Gardenias are so beautiful but can be difficult to grow successfully indoors in the New York area.  They respond best to careful temperatures, high humidity, constant soil moisture and bright to full sunlight.

The full growing care instructions can be found in our Guide to Gardenia Houseplants and you need to follow them all to have success. 

Your gardenia should arrive in suitable soil with no need to make a change right away. While your new houseplant adjusts to your home environment, it is safest to leave it in its original pot and soil. You can place that pot into a more decorative one if you want a different look. If you re-pot it right away, the stress to the plant can cause some of the flowers to drop off.

Repotting is likely to be needed every spring when the roots have nearly filled the pot, moving up just one pot size. The plant needs an acid soil pH. of 4.5 to 6.0,  so look for an acid-loving plant soil or add an organic soil acidifier to standard potting soil, following the directions on the package. Also, be careful not to use a very large pot -- it should just fit the root ball. These plant really like to be tight in their pots.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service