I bought this summer snow gardenia from Wilson Bros last fall, and it didn't handle the winter well despite being specifically advertised as cold tolerant. I think a lot of this is on me, because I took advice from someone who said that November was not too late to plant in zone 7b, and that may have been a bad move, because this winter was colder than usual. I also think my soil is too alkaline, and although I've been treating it with acidifier, it takes a while to change. It is in a spot where it gets no direct sun, but the website says it will bloom in full shade. I watered it fairly frequently when it first went in, but lately it has been raining a lot, so I haven't been watering much.
Is there anything I can change to save it? Should I take a cutting from an area that isn't dead and try to start fresh with it? Should I prune the dead leaves or leave them? If I dig it up and reposition it, would that make things better or worse?
https://www.wilsonbrosgardens.com/gardenia-jasminoides-summer-snow-1g.html
by sumobumblebee