Phisherman wrote:

The ants may be a sign or result of another issue. Ants are not
particularly harmful to Gardenias, but I'd put some Tero (or a Tero
trap) near the pot. I found Tero to be very effective at killing out
a colony because they feed the queen, plus you don't have insecticides
to deal with. Ants dislike powdered chalk, cinnamon, and mint.

Thanks for the suggestion - never heard of Tero, but will try it out.

Regards,

Doug