Rosie,
The success of over wintering a gardenia in your house depends on alot of factors.
Gardenias like humidity, so the bathroom is the best room in the house for them.
Misting them doesn't really do it.
You must buy a moisture meter from any store, such as Walmart for about 5.00 if you are serious in keeping it alive. When you stick it in the pot and it reads dry, you water it til the water drains out of the pot.
Then don't water it again until it is dry.
If you have a window in your bathroom, you will do fine.
Otherwise, you will have to provide some kind of sunlight.
Sunlight is superior to a light bulb.
Even 3-4 hours a day will do.
If you are keeping your gardenia in a pot indefinately, check out container gardening forum for an ideal mix for gardenia, Al has a special mix for them.
Just put in Gardenia in search under container gardening.
That's it.
Good Luck. I am sure it will be fine this winter for you.

Rosie, I too heard, and believe, grafted plants do better than non-grafted plants..Gardenias, citrus, Adeniums, etc.

If you haven't room or a window in your window like Butterfly suggests, (which is a good idea) the thing to do is purchase a humidifer..I prefer standard units, but if you can't find one, look for a 3 gallon. The only problem with smaller units is they need to be filled with water more often..one advantage though is they don't need filters.
I am a firm believer in misting plants..(excluding fuzzy plants like Afraican Violets, cactus and succulents.)
In fact, I keep a mister in each room plants live..lol. If/when your Gardenia blooms, then refrain from spraying, especially flowers..

Depending on the size of your Gardenia, if possible, carry to the sink or shower, once a week..Don't aim at the soil unless it's dry..
If your Gardenia is outdoors, have you noticed how it perks up after a rainstorm? It's the same when showered.

There are all types of tricks to keeping gardenias alive and well in our part of the country including making sure soil is slightly acidic, feeding with acidic fertilizers, adding Epsom Salt.
Gardenias are not the easiest plant to grow indoors, especially during dry, cloudy winters. the good news is, there are ways to change the climate in your house..Toni

Thanks Toni...I do have a humidifier it's old(used for kids when they had croop)but it still works! Do you use gritty mix in your potting soil?

The bathroom worked and I was told to use my old 40 gal fish tank that I was no longer using for fish. It worked remarkable.

I just put water below the gravel and covered the tank with a plastic cover.

I was able to keep it alive all winter and doing great for 4 years and it out grew the tank. I tried to go back to the bathroom in the winter and I lost it that winter.

Marquest,
I'm sorry to hear your gardenia died after 4 years.
It's hard to loose any plant after that long, but especially a gardenia.
That fish tank idea is genious!
Like a terrium. (sorry for the spelling)
You could try it again, only this time, cut the gardenia down when you bring it in from outside in the fall.
Love the fish tank idea. ummmmmm

Aquariums/terrariums are a good idea, but depending on the type of plant needs air circulation.
Certain terrarium plants do fantastic in enclosed, humid spaces, but Gardenias need cooler temps and fresh air..otherwise bugs find a way to get our trees. Toni

I hate to bust everyones bubble!!lol
But I have never had any problems with gardenias NOT grafted...
It is the ones grafted that are hardest to keep going!

My sister-in-law has two non grafted ones, and with just what little sun she gets in a south facing window, and no particular knowledge of how to care for these, she does awsome.
She too killed a grafted one though.

I have killed many too.

But I have for a change managed to survive all my grafted ones but one through a winter for the first time too...

That is he thing.."MANAGED TO SURVIVE ONE"...Do not expect it to pefrom as well as now, nor to be bug free unless you start thinking now of how to avoid the little critters.
Between dry air, less sun, wet soil,no fertilizer, and pests, just keeping them alive is a reward!

You can do it with the help of all here. Everyone here wants to see you suceed,everyone! You can. I finally did!

Just because they sulk, doesn't mean you will fail. So don't panick if you start to see signs of unhappiness. Don't drown it in water, fertilze the heck out of it, and overt protect it. Let it do it's thing. Let it cry for summer again as we do, all the while following the steps layed out here to at least keep it a tad bit undepressed..

You know the easiest for me to keep alive and still look pretty happy by winters end? Any denia in a 6inch pot or less, beacause they sit on the window sill all winter getting the most sun, and dry out rapidly. Then my August beauty, a toughy to kill, a non grafted one...

There are many thing, I mean MANY things that come to play to keeping a healthy denia all winter, but if I were to share with you the number ONE thing to worry about , it would be "OVERWATERING". That has been the only thing that ever killed mine in winter next to pests before coming here an learning...

If your soil is staying wet or damp for longer than a couple of days for your area indoors, then I would now think about making sure you have it potted in a soiless mix that dries out rather quickley..Gardenia HATE HATE HATE wet feet, especially in winter!

Good luck, you can't go wrong with the friends you have here....;-)

Ps...I know everyone says that they need hunmidity...
But in my experience, I have found that mine never needed humidity to perform well..

If the roots are very healthy, due to proper watering techniques, the roots will draw up enough water to keep the leaves looking healthy and hydrated, bug free, no matter what.

If your roots are not healthy, no matter how much humidity you provide, your leaves and flowers and buds will appear to be dehydrated, even in the most humid enviroment as possible. And no matter how moist the enviroment is, pests will still invade, especially mites, if your plant is weak.
Then the big mistake many make is this. When the tree looks like it is dehrdrating and turning yellow, or when leaves start to curl up due to possible pest succking them dry, many water even more..A very quick death senetnce!!
Remember, the key is to maintain a HEALTHY root system...If your roots are happy, then so will your plant, humidity or not..;-)

Someone suggested buying a water meter..GET ONE..lol. A cheap investment for such an expensive plant..
Try a wooden dowel too if you can. This has worked for me. If you stick in in the root zone and it comes out the slightest bit damp, DO NOT WATER...:-)

I could go on forever about these plants..lol

I received emails that were posted for marquest about the death of her 4 yr gardenia plant. I am rosie & my gardenia is doing great. In fact I repotted it in a soiless mix & it didnt even wilt.Several new buds have arrived & 2 are in bloom.

That's great rosie!!!

Wait until winter as you requested for help, and we'll see if your denia is still doing great...lol:-)

In June this year I received a fresh gardenia from someone. After enjoying the lovely fragrance I decided to see if I could root it. So I did the rooting compound method and put a jar over the cutting I was given after I removed the flower. To my great surprise it did grow! I have kept it under glass in the jar as it seems to be very happy in there. I upgraded to a larger jar as the plants leaves were starting to touch the sides. My question is how can I keep this plant happy thru the winter? I think I need to keep it covered with the jar since it gives it the moisture. Any ideas?

This post was edited by gardenofheather on Wed, Aug 28, 13 at 23:46

Garden,
Yes! Great idea! Go buy a cheap plastic bowl, cut a small hole in it for air and use it over your plant.
The hole is important, it does need air, but the cover will provide humidity for the plant, and it loves it.
Gardenias are easy to root.
Thanks for such a wonderful idea.