Plant Library

Other Names:  Forest Gardenia, Wild Gardenia

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

A prolific bloomer with sweetly fragrant, elegant white flowers contrasted by deep green glossy foliage; a wonderful garden accent plant that also makes a fine hedge; water more often in extreme heat

Ornamental Features

White Gardenia features showy fragrant white star-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The glossy pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy khaki (brownish-green) pods displayed from early fall to early winter. The smooth gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

White Gardenia is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading 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.

White Gardenia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

White Gardenia will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. 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 species is not originally from North America.

White Gardenia makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. 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.