Dawnstorm,
There are sooo many reasons for your mom's plant to be dropping it's buds it's not even funny.
I am going to take a shot in the dark.
Too much sun. Without even knowing what variety of gardenia she has, if it is getting afternoon sun, it's too much. The plant will look fine, just drop the buds.
Other than that, it could be a hundred other reasons, and I'm not kidding.
Just for fun, look in search on this forum under "infamous gardenia" and read the post and have a laugh.
Tell your mom to place something in front of the plant so it gets morning sun, and then in the hot afternnon, it has some shade.
If that doesn't work, it's anyones guess.
Good Luck to your mom.

I disagree about too much sun for an indoor gardenia.

Not keeping the soil evenly moist is more likely or was it just purchased? Newly purchased gardenias taken from a greenhouse/shipped in a dark box/ put out for sale in a dry store almost always drop their buds.

Carp, sorry. I read DESK not DECK.

I still do not agree that full sun would cause bud drop. It would cause sunburn on the leaves and faster wilting but bud drop is more likely with uneven watering.

I recently bought a gardenia and had similar problem at first. I believe it was because the original place I put it is too warm for it (above 75 most of the time).
Later I move it to a cooler place with temperature around 72. It stopped dropping its buds. I started to put it outdoors when temperature is around 55 - 67 for it to get more direct sun. It responded with lots of blooms. It rains a lot lately so I think it also helped this plant.

Too much sun kind of...

The leaves don't mind getting all day sun, but the sun hitting the POT can be a real problem, especially if in a black pot.

Gardenia does not like very warm root temps...In fact, not only will your buds wilt and drop, but you will also get yellow leaves by the tons!

Keep the roots cool all summer, evenly moist with a good fertilizer in as much sun as possible, and your tree will flourish...

I hope you have the feet of that plant in well draining soil..

Mike..:-)

Hello,
2 weeks back i bought a potted gardenia which was very lively with healthy leaves and lots of buds. Now, 3 days back i re-potted it to a 10 inch(size was mentioned while buying) plastic pot. From then on the buds and leaves are drooping off. So i tried watering and misting it even then they are still drooping.
I am confused as how to take care of this plant..Dont know whether the dry soil is making them droop or watering them daily is making them to droop.

Howdy, Everyone,

I agree established Gardenias need full sun.

However, a newly purchased 'denia, 'especially if was previously in low light, or very young specimen,' should first be acclimated, starting with bright light.

Main reasons Gardenia buds drop: Low light, high temperatures, insects, and over/under-watering.
IMO, lack of humidity and stale, unmoving air flow can cause buds to drop, but the last two reasons are only my opinion, I could be wrong.

Linda, did the instructions suggest repotting immediately? If so, they're wrong.
A plant w/buds or in flower should NEVER be repotted. Especially when roots are fiddled with.

What size was its previous pot? Please don't say 4". :)

I mist plants religiously, but once in bud/flower I either stop spraying, or mist areas away from buds/flowers.
Spraying fades flowers much faster..
On the other hand, Gardenias and other flowering plants that spend summer outside, do wonders when it rains.
So, it might sound contradictory, but there's a difference beween misting indoors, opposed to rain directly spraying buds and blooms.
Can't explain the reason.

Why are you watering everyday??? Linda, that's way too much water.
You said, 'don't know if dry soil is making leaves droop.'
Yes, super dry soil causes leaf wilt, 'as does over-watering,' but I don't understand why the soil, 'in a 10" container,' would dry to the point your 'denia needs daily drinks.

Please explain. Toni

My gardenia bush is also dropping buds. I live in Florida and we are having a very hot summer. My plant faces the east and get sun up to around 1 pm than it is in shade for the rest of the day. This is the 2nd gardenia I have had. The last one lasted about 3 years but never really thrived. I have about given up.

This happens almost all the time with gardenia plants regardless of what kind of care if given. Buy something else.