Hi All: I just bought myself a nice little Gardenia tree of the Veitchii variety. I've killed them before but I'm determined to grow at least one in my lifetime. I've found this while searching for care information on the web. Its from a California Nursery so the care should be applicable to us. GARDENIAS Soil Acidic, moist, well drained. Use an azalea/camellia type mix when conditioning soil. Light Filtered light inland, full sun on the coast. Water Evenly moist, never too wet or too dry. Adopt a consistent watering schedule. Fertilizer Use a fertilizer for acid loving plants once a month Spring-Fall. Gardenias love iron, also. Feed with iron after main flowering season. Problems Yellow leaves and leaf drop Changes in weather or soil moisture levels. Some leaf drop is normal in early spring before buds begin to appear. Yellow leaves with green veins Iron chlorosis. Feed with chelated iron or iron sulphate. Flower or bud drop Usually cold weather or inconsistent watering. Gardenias like warmth and even moisture. Tiny black or green insects on buds or leaves Aphids, spray with Ultra-Fine. Leaf tips and edges browning Salt accumulation. Leach the plant with water thoroughly. Leaves turn brown Too dry. Gardenias like to be evenly moist. Varieties of Gardenias: AUGUST BEAUTY 5 tall and 3 wide Large double white flowers May - November Heavy bloomer MYSTERY 6-8 tall 4-5" Very large flowers May-July Tends to have an open growth habit. Prune to keep neat. RADICANS 6-12" tall and 2-3 wide 1" double, white flowers. Summer bloom Small scale ground cover or container plants VEITCHII 3-4 ½ tall and wide 1 ½" white flowers May  November and through warm winters Heavy bloomer WHITE GEM 1-2 tall and as wide Dwarf plant with single, fragrant flowers Great in containers, raised beds. Blooms often. Courtesy of Sperling Nursery 24460 Calabasas Road, Calabasas CA (818) 591-9111

Hi Toni, I have all my gardenias previously planted in pots in plain loamy garden soil (rich black soil) with lots of earthworms and humus (decaying matter). They were very happy and green until I transferred them to the ground. Our local topsoil is actually contaminated with construction debris particularly concrete fragments, making our topsoil extremely basic. After transplanting to the ground, majority of my gardenias rapidly became chlorotic. However, I just let them be because there is nothing I can do about the soil. The contamination and leaching of lime to the topsoil is extensive. Despite the 'bad soil', my gardenias are still growing happily and they still bloom for me despite the chlorosis. They have grown from 1 ft tall plants in the pots to more than 3ft tall in the ground. I think the fuss about gardenias liking acidic soils and dying in basic soils or in 'less-than-perfect' garden soils are highly exaggerated. These plants (gardenias) are actually highly adaptable to various soil types like other plants. They even survive sandy soils fit for a cactus but they just won't be 'picture perfect' (similar to my gardenias). What gardenias (and michelia albas) do hate however is too much moisture in the soil particularly around their roots. I had ALL my gardenias rapidly dropping leaves and leaves turning yellow when my helper watered them daily despite the daily rains in our area. I was lucky to have immediately spotted the rapid leaf yellowing and dropping problem as I rarely attend to or inspect my gardenias anymore. (I have more problematic plants to take care of like my 'chilli thrip' infested roses, unhappy hydrangeas and suicidal apple seedlings.) Anyway, after telling my household helper not to water my gardenias anymore because it is rainy season in our climate, the leaf yellowing and dropping stopped. That's how sensitive these plants are to overwatering. Anyway to illustrate my point, here's a photo of my chlorotic gardenias (variegated and non-variegated) planted in the ground with less-than- perfect 'basic' soil: In contrast, I have 'Euphorbia milii' plants which are supposed to be 'succulent' plants similar in 'soil' and water requirements to cacti. Here they are thriving and flowering profusely in pots filled with rich, black, loamy garden soil which is 'less-than-perfect' and actually counterindicated for a succulent plant like Euphorbia milii. (Succulents prefer sandy soils as they are adapted to dry, arid, climates.) tropical

Looks like you may be over watering it and its in a tizzy because it doesn't like lower light levels. Mine started to turn brown, but that was because I wasn't watering it enough (I've got it close to a wall mounted heater and it dries out my plants super fast!). I noticed that the new leaves would start to wilt. But if you are watering them too much, that will help turn them brown also. I would definitely not fertilize it in the winter, as it can cause brown patches on the leaves. Heck just looking at it wrong can do that! Don't let it sense your fear, or it will do other things as well that will make you worry even more. I noticed that when I didn't water mine enough the lower leaves would turn yellow, then brown and then fall off, making it look more like a palm tree with no leaves at the bottom. I'm wondering if you are over watering it too much? It could also be the shifting light levels too. We have ours under lights and in a south facing window, and it seems to like it there, even if the heater makes it use water up fast. At least then I'm not drowning the plant! Otherwise your plant looks great!

Take a look at the descriptions of various gardenia leaf spot diseases on the page linked below. Do any of these seem like what's wrong with your plant? Are your gardenias growing outside? If so, what type of gardenias are they and how much winter protection do they have? Here is a link that might be useful: U. of RI Gardenia Fact Sheet