Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides · Rubiaceae Popular
Glossy, dark evergreen leaves and creamy white, waxy flowers with a rich, heavy perfume in early summer. The scent of the Deep South.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 8 to 11
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late May to late July
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around gardenia
The planner designed this bed around gardenia when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 8, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 639 that suit those conditions, and says below why gardenia stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Gardenia × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 13, pink
- 3 Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' × 15, lavender
- 4 Garden phlox 'Jeana' × 4, pink
- 5 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 6 Japanese forest grass 'All Gold' × 5, chartreuse leaves
- 7 Virginia bluebells × 13, blue
- 8 Easter lily × 3, white
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does Japanese forest grass 'All Gold'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Virginia bluebells (20 in): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From late May to late July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei', Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' and Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' in late May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 11 groups (82%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' is planted in five places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. Something is in flower for 24 weeks, from mid April to mid September. The plan meets all 17 of the design principles it was checked against, and is Excellent in three categories.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where gardenia goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It is grown for scent, so plant it where people sit or walk. It needs acid, moist soil, humidity and regular feeding, and sulks if any of them is missing.
- Fragrance beside a porch or window
- Evergreen foundation planting in warm climates
- Containers
What to plant with gardenia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sasanqua camellia: carries the spot on into mid December; tall enough (8 ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lilyturf: takes over when it finishes, flowering from early August; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about gardenia
Does gardenia need sun or shade?
Gardenia grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does gardenia grow in?
USDA zones 8 to 11. It is hardy to zone 8, which means it survives winter nights down to about 20 °F (−7 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does gardenia flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to late July. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 8 | Early May to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 9 | Early May to mid July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should gardenia be planted?
4 ft (120 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many gardenia plants do I need?
Usually one. At 4 ft (120 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 4 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is gardenia poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like gardenia?
These come closest to doing what gardenia does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Virginia sweetspire: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early June to early July, not evergreen.
- Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late April to mid May, not evergreen.
- Camellia 'April Blush': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late March to early May, pink, not white.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat gardenia?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after gardenia?
Gardenia is over by late July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Tiger lily: from late July to late August, 4 ft tall.
- Garden phlox: from mid July to early September, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does gardenia look like in winter?
Gardenia keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is gardenia good for bees and butterflies?
Gardenia is visited by pollinators, bees and songbirds.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 ft (120 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late May to late July; open bowls; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 8 to 11
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Comes from
- Southern China, Taiwan. Japan, and Vietnam
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.