hi all...i've been looking here and there for info on growing gardenias. i've ALWAYS loved these sweetly scented flowers and they hold a lot of sentimental memories for me. i bought one from home depot yesterday in a 3 gallon pot. it's an august beauty? (or something like that) the tag says part sun for it and i THINK i have the perfect spot for it. i would like to put it on the north or east side of my house, under one of my bedroom windows so that i can smell the scent at night. which spot would be best? i have my roses on the southeast corner of my house and they have absolutely flourished there. the north side would be ideal, if that would work. it would probably get about 2-3 hours of morning sunshine and then again in the afternoon a couple hours of afternoon sunshine. the reason that the east side isn't quite as ideal is because we have small hedges planted along the front (east) of the house and i would have to either dig one up or put it in between two and it wouldn't have much room.

so, would it do well on the north side or would east be better? if it was on the eastern side it wouldn't get any afternoon sun at all.

OR, would it be better off in a pot? i looked at them while i was at home depot yesterday and they had some BIG ones (i'd say 6-10 gallons) that were reasonably priced. what kind of soil would it be happy in if i did put it in a pot? i almost like this idea best because then i could put it in ideal soil and move it around. would it do okay on my porch? it's southern exposure but i could put it close enough to my house that it would be shaded in the afternoon.

sorry for so many questions at once. i always get panicky when i buy a new plant...but i figure if i can keep roses going, i should do pretty well with just about anything else :) if you have any special "recipes" (ex. i saw something about watering with a mixture of vinegar and water) or any tips or tricks that you use to keep your gardenia covered in healthy blooms, please share! thanks in advance for any advice!