Since the ones you find now in grocery stores and other retail outlets are greenhouse grown and forced into bloom, any variety might be encountered. One of the most tricky of any flowering houseplants to grow successfully......and not significantly easier when grown outside in suitable climates, either.

"Temperamental" is a very apt description!! However, no reason not to try one....as long as in the back of your mind you realize it might be a very temporary visitor :-) And maybe, as socks suggests, you will be successful and keep it going.

Gardenias in the ground here make a few sporadic blooms @ this time of year.

I think that they ARE temperamental as "houseplants" but outside, in appropriate climates, they are robust. The problems they typically have in the house is probably related to them being more subtropical than tropical and really resenting overheated, DRY homes in the North. Typically hardy to Zone 8 (minimum 10 F., there are also cultivars that are said to be hardy to Zone 6b and 7a (0 F to just below).

Thank you Socks

I would not mind taking a peak at the post. Would you please post a link to it. Thanks!

This is the second year for me to dare growing one indoors. I purchased this plant from SheniCrystal’s at the same time that I purchased a few plants plus other items from her in the spring of 2020. I was totally fascinated by the yellow flowers that I didn’t know existed. The plant grew unsightly leggy and lost much of its leaves. I think the new leaves that are currently on this plant have much shorter internodes.

Somehow I have not yet learned how to correct the brown edge issue. I think my touch needs magic at the moment…(Smile).

Any suggestions on how to correct this issue?

2 years??? Wow, that is commendable!!!

I have a few myself I keep year after year and they are kept in a bright coolish area with lots of moving air and a little humidity. None of mine ever see the light of day of a heated house. Some are kept in a greenhouse, a very cold porch, or a 4 seasons room with no heaters in there and thrive. Love them.

Here's that old thread:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2765922/so-you-want-to-grow-a-gardenia-huh

I think this coming spring after the weather has warmed up a bit, I would like to take this Gardenia outdoors and place it under the patio.

Hopefully it will thrive and do better with the leaves tip browning.

Any thoughts on this?

Of course, you should keep it outdoors! In fact, if you don't get below freezing temps, you should leave it outdoors for good. I have killed many potted gardenias (none lasted more than a few months) but have one (actually four in one pot) now that I have grown from cuttings (in water). They are now in a SE window with grow lights at room temp (60-70) and 40-55% humidity. So far so good. I think I have figured it out now but it has not been one year yet so I am not going to jinx it by saying so definitively). link to some of my previous travails described on this forum

Suggestions for successfully growing gardenia- water rooted cuttings (gardenweb.com)

Great bargains at Trader Joe's? (houzz.com)

Advice on keeping gardenia alive (gardenweb.com)

Here are my tips/observations gleaned from my experiences and advise from experts here:

- Keep it on the cool side while indoors, minimize time indoors tp prevent spider mites; they can take cold temperatures very well.

- Good drainage is essential to prevent root rot. Fast draining potting mix, plus keep in a terracotta pot as a double insurance. I potted my water rooted cutting in just perlite and repotted with 25% potting mix/75% perlite once they were established in perlite.

-Give as much light as possible, including full sun as long as temperatures are cool. Keep away from mid-day sun in summer.

- maintain acidity in the mix. I use small amounts of vinegar in water every few waterings. Careful with the quantity or the vinegar will kill it

The main issue with all of my gardenias, all bought very healthy with fat buds from grocery/big box stores, dying was likely that they are grown as display and throw merchandise. I found that they have 6 to 12 cuttings grown is a tiny 6 inch pot in a very peaty mix with high amounts of fertilizing and what not. They are all very root bound given the number of plants and it surely works while the brand new rooted cuttings are growing fast and putting out plenty of roots, leaves and buds powered by all the well calibrated chemical feeds, artificial lights, insecticides and optimized temperatures. Then we bring poor things home and they struggle with the radically changed conditions. Also, the health of the roots finally catches up to the lousy potting mix, overwatering fertilzing etc. So, the solution is to either get healthy plants grown by sensible gardeners not on an industrial assembly line, or start your own from cuttings from the industrially produced plants. Any attempts to unpot, remove previous mix and repot separately are unlikely to succeed because the roots are too entangled and the mix inseparable without damaging the roots; the rot in the roots has already set in, The worst part is that most people like me look at the pot bound plant and decide to pot it up in a bigger pot with their own mix. This sets up the plant to fail where even keeping it in its pot bound state would have been better. Just my 2 cents.

Gardenias can take freezing temps, if established, as long as the soil doesn't freeze. I've seen mine remain evergreen while encased in ice, and one night about a decade ago it went down to 9°.

Much Thanks Getgoing100_7b_nj for your kind helpful responses! I sincerely appreciate it.

Hope this Gardenia will have a smooth environment transition this coming spring. I am thinking outdoors during spring, summer and fall then wintering indoors. We do have a very extreme hot dry long summer. Also, I'm afraid that this Gardenia won't endure the winter outdoors here with much harsher weather conditions.

Do you ever feel at a total loss when the plant is just not growing as well as you would like to see? The unchangeable fact is this plant was at its maximum health when I first brought it home from the seller.