Gardenia or cape jasmine, with its showy, fragrant white flowers and glossy, deep-green leaves, is one of the most delightful shrubs in the landscape. Although gardenias are not winter hardy for the upper Piedmont and Mountain areas, about 155,000 are produced each year by Southern nurserymen.

Various scale insects and spider mites feed on gardenias, though the most commonly reported insects are whiteflies, Japanese wax scales, and aphids.

KEY TO COMMON AND IMPORTANT GARDENIA PESTS

1. Citrus whitefly -The leaves are coated with honeydew and sooty mold. Flat, pale-green scales (about 1.5 mm long) and occasionally whiteflies are found on the leaf bottoms.

2. Japanese wax scale -White, waxy blobs (up to 6 mm in diameter), often accompanied by sooty mold, appear on limbs and twigs.

3. Melon aphid -New growth is curled and stunted by small, green or brown aphids feeding on leaves and new shoots.

4. Twospotted spider mite- Tiny chlorotic dots or stipples appear on the upper leaf surface; tiny mites or eggs appear on the lower surface.

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