Now that I'm re-reading my posting, I think I should have stated that I used Pete Moss and a mixture of "Organic Compost with Cow Manure." I don't want anyone to think that I used pure manure.

Okay, darlin'. Your real problem is you got know-nothing help from Home Depot. Composted manure and peat moss mixed together are sure death in a pot. Your plants are drowning for lack of air, and rot is just around the corner. Go get yourself a big bag of good potting mix. Miracle Grow is one, but there are many. The main thing is you want the bag to say "mix" not "soil". There is peat in a mix, but other things like vermiculite and perlite are in there too to keep it all draining well. Good drainage is crucial in pots (in the ground too, for that matter, but that's another thread). Native soil, manures, etc. impede or stop it altogether in pots.

Then when you get home, take your pots out somewhere that the peat and manure will do some good: maybe an existing garden bed or at least where you think you'll have one later. Use a hose and wash all that stuff off the roots of your plants and into the bed. Don't worry about washing off the original soil. The plants will be fine. If the roots were all wrapped around the inside of the pot, now is the time to loosen them up so they'll be better able to take in nutrients.

Then repot your gardenias. Fill the pots about half full and mound the soil up inside. Then set the plants on top of the mound with the roots evenly distributed over the top of the mound. Add soil over and under the roots, and be SURE that the crown of the plant (the place where roots end and stems begin) is sitting just above the soil level. Fill and firm the soil in, gently pulling the top of the plant until you find that magic spot: about an inch below the top edge of the pot, and sitting on top of the soil. Then water the pot a little at a time until water runs out the bottom.

THEN find a place for your pots that gets sun until about ten a.m. and then gets shade for the rest of the day. The north side of a building is a good place to start.

Park your plants there, hopefully near a hose and spigot. They will likely need water daily, but you should check at first. Stick your finger into the soil down to the big knuckle. Then rub your finger and thumb together. Feel moisture? Don't water. Feel dry? Do water. At first, check the pots twice a day. Then you'll have a pretty good idea of how much and how often to water.

Hi newbie,
I totally agree with donna above, potted plants need potting soil. My advice is to buy a good name brand like Miracle Gro or Schultz. The bag of mix should be dry and rather lightweight compared to other "soil" bags that are the same size. It is a little more expensive, but you can buy these potting mixes with slow release fertilizer in them and/or with moisture retention crystals. Always save your plant receipts and I write on top what plants I bought becoz they don't always say the plant but might say "shrub" or "perennial". If that plant had died you could return it. I also think that they are not looking too bad yet, but the larger gardenia especially might need a bigger pot. The honeysuckle too, it looks pretty big.
Good luck.