Dear butterfly4u,
It's definitely cold here in the Palmetto State. Our thermometer read eleven degrees Fahrenheit early this morning; however, our afternoon temperature rose to forty degrees, cold, but a little warmer than yesterday, when it topped out in the mid-thirties.

As far as gardenias are concerned, I think they are O. K. down to about five degrees Fahrenheit. I have two tiny 'Chuck Hayes' gardenias outside my bedroom windows, and they look fine, as do my pittosporums, loquats, and the pineapple guava. Our fig vine climbed from the brick foundation of the house over one of the bedroom windows and is singed, but that happens every winter. I expect it to recover in the spring. A white oleander that I planted in a sunny, but exposed, location is also singed. I hope that it will also rebound in the spring.

It is so cold,so early in the season, that I even have bluebirds coming to the birdfeeder. I really must go source some mealworms. Seed just isn't enough to keep these insect eaters warm.