Appearance

Growth form

This dense, rounded evergreen shrub is commonly 4–8 ft (1.2–2.4 m) tall and wide, although dwarf cultivars stay much smaller.

Leaves

The thick, glossy, dark green leaves grow in pairs or groups around the stem near branch tips. Their edges are usually smooth.

Flowers

Waxy white to cream flowers are strongly fragrant and turn yellowish as they age. Flowers on wild plants are single, while many American garden cultivars have double flowers.

Fruit

Single-flowered plants can produce an orange, ridged fruit with the flower’s outer green parts still attached. Double-flowered cultivars may set little or no fruit.

Look-alikes

Japanese camelliaCamellia japonica

Japanese camellia has leaves that alternate along the stem, with fine teeth along their edges, and usually blooms from fall through early spring. Common gardenia has leaves in pairs or groups around the stem, mostly smooth edges, and fragrant white flowers in the warmer season.

Why they get mixed up · Both are evergreen shrubs with thick, glossy, dark green leaves and showy flowers.

spotted laurelAucuba japonica

Spotted laurel has larger leaves with teeth on the upper half, and female plants bear smooth red fruit. Gardenia leaves are usually smooth-edged, and its fruit is orange and strongly ridged.

Why they get mixed up · Both can have opposite, glossy evergreen leaves and grow as rounded shrubs.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• patios and containers
• warm-climate gardens
• woodland edges in its native range

Range

It is native from the eastern Himalayas through southern China and Indochina to southern Japan. In the United States it is cultivated outdoors mainly in USDA zones 7b–11 and kept as a florist or houseplant in colder regions.

Preferred conditions

It prefers bright indirect light or partial shade and rich, acidic, well-drained soil that stays evenly moist. Shelter it from cold wind and avoid disturbing its shallow roots.

Growing it

Care

In the United States it performs best in USDA zones 7b–11. Alkaline soil can make the leaves yellow, and stressed plants may attract whiteflies.

Propagation

It can be propagated by seed, stem cuttings, layering, or grafting.

Toxicity

Eating parts of this plant may cause mild vomiting or diarrhea in people. It can also cause problems for cats, dogs, and horses.

Name and classification

About the name

Gardenia augusta and Gardenia florida are older scientific names for this species.

Varieties and forms

Common U.S. cultivars include compact 'Radicans,' single-flowered 'Kleim's Hardy,' and several fragrant double-flowered forms.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• The name Gardenia honors Alexander Garden, an eighteenth-century Scottish-born naturalist who worked in South Carolina.