Light: A Gardenia requires very bright light for at least 6-8 hours during the day; place it near a south-facing window if possible. Be prepared to move your Gardenia to different locations in your home during the winter to ensure that it gets enough light. Grow lights may be necessary if there is not enough natural light for the Gardenia.

Water: Try to keep the soil of a Gardenia evenly moist but never soggy. The top inch or two of soil should dry out before you water the plant; never let a Gardenia sit in water. Over watering a Gardenia causes root rot, brown spots on leaves, and buds not to open; under watering a Gardenia causes green leaves to fall off.

Temperature: Temperature is extremely important for Gardenias. They do not do well when it is too hot or too cold. Temperatures should be between 65-70 degrees during the day and 60-65 degrees at night. Cool night temperatures are essential for the blooms of a Gardenia to set. Buds will drop off when temperatures go over 70 degrees.

Fertilizer: A Gardenia is an acid loving plant that requires lots of nutrients in order to bloom. Fertilize a Gardenia from spring through late fall with a food that is specifically made for blooming plants that require an acidic soil; i.e. azalea plant food or miracid.

Humidity: High humidity is another requirement for Gardenias. You can increase your basic household humidity, especially during the dry winter months, by placing a humidifier near your Gardenia, putting your Gardenia on a pebble tray filled with water (be sure the plant sits on the pebbles not in the water), or grouping several plants near each other. Misting doesn't really help & causes fungal growth on the leaves of a Gardenia.

Soil: A Gardenia needs well-drained acidic soil with some peat moss added to it. You can increase the soil acidity by watering once a month with left over tea or very dilute vinegar.

Pests: Gardenias attract mealy bugs, spider mites, white flies, thrips, and aphids. The best way to keep these insects away from your plant is to provide good air circulation, avoid getting water on the leaves, and keep the temperature cool. If your Gardenia does become infested, spray the green solution. Be careful not to spray the buds or flowers.

Pruning: Pruning properly is very important if you want a Gardenia to bloom. Since buds and flowers appear only on the new growth of a Gardenia, old woody stems need to be removed to encourage the new young stems.

Propagation: Gardenias are propagated from stem cuttings. When you trim your gardenia in the spring and summer, save some of the clippings that are about 5" in length to start a new plant.

1. I got a beautiful Gardenia for Valentine's Day and it was full of buds. It's now about a month later and all the buds have fallen off, even green leaves are starting to drop off.
Bud drop is a common problem with Gardenias and can have several causes; lack of humidity, over or under water, too little light, and cold drafts. I'd start by increasing the light. If this doesn't help stop the buds from dropping off of your Gardenia, work your way through the other possible causes.

2. The flowers on my Gardenia are discolored.
You can't touch the flowers of a Gardenia without causing blemishes on them so be very careful to look and smell but never touch! Gardenias like very bright light, but intense direct sun, magnified by the glass in a window, may burn the flowers.

3. The new leaves on my Gardenia are small and pale compared to the old leaves.
Your Gardenia needs more light and a little more fertilizer.

4. I never get any buds or flowers on my Gardenia.
Be sure to cut the old woody stems off of your Gardenia to encourage new growth. Put the Gardenia in very bright light for most of the day. Temperatures should be around 70 degrees during the day and around 60-65 degrees at night to set the blooms.

5. My Gardenia is getting yellow leaves all of the time.
Fertilize your Gardenia with a plant food specifically for acid loving plants. You can also pour some tea or very dilute vinegar into the soil of your Gardenia about once a month to increase the acidity. Finally, be careful you're not over watering your Gardenia.

6. How often should I repot my Gardenia?
When a Gardenia is small and rapidly growing, you can repot it as often as once a month. An older larger Gardenia likes to be very root bound before it's repotted.

7. There are brown spots on the leaves of my Gardenia.
Spots on the leaves of a Gardenia can be caused by water sitting on the leaves, lack of humidity, or soil that is alkaline rather than acidic.

8. I get buds on my Gardenia but they never open.
Proper temperature and light are the most important requirements for a Gardenia to produce flowers. The temperature must go down to 60-65 degrees at night in order for the flowers of a Gardenia to set and not go above 70 degrees during the day or the buds will drop off.