Garden

[MrsCat21]

I swore I was never going to buy another one, but a friend of mine says she has no problem with hers so I thought I would try one more time. She told me to get a self watering pot. I have read alittle online:

no watering from above (on leaves); Ok to mulch it, but no mulch toughting the trunk...

Any other tips or tricks???

[Mindy D]

COULD YOU LET US KNOW WHAT STATE YOU LIVE IN. GARDENIAS ARE EVERYWHERE, HERE IN THE MIAMI AREA. I'VE GROWN MANY OF THEM. THEY REQUIRE FULL SUN. THEY REQUIRE A VERY WELL-DRAINED SOIL. THEY DO LIKE RAIN. THEY CAN BECOME CHLORITIC IF THE SOIL THEY ARE IN IS DEFICIENT IN IRON. USE A FERTILIZER STRICTLY FOR GARDENIAS. THEY NEED A HOT CLIMATE. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME PLANTING IN THE GROUND IF YOU LIVE UP NORTH. YOU CAN GROW THEM IN POTS, BUT THEY ARE NOT LIFETIME PLANTS, IF SO GROWN. THERE ARE SO MANY TROPICAL GARDENING SITES ONLINE. GIVE THE SITES A LOOK. I WISH YOU COULD SEE SOME OF THE 50 YEAR OLD BUSHES AROUND HERE, WHEN IN FULL BLOOM. ACTUALLY, I WISH YOU COULD SMELL THEM.

[JustJazzmom]

I believe that the OP is in Illinois. In my experience, gardenia plants (not even the tree variety) are considered houseplants in northern climates. They are also prone to getting pests like spider mites. So prior purchasing look very carefully at both the tops and undersides of the leaves for these little critters. They do make webs on plants when there is an infestation of them and can be seen with a low magnitude hand lens or being very close up to them with your face!

They probably like humidity so you may have to put the pot on top of a tray of stones with water in them for additional moisture. Misting the leaves also helps with adding humidity to the environment too.