I'm by no means an expert, so someone will probably be able to give you better advice. But here's what works for me. I also live in the Chicago area. I got a small (8" pot) gardenia from Home Depot three years ago. It's now three feet tall and three feet wide. (I'm looking for a new home for it, by the way.) I have it planted in one of those light weight pots. It spends summers outside in afternoon sun with me watering it every couple of days or so. There's a regular saucer under the pot. Winters, I bring it inside and keep it in the guestroom that has the brightest light -- faces west, but the plant doesn't get direct light. I mist it every day to combat the furnace and water it about every other. Once the danger of a hard frost is passed, I take it back outside. It stays evergreen and sets flower buds each spring without me doing anything with the lighting. Had one bout with scale, which I hand picked off of it. Two winters ago had a pretty bad aphid infestation. Used insecticidal soap, had some leaf drop, but the plant did beautifully. I feed her when I remember, certainly not on any regular schedule! A couple of days ago, my entire yard smelled like heaven. Seriously, she's getting too large for me and I'd like to see her go to a good home... Good luck!

Hey, Crelatia, liked your blog. your tree is bigger than my Nagami ( and taller than both of us) and looks very health.You made good decision of potted it in gritty mix. I found Kumquat is one of easiest citrus tree one can grow here. It can withstand the colder temperature till Oct.-Nov. outdoor; It can adapt to indoor lower light well; It can tolerance some neglect. if you like the citrus scent, you might want get a Meyer Lemon too. Meyer lemon blooms all year long, even during the winter months. I don't care the fruit that much... to me, it tastes like a tart orange with lemon color skin. But I do love the clean scent of its flowers. I usually leave mine outdoor when the weather is steady in upper 40 low 50s. Although, I must confess that I can't wait to move my house plants out in spring. when temperature is still low and fluctuating , I move my plants out in day time and move them back at night...I know it sounds a little crazy, but for the love of my plants... A dose of direct sunlight and breeze of fresh air is good for their health. you have very nice garden too. I grew rat tail radish few years back. it can grow 4 feet tall. it is very nice to mix few in the salad. Among all the Veggies , I have never grown french sorrel... I don't know how to cook it. Last year, my cherry tomatoes grew very well in ground. I love the flavor of Sungold and Sweet Million. This year, I am going to grow them in 5 gal. pots along the driveway ... just experimenting to see if I can save my garden space for other veggies.

How you feel about winning a particular medal is a relative thing. Going in to a competition expecting to win nothing, you would probably be elated to win Bronze. Going into the same competition expecting to take Gold and ending up with Bronze, that's a completely different feeling. Not that I'm excusing anyone, just that I can completely understand. It's human to feel disappointed when losing a hard fought game. On the other hand, do ya just LOVE Apolo Ohno? He got disqualified in that final round in the 500 meter when he could have won silver. I'm CERTAIN he was disappointed, and he made some remarks regarding the fact that he disagreed with the judges' decision, but he still smiled and said how he had no regrets and felt that he'd had a successful and satisfying time. And speaking of speed skating controversial decisions, the judge who disqualified the Chinese team in the women's relay received threats on his LIFE! How's that for sportsmanship? Ah well, it's over. It was great fun to watch. Congratulations to ALL the winners. Looking forward to the summer games in London in 2012.

DH and I just traveled to the site where the winter olympics were held in the 1960's. It takes about an hour to get to but it is the cutest village now with quant stores and eateries. We attended the 'Bark Festival', a fundraiser for the humane society. The ice skating rink (on top of mountain) is an annual field trip for many of the schools around here. It's all very impressive, still. I don't know what they do with summer olympic buildings after the olympics but our winter olympic site at 'Squaw Valley' is still wonderful. It's built in 'Swiss Chalet' style. Can you say early 60s? Good luck, Chicago!