i have a gardenia tree that i am growing out of a pot in my kitchen it is about 3' tall and about 3' across the flowering section. i have some questions - exactly how do you water the soil and keep it moist without making the soil soggy. i water about every five days about 1 to 2 quarts of water. is this too much? also the tips of some of the leaves are turning brown. is there anything i can do for this - any help regarding gardenias would be greatly appreciated as i am new to gardening - thanks - joe c.

Hi, Joe and Septembermorn,

Ahhhh, the gardenia. A most spectacular plant and a real picky one to grow. I,too, have one indoors for the winter. It sits in front of double sliding doors that open onto a deck. It is in the kitchen. Now, my kitchen stays rather cool especially at night and Miss Gardenia gets lots of bright light, but no direct sun. I water it when I think about it- maybe once a week and if I see yellowing I know it is time to give it some acidic plant food. In the summer we hoist it out onto the deck where it gets morning shade and afternoon sun. Last summer it was unusually hot and I had to shade it with an umbrella to keep the leaves from burning. This plant- shrub really- is huge and I took the shears to it before I brought it in last fall so we could get it through the door. Figured it would die from shock, but it has grown vigorously all winter and is blooming like crazy at this time. It will bloom all summer, off and on. Now I do spray it with an insecticidal soap because they are prone to white fly. When I first got it all the buds turned brown and dropped off as well as the leaves and it nearly died. I had it too close to the heat source and the pot it was in was sitting on a tray of pebbles. They like humidity from what I have read but this one did better without the stones. Maybe there is enough moisture in the kitchen air. This is not the first one I have had, but it is the only one that has survived and rewarded me with lots of beautiful flowers!

I'm on what must be my 1000th gardenia.
This one is surviving and has lots of buds.
When I bought it I talked to it-told it that it has a choice between me and the green garbage.
I also decided that I was not going to fuss over it, driving myself crazy as I had over every previous gardenia. It was going to be a case of "tough love".
I dunno if it was my stern talk or what, but this is the best gardenia I have ever had !

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