.)

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Looking for more gardenia tips? We asked experts exactly when to prune gardenias, and why your gardenia leaves might be turning yellow.

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