Possily too much light? & make sure you clip any dead petals or leaves! that dead stuff sucks all the energy out of the plant, instead of worrying aout the living part the plant uses it's resources to repair the dead part

I think it might need repoted. The plastic pot it came in doesn't seem to hold water well. I just felt the soil and it was dry again. I will water it every day now and see if that helps.

Maybe I should give this plant away? I tend to get lazy and forget. That's why the orchid was perfect it has survived me.

I admit I have a brown thumb not very good with plants. :(

Flowers don't last forever. You need to clip off the dead ones, to keep new ones blooming. If you keep it under stress in a smaller pot, you will actually get more blooms, unless we are talking miniature pot.

Make sure you get enough fertilzer. Schultz's drops are good for house plants.

I do a lot of gardening, indoors and out. The only thing I have not mastered is orchids. Just beyond me.

I wasn't either at first, one of my friends taught me...I swear she knows everything...& I finally got a chance to show her I was learning, she had this really pretty plant & it was HUGE, it crept everywhere. It started dying so I sat on the pourch for about n hour one day clipping all the brown tips & pulling off all the dead stuff, I repotted it & it was back alive & kickin in a few days. If it's the pot you bought it in then you probably should repot it if It's gonna get big I'd put it in a bigger pot so I don't have to move it again in the near future

Put in a smaller pot and stop over watering it

You may need to re-pot it using fast draining compost, the soil it needs has to be gritty, and it's roots will thank you if you use a clay pot rather than plastic. It is best to water the plants when the surface of the soil feels dry.

It is better to avoid using hard tap water. If your tap water is very hard adding some vinegar to the water lowers the ph level. When watering it is important to water the plants thoroughly until water drips through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.

They like humidity so you'll need to spray the leaves and buds with water every day, so keep it away from heaters/radiators etc and they don't like harsh light.

Full sun, with some shading in the summer (in the hottest areas)
An acid soil with a pH between 5 and 6
Keep the soil moist, but never soggy
Humidity, or daily misting
Heavy feeding
Cool night temperatures

best of luck to you
HUGS dee =o)

thanks every one!

I apreciate the help. I've rarely had luck with most plants. Since my orchid was doing so well I thought I'd try this gardenia. I didn't think about the "I have no idea how to care for it" part. I just saw it and said oh pretty! I'll buy it.

well the gardenia and I won't get along on that humidity thing. I like to keep the air on and relatively high I might add. I'm hot blooded.

I hope it does well it wasn't as expensive as the orchid but still expensive. I would have put it out side. I still might.

I love my gardenias...look up a gardenia care sheet, I can't recall off top of head the care tricks but when have had similar problems I researched and added stuff to soil (to counteract acidity or something, bad memory sorry) & gardenia was looking fantastic in no time. So easy & rewarding :)

My brother rooted a gardenia for me a couple years ago. It was just a twig when I planted it. Now it is taller than me and has to be trimmed to keep it off the house. It blooms two times a year and smells heavenly.

I have never tried one indoors but would imagine the care is the same. Most important is don't overwater and add some acidity to the soil. Also, they like a lot of sun.

Hope it grows beautifully for you. The smell brings back childhood memories.