Gardenia Klein's Hardy - how to look after and hopefully grow.

I bought a Klein's Hardy from our local garden centre last year and despite my best efforts of TLC (possibly too much) it died. I took photos on my phone and visited the GC and they advised me to remove some small pebbles from the surface of the soil and it should be OK but to no avail.

Undeterred I bought two small plants from T&M and they arrived by post last week and we lovingly popped them into small pots and are trying(hoping) they survive. Like the last plant the leaves are starting to go black but still show some small new shoots. We have them in dappled shade as suggested but am wondering what else I can do to try to best look after them.

If it helps I live in the NE England so generally weather is cooler than the South - but can be just as sunny (perhaps not so often).

 

I tried Kleim's hardy on two occasions some years ago, both plants slowly died over the space of a couple of years.
I think describing it as hardy is not really UK hardy, just hardier than most Gardenias.

I'd go for an acid compost and pot grow it, bringing it into a cool greenhouse in winter.

Gardenias in general I find difficult, they are quite fussy plants I find.

 

Hiya Stanley
I planted one for a friend who keeps it in her conservatory over winter. Currently it is outside. She lives near St. Michaels Mount so almost on the coast. Winters are very mild. So far so good. This is the third summer
An acid compost is essential....they are supposed to be hardy down here but they are notoriously difficult. I would use an ericaceous john Innes. The leaves going black? Do you use tap water for watering? The compost too....did you use mpc? If so not really suitable
It is not a plant I have ever grown here simply because its reputation is prickly
Good luck though Stanley

 

Hi @Stanley2 I have the double 'hardy' gardenia 'Crown Jewels' but I keep it in a just frost-free greenhouse, because I suspect it is about as hardy as the 'hardy' gerberas... It grows in a peat based (sorry) compost pretty happily, flowers brilliantly and just gets tap water. I suspect you need a special position to try it outside. Our workplace once put a number of Kleims Hardy into their institutional planters, but they really suffered and were thrown out before I could 'rescue' them.

 

I guess it depends on how alkaline local tap water is of course
Dont know that variety....Crown Jewels.... so will check it out
Those hardy gerberas CarolineL? They thrive down here and are hardy.....but this is Cornwall near the coast.
Just checked out Crown Jewels......seems a hardier form of gardenia. Anybody else growing it?

 

Verdun - you are just rubbing it in about Cornwall, like your comment about the nurseries in the other thread
I used to have a lot of more tender plants - bursaria spinosa, acacia dealbata, phormium cookianum etc, until we had the winter of 2010 (I think) when it registered -15 in my very cold greenhouse and stayed below zero for a few days. Killed loads. Too depressing.
So that's why the gardenia comes into greenhouse over winter.