Q: I have a gardenia that is forty years old. The past two or so years it has been putting out small leaves and losing branches and only producing a few flowers. Do you have any advice for me?

A: Try to rejuvenate it in place. Mix one pint of Milorganite organic fertilizer with a cubic foot of soil conditioner. Apply this in a layer 1/4″ thick around the plant. Once the layer is applied to the soil, mix it into the dirt by repeatedly jabbing it with a spading fork and wiggling the fork. The Milorganite supplies a slow-release source of nutrients and the holes made by the spading fork aerate the soil around the gardenia roots.