Sorry for the off-topic, but this is the best way I know to get a good answer. I'm in Connecticut, and special-ordered a grafted gardenia tree. It was MAGNIFICENT! I realized that I wasn't going to be able to maintain the conditions it needed, like hourly waterings etc., so I immediately transplanted it into a 4:1 chips/fine peat mix. I very, very carefully cleaned off ALL the roots (2 hours + of work) and planted it and watered it.

As expected, foliage started wilting and I started pruning. All the newest growth is clipped off, and now last year's growth is wilting also. There's also one blossom that is left.

Questions:

1. Should I remove last blossom?
2. Continue to prune until the leaves show turgidity or let "nature take its' course?"

I received a Vietnamese gardenia this October that died back to 3 leaves, but now it's springing back to life (pun intended). If the plant is better off without more leaves, I'll chop till it tells me to stop.
I put this gardenia outside on rainy spring days, but bring it back on sunny ones.

Thanks in advance
Stan F.

Ive got quite a few gardenias at home and they can be slightly temperemental but not as much as people make out. I would guess your plant is reacting to a big change in its environment ie removal of all its soil. Once it re-establishes itself (it may not recover from such a big event as seen in a couple i have transplanted to other areas of the garden) i give it an acid loving plant fertilser and regular doses of epsom salts for leaf yellowing.
They also dont like extremes so no cold wind and not full sun as this will quickly kill them. I would also refrain from pruning for at least 2 years when it is thriving again-you may be loving it to death

Stan, how is the gardenia doing now? Why do you think that gardenias need to be watered every hour? Why did you strip all the soil away right after you got it?

Everyone does things differently, but I NEVER, no matter what plant I get, repot it right away. A plant ALWAYS needs time to adjust to its new surroundings (especially when less than optimal, i.e. florida to connecticut). The less shock that a plant has to deal with, the faster and better it can recover. And it gives you time to enjoy and observe the plant.

Not all plants can handle having all the soil stripped from their roots.

I have 2 large grafted gardenias that I've had for years. They are no harder or fussier than any other of my plants. Just give them some time outside in the summer if possible, let the soil dry to the touch between waterings, feed some acid fertilizer occasionally; basically, treat it like any other plant and it will do just fine.

Here's something I learned about life from a very wise professor: if you think it's easy, it is; if you think it's hard, it will be.