Gardenia jasminoides is a favorite plant in the garden and the plant of the month at the Wilson Display Garden. The Wilson Display Garden is located at 1806 S. Goldsboro Street and is open from dawn until dusk. We are growing dwarf gardenias and were recently planted so we do not have an abundance of flowers as an established plant would.

Although only semi-hardy in Wilson, gardenias are a must in the garden. Semi-hardy means that when temperatures get too cold gardenias are burned back or die back. Sometimes in extreme cold weather gardenias in our area have been killed back to the ground but surprisingly come back in the spring.

The regular gardenia grows 4 to 6 feet high and wide. The dwarf varieties can grow like a groundcover but some reach 3 by 2 feet in 3 years. Gardenias grow as a dense rounded evergreen shrub. The foliage is a very beautiful, lustrous dark green.

The foliage is quite attractive but the main reason to grow this plant is for it's heavenly fragrant perfect white flowers which fade to yellow. Flowers can be single or double, 2-4 inches in diameter and blooms May, June and July.

Gardenias transplant easily from containers. They prefer an acid soil (like azaleas), moist, and well-drained. Try to plant in a protected area to reduce winter injury. They do well in full sun to part shade. The more shade they are planted in, the less likely the will be to flower. Also remember to plant your gardenias where you will be able to enjoy their fragrance, like near a patio or walkway.

There are many cultivars of gardenias. I worked with 'August Beauty' during graduate school in Auburn. 'August Beauty' has large double white flowers. It is a heavy bloomer from May through October. It grows 4-6 feet in height and is quite vigorous. 'Kleim's Hardy' is my personal favorite gardenia. Single, fragrant ivory, 2 inch flowers. It is more cold hardy than other gardenias. Dwarf plant maturity at 3 feet by 3 feet. 'Radicans Variegata' is the cultivar in the Wilson Display Garden. It is a small-leaved creeping gardenia. The flowers are 1 to 2 inches across, double and fragrant. Can grow 2 to 3 feet in height and 4 feet in width. Has a graceful flowing form but is not the most cold hardy gardenia. it is variegated with a creamy-white leaf margin.

Gardenias can be subject to powdery mildew and a canker disease although I have not seen this to be a big problem. They also can be attacked by several insect pests aphids, scale, mealybugs, whiteflies, thrips, mites, and nematodes. By keeping a careful observation of your plants you can catch and manage insects before they become a nuisance. Whiteflies are one of the most common pests of gardenias.

Come visit the garden! Gardening questions can be answered on Mondays and Fridays from 1 until 3 PM by calling 237-0113.

Date Created: 12/12/00.

Updated 8/25/03