florists plants are intended to be disposable... so they arent potted for long term care.. so that is definitely something that need be done....

and in this case.. this isnt really a houseplant per se... in and of itself... its is a flowering shrub or a tree ...

that is almost a bonsai tray pot.. so that might be a lead for further information;.. bonsai is a root pruning system in the extreme.. which stunts the plants overall growth... its is a hobby in and of itself.. maybe you would enjoy it.. but in connection with the root pruning.. the canopy is also aesthetically shaped.. a tradeoff of roots and leaf removal.. so the more leaves you get.. the more water the plant needs and the media just isnt doing its job...

where do you live.. big city name ...and can this go outside in the garden.. where it belongs??

would you be able to use a grow lamp on the plant.. to more fully mimic the light levels it needs...

i hope al comes thru with his tip sheets on repotting... wait for it...

ken

Potted plants from a florist are meant to be sold - too large of a leap to suggest they're meant to be disposable.

If you're growing it as a houseplant, that's an issue. No plant likes being indoors, just that some tolerate it somewhat better than others.

Root pruning actually reinvigorates plants and allows them to grow much larger and maintain a much higher level of vitality (health) than plants potted up or allowed to languish in the pot they originally came in. Bonsai are kept small by way of several techniques, but the primary tool is pruning.

The reason your plant won't bloom is probably lack of light, but temperature variation or over/under-watering can also cause bud blast, as can moving the plant from one spot to another during the bloom or immediate prebloom. It would prefer a spot where it gets direct morning/evening sun, but is provided some shade during midday. Dappled or open shade if best for midday sun. Pruning and repotting are best done in spring after blooming. My suggestion, if your plant is rootbound, would be to trim roots around the perimeter and bottom of the soil/root mass and do a full repot next spring. It would be best if you use rain water (or water from a reverse osmosis system) with a pH around 5.0 for the plant as it prefers an acidic soil. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 would be an excellent fertilizer. They are known for turning chlorotic (yellow), so you might need to add an iron chelate (I use Sprint 138) to your fertilizer solution. Withhold fertilizer during the bloom period.

When you water, the key is to water the plant before it dries. The roots of Gardenia jasmoinoides are very fine and quickly die from over or under-watering, so how/when you water is a key element in the care regimen.

So sorry about your loss that occasioned the gift of the cute little shrub.

I've never seen buds blast on my ground shrubs, even when it got to the teens for 4 nights last December. As long as the roots and soil don't freeze, a chill won't hurt a Gardenia. The buds just wait until they're ready. I have a pic of a Gardenia encased in ice. Didn't bother it at all. It can take 5 months sometimes for buds to finally open. I've seen flowers on G. jasminoides during every month of the year by now. If it rains often during summer, sometimes there are several flushes of blooms. Agree with Al that if the soil is drying that quickly, add more water that quickly.

If I put a black pot of that size in the sun here, I would need to water it several times per day. It's adorable but if your goal at this point is to just have a growing, blooming Gardenia, I would encourage you to consider a significantly bigger pot that is a very light color or a clay pot. If you want to keep the same proportions, keep an eye on how quickly it gets dry.

If you change the soil and/or move it to a bigger pot, notice if the new soil has fertilizer in it. If so, wait to add more to avoid the risk of fert burn. Gardenias respond extremely willingly to banana water. Pureé a whole banana or just the peel with some water and use that water to drench the soil.

They are odd, unpredictable plants but worth it for the blooms when they do occur. The more sun it gets, the more blooms it will have, but acclimate slowly for a plant that has been inside. Starting with the first or last couple hours of the day is usually safe.