Thanks for the response! Im going to plant it 3ft from the front of the house.

I hope it survives!

this link alsip nursery gives it a zone 8 rating. I would not expect it to survive winter outside in your zone. mine have been damaged by several nights of temps in the upper teens.

a large container that could be moved indoors during winter might work but I have read they are not the easiest plants to care for when overwintering inside. also, I find that gardenias are very easy to root from cuttings. in fact, some that have been used as cut flowers in vases developed roots in water but I would propagate by cuttings in soil.

I did see that link, but the tag that came with the plant states that it is hardy to zone 7, zero-ten degrees. I dont know what to believe! I am propagating one stem of the plant to keep inside. If the plant does die outside over the winter than it will be going back to lowe's because i always keep my reciepts.

No gardenias are hardy in zone 7a for more than a few years -- oh they will often 'survive', and try to grow back from below ground, but often look pretty bad.

Zone 7b is a bit better.

Best time for planting them is in early spring.

I think somebody down the street from me has a mature gardenia that is about 4x4. So i might be ok.......

I think im in 7b

I dont know, I have a year to take it back.

Here is an article i found about gardenia be planted in arkansas. Aparently they do very well in little rock and i am 30 minutes north. I know i have seen some there while driving to work. So maybe there is hope afterall.... lol

Growing Gardenia's in Arkansas

tlbean,

You can leave it right in the container it is in and bring it in. Do you have a spot close to a bright window? Mabey a covered sunroom? It's enemy will be the cold winds and the ground freezing, especially since it isn't planted yet. Or, if you must leave it outside, dig a hole and stick the pot in it, then apply 3-4 inches of pine mulch all around it. Use a hole bag of pine mulch. That will insulate the bottom part of the shrub, so mabey it will grow back next spring. If you don't see anything by June, it died. There is a chance it will be fine.

They are hardy little shrubs.

Inside, the enemy will be lack of humidity and too warm temperatures. Gardenias are notoriously difficult to grow in containers and to grow inside.

tlbean- I am in Conway, AR and I have a gardenia from Lowes or Home Depot (IIRC it is an August Beauty.) I planted it quite a few years ago in the fall in front of my house in really poor soil and it has taken off. It generally does not get that cold where we are.

Jesshs, I am so glad to hear that. It will definitely be planted in the ground in the next 2 weeks. I have no intentions of keeping it indoors. It will be planted 3 feet from the foundation wall.

mine looks just like that but with a different flower I planted mine outside in the ground and it has lived through many harsh winters (it is not a hardy gardenia just regular) back in 2013 we had a harsh winter and all the branches died so I cut it down and abandoned it because I thought it was dead but what do you know it started growing back in late spring (of 2013) and it still lives and thrives to this day My Gardenia is a SURVIVOR

Mine seems to have died. The branched are bare and there are little leaves growing in some spots but i dont hold out hope. The spot it waas in also stays pretty wet....

Sorry to hear. You might try to find one called 'Chuck Hayes'. Seems to be zone 7b hardy. And plant in spring. If you get a serious outbreak of cold, throw a big pot over it the first winter.