"Shoe, are your gardenias planted outside all year?"
JB, yep, outside all year here. I can even overwinter my gardenias in nursery pots most winters here. (This past winter I ended up putting them in the unheated g-house due to winter burn potential though.)
The in-ground gardenias are planted in out of the winter wind areas. Those cold dry winds are the worse thing for them, drying them out, causing leaf scorch, etc.
And yes, I sell lots of gardenia plants at the farmers mkt I go to and to landscapers. They usually only sell when in bloom though. Most are too big to ship so I don't bother with mail order.
I tend to hit up the box stores during the end of season sales if I see a variety I don't have. Some of them are big enough to immediately take cuttings for rooting. On other occasions I've ordered a few from web sites if it was something I just had to have. Last year (or year before) I ordered a variegated gardenia, it's a beaut! Unfortunately it is only hardy to zone 8 so I have it potted up and keep it in the g-house during the cold month.
"My question to you is, in this intense heat, do you think I should put them in the GH, which is over 100 deg. and has shade and fans, or should I leave them outside. "
My greenhouse has shade cloth plus two big exhaust fans, four intake vents, and it is 108º in there. Outside temp is now 98º. If it were me I'd leave your gardenias outside, preferably in a shady area or sit the pots in a pool of water. Doing so will sure cut down on the number of times you have to water them daily PLUS it'll conserve water PLUS it'll give them consistent moisture instead of the wed/dry/wet/dry cycle. I have many plants in home made pools and couldn't do with out them.
Shoe
