Gardenia help

Hey guys, yesterday at Giant food I, as always, stopped in the floral dept. to check for any discounted plants. I found a beautiful gardenia that even has a couple of buds on it AND I got it for .99 cents!
Now aside from me being so excited about getting this beauty that was really in such great shape for such a low price I need to know what I should do so I dont kill it. I purchased one years ago and it didnt like me at all to say the least and promptly kicked the bucket on me.
The tag says its a Gardenia Veitchii and of course gives very very basic instructions. Id really love to have this baby flourish for me instead of barely getting by.

Dravencat,

I got one also (last year) --marked down in a grocery store. I had it outside last summer and it grew nicely, but did not bloom. I brought it in for the winter and have it on a plant stand in full morning light.
It has languished and also had a spider mite attack. One by one, the stems have dried up and died. I am canning it soon.

Gardenias are finnicky and do not like heat. They prefer cool and humid conditions--an imposible combination in this area. They need iron now and then, to keep the leaves from yellowing and an acid food. I do not know much more, as I have never grown them due to their finnicky nature.

I have to admit, though, that I tend to ignore my plants inside until I notice that something is wrong. I may have been negligent........

Gita

Thanks Gita, thats alot more info than I had before. The little tags they come with dont give you any real info to at least attempt to keep it alive.
I put it outside the other day since our temps have been staying more in the 30s and keeping the soil moist. I would say(and what I was thinking) that if I can keep it happy for the summer Id be doing really good. If I can at least see these few buds bloom nicely I would be somewhat happy, really happy would be to have it thrive but Im not holding my breathe.

I had several large gardenias in my garden in Savannah, GA. They were in a mostly shady area. I used a camelia/rhodendrum/azaela food for them. The soil there was pretty acidic anyway because of the pine trees.

They seemed to do well with benign neglect.

hhhmm, right now I have it sitting on my south facing deck, would it be a better idea to set it on my front steps where it gets shade all day except for the last few hours before nightfall? Lord knows there needs some color on those steps.

Dravencat,

Why don't you Google "Gardenia Care" and I am sure you will find a lot of information.

As far as your Gardenia sitting on your South-facing deck, I think, for now, it is OK as the sun is still kind of low and not all that intense. Come summer, I believe it would do much better in a bright shade and a cooler area.

Again, i am NOT an expert on Gardenias. I DO know that when you get Gardenias that are in full bloom (eg. Mother's day or Easter) and take them home, there is likely to be a serious bud-drop. This happens because there is not enough humidity in the house. Grouping plants and misting it in the morning might help. Keep an eye out for insect problems.....

Have you tried the Houseplants Forum???

Gita

Ill do that google seach. Its taken me a long time to get the courage to buy another gardenia after the last two I had bought years ago, so sad to watch them waste away. I posted the link here because I was hoping that someone from this area had experience with them and success stories to match.
Thanks again for the info, it really was very helpful and like I said, much more than I had before.