Probably over-watered. Gardenias like humid air and good light. If there is not enough light then the plant does not need much water. The excess water causes the roots to rot. When you water does it come out of the bottom freely? If not then the bottom hole may be clogged. The roots need air too. I would start by poking holes into the dirt using a chopstick. May 10-12 holes all the way to the bottom. If you are feeling a bit brave, take it out of the pot carefully without disturbing its root mass and check if its soggy and may be even smelly. If so then wrap the soil in tissue paper. The paper will absorb excess water. Then prune some of the rotting roots from the bottom and repot the plant with some dry bonsai soil. Small bonsai is best watered by putting the pot in a tray of water deep enough so that the soil soaks up from the bottom. Takes about 15-30 minutes. Then take it out and let the excess drain away. Do not use any fertilizer now. Just let recover first.

The soil looks like it has a lot of peat in it, and peat does become hydrophobic when dry. Not a good soil for anything (it's alright initially, so long as it's kept evenly moist, but breaks down quickly into dust), and definitely not a good soil for a pot as shallow as a bonsai tray. Once you soak a pot full of peat, the bottom of it will stay soggy for a long time and not have enough air to keep the roots alive. And in a bonsai tray, that soggy bottom is all there's space for. If you've soaked the soil by the time you read this, let the soil drain into an old towel for a while (you might need to poke the towel up through the drain holes to get it to make contact with the soil -- the contact is essential). You'll still have some moisture in the soil, but more importantly you'll have some air in there as well. Are you new to just bonsai, or to trees and plants in general? Trying to keep something alive in a shallow pot at the same time as trying to keep it alive in general is an unecessary added difficulty -- give it a larger pot and let it grow normally while you learn how to treat a bonsai. It'll get rather scruffy on top as that part begins to grow like a full-size tree would, but you can just chop that off next spring. Some links: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg1221344425812.html General information on soil for plants in containers. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0401204212994.html http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg1219194314307.html http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0417334631829.html General informatian on growing trees in containers. The subjects covered in the links above may not seem like beginner-level material, but they are where you need to begin -- you can't have a nice bonsai without there being a strong, healthy plant beneath all the cosmetic work.

Nancy, sorry to say most of the growth was the tree getting use to it's surroundings. A decent amount of light and a little water would have been enough. When you move most tropicals or there is a major change in the environment, they react by dropping leaves. Superthrive is a product that the jury is still out on. Many of us have used it and not used it with the same result as just normal good care. Of course if you read that big poster of theirs' it will revive dead trees. Be careful with the Miracid. Any chemical fertilizer, when over-used, will cause root damage after a while. Bob

Hi, don't fuss about the name because nursery naming is notoriously imaginative (when not outright wrong) and it's not important in your case - won't change care requirements. What's important is to recognize that it can't live outside in your area year round (as you've done), so it will need to have as much very good light for as many hours a day inside as you can give it, along with a cool room in winter (no colder than 50 F. though) especially at night. Not knowing what it's planted in makes it hard to advise about watering, so first of all, if there's a glued on layer of pebbles, pry that off right away from the opening (use a bottle opener thingy to start it). Then if it's just in what looks like potting soil, allow the top layer (1/2"+) to dry between waterings, again it's a "less often" thing in winter. If the mix is not 'soil' but mostly grit, then you need to worry a lot less about things like root rot and fungus, as it'll drain right away and not hold water at the roots. But even if you decide to repot, wait til about April, which is safer even for an indoor plant/tree and just watch the watering. Definitely don't mist it, but definitely do use a wide tray of stones and water under the pot, with the pot always kept above the water. If you can find a bonsai club nearby, it's a great place to learn, so consider joining up and seeing how things are done first hand - just remember there's a lot more to it than small pots and occasional snips, plus it is known to become an obsession!