Caring For and Maintaining Your Gardenia

 Gardenia is native to both Japan and China. It is well known, even loved, for the incredibly rich fragrance of its white or creamy-colored blooms. Indeed, few other plants--indoors or outdoors--offer such a spectacular and intense fragrance. However, Gardenia is a bit of a challenge to grow indoors, so you'll need to pay particular attention to its placement, available lighting, temperature and humidity. Gardenia blooms are toxic to pets.

 Sunlight: Gardenia flourish indoors with bright indirect light. Keep away from direct sunlight. Once you find the right spot for your Gardenia--keep it there because Gardenia don't like to be moved.

 Water: Let the top 2" of soil around the base of your Gardenia dry out between waterings. During winter months, you can back off on watering just a bit.

Humidity: Gardenia loves humidity and you should try to keep the humidity in its location about 60%. To help create a more humid environment for your Gardenia, consider adding a fine mist humidifier to the room(s) in which you have your Gardenia. You can also place trays filled with stones and water nearby your Gardenia to increase local humidity. Misting your Gardenia with a hand sprayer will also help raise the local humidity level.

Temperature: Gardenia likes a warm environment, so it is a good idea to keep the ambient air temperature 60 degrees F (16 degrees C) or more. Don't let the temperature drop to less than 55 degrees F (13 degrees C). Keep in mind, too, that Gardenia doesn’t like drafty conditions be it caused by being located too close to an air-conditioning vent or a heating vent.

 Soil: Use a well-draining potting soil with a peat base. Gardenia thrives in acidic soils, so it is important to use a potting soil mix with a low pH.