Mersipoo,
I know exactly how you feel about the gardenia.
I bought a hardy one from Home Depot online about a month ago.
I am going to plant it in my yard tomorrow. (Sunday).
I hope it lives.
I have it in a pot for now, but I think it will do better planted in the ground.
The gardenias in the store are so beautiful and smell so nice I wish I was brave enough to buy a warm weather one, but I don't want it to die, so I will spare them and not buy them.
The hardy one I bought is Grifts Select.
I may shelter it in the winter however, if it was as cold as this winter has been.

Butterfly, you are a far braver soul than I am! :) I think the gardenia was a grifts as well.

I just knew that if I did buy it, as soon as I walked in the door of my house with the gardenia, the buds would just plop plop to the ground immediately, the leaves would combust and that'd be the end of it.

Seems like the more you ignore them, the better they do. Figures! The plants that live for me are ones I don't care about.

Hope yours works out for ya!

Hello brave people.
I got one from the Home Depot a while back Planted in the ground now some leaves are turning yellow !! some buds opened others are closed. I read all the stuff about the Gardenia after I bring it home now I'm really scared
Will let you all know more to come...

Ochogua, any news on your gardenia? Have you made funeral arrangements for it? I think that they hate to be fertilized, they like really acidic soil that drains well. BUT, I don't grow them, this is what I've read...

Mersiepoo,
Well, the grifts select is now two toned.
Dark green and yellow leaves.
More yellow than green. No buds at all yet.
I don't know what is wrong with it. I planted it with some Morganite and tomorrow I am going to give it some Osmocote, or at least I think that is how you spell it.
I really wanted it to work out.
I guess I just have to hang in there.
Looks sort of nice having the two colors on the plant!
LOL!

Butterfly, sometimes it takes time for a gardenia to adjust..I find the best food to feed gardenia's is Azalea fertilizer..Toni

What's wrong with buying a gardenia at the store?? That's the only way I ever get flowers . . . . ;>)

Jim

Toni,
Thanks for the tip on the Azalea fertilizer.
I am going to try try that now instead of the Osmocote.
It still has some green left on it and it could just be experienceing some transplant shock also.
I am not giving up on it, even if it doesn't bllom it has attractive foliage.
Thanks again!

Butterfly,

I hope your 'two tone' gardenia is okay, from what I hear they don't like to be fertilized, except with a teabag in a watering can every month or so. But then again you have to also do a dance around the plant with a grass skirt on, make ritual sacrifices and build a shrine to it.

more yellow-than-green leaves could indicate that you are using alkaline water on the plant. if you are not sure of the chemistry of your tap water, you could try distilled water.

If water is alkaline, the azalea food should take care..another tidbit it, add 1 teas of vinager to a gallon container of water..Toni

Toni,
Put the azela food on it. It also stated on the box that it is also for gardenias.
It looks better everyone. I am going to use it once a month to see if mabey it stays all green.
It is hanging in there for me.
I would love for it to bloom someday and knock my neighbors socks off.
Will post a pick this week.

Hi Butterfly...if Azalea food is the pellet type, yep, set pellets atop soil then water. I use Azalea food on well, of course azaleas, lol, gardenias, and even citrus..
Please post picture..Toni

Here is pic of today.
It has much more green on it today thanks to azela food.
I am going to wait til it is dry on top of soil before watering also.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:790878}}

I think I'm going to go and buy a 'Hardy' gardenia from logees....wish me luck. It's supposed to be hardy down to 40 degrees, so it may survive a winter in our chilly house!

All it is called in the catalog is "gardenia species", it's single flowering. If it lives I may get a fancier looking one next year.

Butterfly, your plant is looking good..
I recently ordered a variegated gardenia which came in..it's so cute..and already had tiny buds..Can't wait to see how it does indoors..I love Gardenias/azaleas/hibs. Toni

You will never believe this....my gardenia is blooming.
Got up this morning and low and behold, a little pretty white single flower on my gardenia.
I am soooo excited.
Thanks Toni for the words of encouragement.
They can't be that hard to grow if I can grow them.
It is outside too.
I never heard of a variegated gardenia, sounds awesome.
One question, how often should I put the Azela food on it?
Once a month? I don't want to over do it now that it is blooming and doing well.
Mersipoo, go get a Grifts Select.
I ordered mine online from Home Depot.
I am not an experienced gardner when it comes to Gardenia and it bloomed for me. (I just can't get over it).

Mersiepoo, I have two gardenias from Logees- the 'fortuniana' and the 'hardy species' . The 'Fortuniana' performs excellently for me indoors in NY. I've had another gardenia before- don't know the kind but it's the most common kind you see at a plant store. I totally killed that- it yellowed and yellowed and yellowed on me till no more hope was left. This one seems so resilient.

The second is the hardy gardenia- It came with one bud which unfortunately aborted but it's growing a new one now again. But the 'fortuniana' seems much more robust to me so far. Maybe because I just got the hardy species a few weeks ago and it is still very very small. The 'fortuniana' was a 6" plant (a yr back) and more established I suppose.

Butterfly, congrats!! I too am elated every time mine blooms. It seems like such a feat! Try to show us pictures!

Toni, how're your hibs doing? I'm having better luck with my gardenias this year than the hibs :(

Butterfly, congrats..I know how you feel when a new flower pops up on a gardenia..LOL.I truly think it has something to do with being taken outside, (and of course your hard work.) They prefer cool air. I notice my 'denia's put on more buds when it's cool to cold. (fall and winter)
I got the variegated gardenia at www.almostedenplants.com
They're also found on Ebay. The type I purchased is a dwarf, but I've seen standard size variegated gardenias for sale..think they were on Ebay..
As for how much/often to feed Gardenias w/Azalea food..It's best to follow container directions..Did you buy the food yet? If so, look at the schedule planner..they should have a section for house plants..If not, you'll need to do some math, dividing..lol..

Hey Nota,...I now have 6 Hibs..lost one this winter...a tree shaped type..Wanna know what I did? I keep my hibs growing in those ugly black, plastic pots, right? So decided to set inside another (ornamental) pot w/o using a blockage for draining water..I KNOW this is how it died..the poor tree sat in water..girl, did it stink!! Eventually it started losing leaves..I couldn't figure out the problem, even though I should know better than that, considering I worked at Rentokil Tropical Plants, and we'd get plants (in plastic pots) sitting inside nicer containers..We used sheeted styrofoam as blockage..it works great..Don't know why I didn't do the same..2 months ago I decided to prune but all I found was dead wood..so it's sitting in the back yard, ready to go in the compost. So, I've 6 hibs left, from small 8" to 4'.
Nota, what happened to your hibs? You said your 'denias are doing better than hibs..Do u feed w/hib food? It's the best..I love it..wouldn't use any other food for my hibs..They sell this food at www.plumeriapeople.com Pellets you sprinkle atop soil then water..no mixing, no fuss. It's specifically for hibs. Stokes used to sell it, but they no longer sell fertilizers..
I'd like to find one more tree-shaped variegated gardenia..then I'll be content..LOl..Toni

Toni, oh no. Sorry to hear you lost a hib. I did too- but I intentionally threw it out coz the white flies just wouldn't leave it. I use those 'cache' pot things too- but yeah, i always make sure there's no water sitting inside the second/outer pot. I've only done it to my clivia a couple of times- but it's not as moody as a hib.

my gardenia fortuniana is constantly in bud. The Hibs have struggled hard over the winter. They didn't fare too well. I had 3 in total but I tossed one out last year due to white flies.

First it was just constant yellowing of leaves- started late Fall and probably due to the white fly epidemic I had. Strangely the white flies only stayed on the hibs- did not even touch the other plants. Then came the winter and more yellowing. By Jan/Feb I had bare naked stems with green growth on top. Looked pathetic.

Now that it's spring, both the hibs are starting to look better but slow to grow the abundance of leaves that it lost. The yellow double is supposed to be a free bloomer and bloomed really pretty ones for me last year but so far, no new buds. But, that could also be coz I hacked a lot of it off in frustration last Fall.

The other one, which never flowered for me last year (I hacked off a lot of budded branches due to white flies) is now producing buds- so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

The new growth is doing good but there is still pale, dull, yellow-ish leaves and in general, they don't look as perky and happy as my other plants do. Last year they had beautiful glossy leaves.

So, no huge tragedy, just that most of my other tropicals really pull through good through the winter and I don't know why the hibs threw a tantrum.

I hope they will really perk up soon. The yellow double is a really vivacious grower so it should wake up soon. I got it last year in a 2.5" pot and now it is in a 10" pot- I've potted it up 3 times last year coz it just wouldn't stop growing. The other one is now in a 6". I was hoping for the same performance this year- is it still early for hibs in z6?

Butterfly, congrats on the flowers! I almost bought another gardenia at lowes the other day, but I am afraid of buying stuff from them as I got a plant virus years ago from a coffee plant they sold so I'm paranoid of buying stuff from them still. That's awesome that you got blooms!! :)

Notanatural, thanks for the info, maybe I'll try both and see which one is still standing.

Hi,
am new to this board. I have a gardenia that is about 3 years old. I bought it from home depot hearing all the bad do's on growing them, can't touch them, dropping buds. Soo figured it would die anyway. I put it in a 5 gallon plastic container. on the corner of my patio, gets morning sun and little afternoon west sun. Lost some buds, some turned brown.

I feed it like I do my plumeria. When I water put in add few drops of superthrive monthly. I feed it twice a month with hawaii bud and bloom when I feed my plumeria, 50 center number is phosporous. Have done this for 2 years, starting 3rd. It has shiny thick green leaves, and almost blooms all the time. Will take a break and grow, very wide plant.

It did freeze some in our Feb freeze, this year picking off yellow leaves, fed it..LEaves not as deep green, but will keep working on it for hopes. In full bud, have one open, another one coming. I don't know when to put it in the ground, not sure how rooty it is. So far is doing well. Feed my hibiscus once a month with the hawaii bud and bloom also, actually most of my plants, have food left over, just pour it in my jasmine..etc. .
Karen B

Hi,
Was reading up on gardenia, mine this year does look yellow greenish, not the rich shiny green. Perhaps what I did feed, wasn't correct. See you are suppose to use an acid food, like azalea food...hmmm.. Will see about planting it in the ground after the blooms.
Karen B,

Mersiepoo,
I am sure that Gardenia can take 40F. The number that Logee's gives is very conservative. I am almost certain all Gardenia can take 20F. some hardy ones can do 15F, and even 10F for a short period of time if they are protected. My home town in China is more like zone 8 here with occational cold temp 12F(but for most years, the low is always higherthan 20F), and Gardenias grow everywhere.

Yes, Gardenia can survive 40F, no problem, but I have zero luck to grow them in containers. If you grow them outside, once established, they need bascially no care. From full sun to full shade, they are fine. The root rot is the major killer, I suspect.

Butterfly,
Do not want to pour cold water on you. I doubt any Gardenia can survive SE PA. It is just too cold. Zone 7 is really the limit. You may get lucky to have some mild winters, but once the temp drops to 5F, it is an instant death. I bought 3 cold hardy Gardenias from Lowes last year. We had a cold spell in Feb in VA here. The temp. dropped to 6-8 for 2 or 3 nights. 2 died right away, and one was burned very severely.

Yes, Azalea fertilizer works very well with Gardenia. Old Chinese trick is to use vinegar to make the soil acidic.

Kai

Kai,
Thank you for the advise about the cold hardiness of the plant!
I transferred it to a tera cota pot after the plant suffered in the sun in my yard by burning a little.
I put it on my porch and it recovered and is now blooming again.
Now the leaves are dark green.
I will bring it indoors and place it in front of a sunny window with lace sheer curtain in the winter.
That way it won't die over the winter.
I heard of vinegar for hibiscus also.
Thanks again for the good advise!

Nota, I haven't been here a while and just read your post..I'm sorry about those darn whitefly..they're terrible.
A couple summers back I had plants out front..when I brought them indoors they were loaded w/whitefly..I found the source, a hardy hydrangea growing out front..
Before I knew what hit them, almost every plant had whitefly..all but C&S's.. I went to www.gardensalive.com and bought yellow sticky traps..they are wonderful..I bought 2 packages and set the traps on a group of plants, especially hibs, gardenias..Those traps are amazing..they work wonders..Gardens Alive has the traps, but I found a nursery, (can't recall which) that sells them for half the price as GA..those traps caught hundreds of whitefly. since then, no problems..but I thought most of my plants would die..so if u have this problem again, which I hope u don't, try the traps..I swear, they're miraculous..and non toxic.
You can make your own, but you still have to buy the glue which is expensive..I've a can here somewhere, but never had to use it..knock on wood..LOL..
Whitefly are bad but I detest mealy..if I see mealy on a plant, more than not I'll toss it..no matter how little mealy are on the plant..Since every window, and then some, are loaded w/plants, I don't have a place to isolate..and mealy is terribly contageous..Toni

Mersipoo,
Did you get a gardenia?
Mine is still blooming, even more flowers.
Toni, I had to use the azela fertilizer on it again, hoping for the best.
I placed it right by the front door on the porch, and I can smell it faintly when I enter the house.
This hardy gardenia doesn't smell as good as other gardenias I have smelled at the nursery though.
I am not brave enough to purchase an expensive tropical gardenia yet though.
TOni, I love Hibs too.
Happy gardenia growing!

Hopefulauthor,

with awful whiteflies, either try neem oil, or maybe put some aluminum foil under your plant, or silver mulch, it freaks the bugs out because they like the shade and don't get it with the foil/sunlight. Or do what I do and make a tobacco tea, it'll kill most soft bodied insects like aphids and whiteflies. Just don't use on tomato plants because you can get tobacco mosaic virus transmitted to tomatoes.

Butterfly,

yes, I just got 2 gardenias to KILL, HA HA HA!! From Logees too. I got a 'hardy' gardenia (har har hardy) and a fortunia (sp?) as well. They look lovely, and I am going to go up right now and take pictures of them. I will document their demise on here, so you can see them croak.

Just to make it seem like I'm not totally heartless, I got them both some nice containers, put them on gravel where they get early sun, and I also got a strip of old jeans and put it in the pots before I potted them so they can wick up the water if they want, as well as getting humidity. I also mixed the soil as 1 part sand, one part peat moss and one part potting soil.

Okay, I just took pictures of the poor victims..I got them a few days ago and they aren't dead, the fortunata actually has buds on them..let's see how long THOSE last...now I have to figure out how to post pictures here.

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x249/mersiepoo/?action=view&current=hardygardenia6.jpg

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x249/mersiepoo/?action=view&current=fortunata6.jpg

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x249/mersiepoo/?action=view&current=bothgarenias6.jpg

I don't see anymore whiteflies- hope I managed to get rid of them all. I did see a couple appear on my night blooming jasmine, but that was a week ago and now I don't see anymore.

Still, the hibs won't bloom. One's constantly trying to produce buds but they yellow off at a very immature stage. The other one has been hacked down so much, it probably won't bloom for me this year at all. Ah well. They're growing though.

Ok, wish me luck. I just bought a gardenia standard tree at a wholesale nursery. I am not going to do anything to it until after it blooms. I do have 2 in the ground, one looks amazing the other looks like sticks with a few leaves here and there.

Mersi, in one post I wrote I saw your pictures, but I was talking about another thread in which you posted pics.
I can't figure one symbol in your www addy..it looks like the sun..LOL, located after the word, 'view' What the heck is it? LOL..I tried opening w/o the symbol but it doesn't work, I'd like to see your new denias..(S)

Nota, what's going on with your hibs? Why are u pruning? By doing so, chances of flowering is next to nil.
Are they outside? If so, hose down..daily if possible..do they have whitefly? I swear, the yellow fly traps are incredible..
Also, what type of fertilizer do you use? Hib fert works best..I buy mine at www.plumeriapeople.com I believe there are hib sites that also sell this food, but don't know its price..

Dallas, good luck w/your new gardenias,...why does one look like sticks? LOL..People in warm climates are so very lucky keeping plants outside yr round. Toni

Hi Hopeful!
Sorry I was cross posting and replying, I posted the pictures after I had written the message on this thread. Soon my 'hardy' gardenia will be dead, lol! Actually it's losing leaves already. The fortunata isn't dead- yet.

Toni, I hacked both plants last fall when the whiteflies just wouldn't leave it alone. Then in the winter, both yellowed considerably and looked so bare below. So I hacked more. Then came spring and the big one was huge but still a bit leggy, so I hacked even more.

I know it lessens chances of flowering but I can't bear to look at leggy plants. I'm sure it will flower again at some point.

The other one- which I had hacked only once, grows much slower. It is continuously trying to bud now but they don't get very big.

No, still haven't had time to go find hib food (am in town about 3 days a week off late)- but I meant to try that VF-11 stuff soon.