Plant Library

Other Names:  Variegated Miniature Gardenia

Description:

A wonderful Gardenia variety with a low, spreading to prostrate habit with horizontal branching; elegant, fragrant white flowers above deep green foliage that is irregularly edged in cream; a great container plant or groundcover

Ornamental Features

Variegated Radicans Gardenia features showy fragrant white flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has dark green foliage edged in creamy white. The glossy pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Variegated Radicans Gardenia is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Variegated Radicans Gardenia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Variegated Radicans Gardenia will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Variegated Radicans Gardenia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.