Question
Hi, thanks for being there.  My husband dug a hole deeper and twice as wide as the pot the gardenia is in.  The soil is clay & rock.  He filled the hole with water yesterday and it just sat there, however, the water was gone when we checked an hour later.  The nursery sold us organic soil and bark for mulch.  What should we do to this hole before actually planting the gardenia?  Thank you!  Laura Womack

Answer
Hi Laura, In clay soils, I dig the hole no deeper than the container and usually not as deep but 2-3 times as wide.
I'd put clay back in the hole to get to the depth of the pot. I like to use finely ground pine bark to plant container grown plants.  Most nursery stock now is grown in a pine bark based mix, so ideally the transition area between your clay and the pine bark soil mix should be  part of both.
Since you've got soil, I'd mix a little of the bark mulch with it, blend about 1/3 amendment with 2/3's your soil and plant it so the rootball is above your existing soil line by an inch or two.  Bring your soil up to, but not on top of the rootball.  Water thoroughly and mulch.  Jim