I keep gardenias, but mine are in pots.

In general -- part sun, good drainage, don't let em dry out.

Where do you have yours planted?

The gardenias I've had were always in hanging pots. I watered them daily until the water ran out the bottom of the pot. They seemed to dry out really fast. They say to fertilize them with half strength Miracle Gro every week but don't over do it or they'll burn up. I've always had good luck with beautiful blooms in my hanging pots.

I'm such a goof ball. I was describing my GERANIIUMS. Sorry for the goofy post!

We keep ours in a pot also. Get's morning sun, shade in afternoon. Several years old and no problems. Bring inside in the winter. Have no idea which one we have.
Norm

I leave mine out in the winter, Norm! My big one even made it through the 0 degrees we had here in Lebanon this winter. I tend to lose mine during the summer more than the winter -- I tend to let em dry out too much!

The GARDENIA that I dug up from my mom's home thrived in a pot. It was just tiny, less than 1 foot tall when I dug it up, maybe even less than 6 inches tall. I kept it inside the first and second winters by a north window and it seemed okay. Then I put it outside in a huge pot and it took off. We sold our house and I gave it to my daughter. That was its third year. It was about 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide. She has transplanted it in her yard on the north side in the morning sun, afternoon shade and it is doing very well. I never watered it while in the pot unless it was dry. I fertilized it occasionally.

The brown specks on leaves sound like aphids to me. Have you checked the underside of leaves for those? You may also notice lots of ants on the leaves--a good indicator of aphids because the ants love the sap the aphids' create.

I usually get rid of aphids by using insecticidal soap (dishwashing detergent & water will work well, too, if you don't have insecticidal soap). Spray the problem leaves (especially the undersides) with the insecticidal soap, and then follow that with a good strong water spray--i.e., strong enough to wash off the aphids.

Regarding how hardy gardenias are in our area: Gardenias can survive--even thrive--in middle Tennessee (south Nashville), if they are grown in a "micro-climate" (usually the south side of a house or another protected area). We have an August Beauty (grown from cuttings) that has survived for over 10 years, and it blooms every year. I also have a Kleim's Hardy that grows on the east side of our house near the porch (another protected area), and it's survived & bloomed for over 4 years.

I think the Kleim's Hardy is hardier than some of the other old-fashioned gardenias (hence the name). It may also be what you describe as a "daisy gardenia," i.e., it's a single bloom that looks kind of like a daisy.

Some good general advice on gardenias can be found on this (older) Southern Gardening forum. Pay particular attention to the post by "donnabaskets"--it's near the end of the forum. In my opinion, she (and Steve Bender) give the soundest advice.

Best of luck!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Southern Gardening Forum--Yellowing Leaves on Gardenia

I've had good luck with planting them on an east-facing wall. The winds here are almost always from the west so they're well protected.

I have a couple of the frost proof variety, I really like them. The one that does the best is planted on the west side of my house and then about 5 feet from it is a fence. So it is shaded until mid day by the house then it is shaded by the fence. This shrub blooms all the time and I do nothing to it.

Mary