You have been given excellent and thorough advice but a question remains
to be asked. Were the plants hothouse grown and given to you as
greenhouse plants, perhaps for a special occasion? I ask because
hothouse gardenias and chrysanthemums are sometimes not winter hardy in
our area. If you do not know the source or the cultivar of the plants
you may want to nurse them along in a frost free place till spring and
plant them after the last frost to give them a chance to establish
themselves. This may not be feasible; outdoor plants do poorly indoors.
Good luck.
Pat
The Powell House
USDA Zone 7b
Perennials Lady at Atlantic Avenue Orchid and Garden Center

Lisa wrote:

Hi all,

I recently received 2 plants - a Gardenia and a red Mum. I was trying
to keep these going inside my house, but they both look kinda peaky. I
have had them about a month now. I am not sure why...they have
adequate water, but not too much. I have also put some fertilizer
sticks in each of their pots. I thought maybe they would fare better
outside, but I didn't know if it is too late to plant them outside.
It's VERY important to me that these plants live. Can anyone here give
suggestions for how to either
1) plant them outside now, if it's possible, and what to do to ensure
their success
or
2) keep them alive inside. They both have leaves that are turning
brown, and the mum's blooms have died. The gardenia is losing some of
its leaves.

TIA!
Lisa