When it descend to gardenias , it ’s often the fragrance that finds you first . Then , you follow your olfactory organ and find yourself beside a dark light-green bush cover in daisy- or rose - corresponding white blossoms .
For many of us , it ’s passion at first sight . Or scent .
That ’s when the trouble begins – you want one . You have to have one of your own to add that uncomparable odour to your garden or terrace . But there are so . many . of . them . to select from !
chit-chat any store that sells gardenias , and you ’ll likely be greeted by dozens of hybrids and cultivars . It ’s so toilsome to opt .
We connect to vendors to help you find relevant products . If you buy from one of our links , we may earn a committee .
Well , this guide has your back . Coming up , we ’ll babble about 15 unlike first-class options and provide some buying suggestions .
Whether you ’re looking for something that will rise in a insensate mood or a diminutive plant to put in a potty , there ’s a gardenia in this guide to befit your needs .
Here are the eccentric we ’ll discuss :
15 of the Best Gardenia Varieties
If you ’ve never cultivated gardenias before , you might want to start out byreading our growing guide . Then , come back here to learn about these options .
Small - blossom types are under about an inch in diameter , average ones are between one and three inches , and orotund flush are over three inch across .
This is n’t an official classification , just how I group them and will refer to them in this guidebook .
Unless narrow down otherwise , these are best suited to USDA Hardiness geographical zone 8 to 11 .
1. August Beauty
At five foot tall and three foot wide , you know thatG. jasminoides‘August Beauty ’ pass water a maximum impact .
The large , double , heavily fragrant flowers will strike hard your socks off . And do n’t go thinking base on the name that you ’ll only be treated to the display in August .
The velvety flowers stick around for three full months , starting in late outpouring .
While the cut flowers are fantastic in agreement , nosegay , or floating in water , this bush has such a nice , rounded form that you may just leave them in place for a word-painting - perfect showing that ’s near casual .
‘ August Beauty ’
This dish has been a dearie in southern gardens for geezerhood .
Join the lodge and grab a springy ‘ August Beauty ’ gardenia in a two - quart , gallon , or three - congius size of it in individual or four packsat dissipated Growing Trees .
For quart or # 3 container sizes , visit Nature Hills Nursery .
2. Buttons
bounteous , brash blossoms tend to get all the care , but the sweetened little blooms onG. jasminoides‘Buttons ’ are as cute as , yep , a button .
Though the semi - bivalent bloom are small at just two inches across , they smell every second as strong as their larger counterparts .
When they cover the three - foot round shrub in the former spring through summer , you will be happy you prefer to rejoice in the little things in life story .
‘ button ’
Whether you ’re looking to create a border , plant in a container on a patio , or line a walkway , this is an excellent plectrum .
you’re able to buy this gardenia in three - gallon containersat My Perfect Plants .
3. Crown Jewel
G. jasminoides‘Crown Jewel ’ is a crown of thorns between the recurrent favorites ‘ Kleim ’s Hardy ’ and ‘ Chuck Hayes , ’ and the result commingle the salutary of both for a plant that will be the pièce de résistance of your garden .
Let ’s begin with its hardiness . ‘ Crown Jewel ’ can arise all the way north to Zone 6 and south as far as Zone 11 , making it one of the most adaptable cultivars out there .
Then there are the flowers . The double , medium - sized , intensely fragrant prime seem doubly a year , once on one-time wood in spring and again on new wood in summertime .
It take aim its size from ‘ Kleim ’s Hardy , ’ with a three - foot tiptop and four - foot banquet .
‘ Crown Jewel ’
Bred in 1998 by Philip Dark at his glasshouse in Siler City , North Carolina , and patented in 2009 , ‘ Crown Jewel ’ was make with the destination of breeding a cold - hardy cultivar that also had showy double blossom . Mission fulfil .
Visit Nature Hills Nurseryto add this jewel to your garden crown .
4. Daisy
G. jasminoides‘Daisy ’ was describe accordingly with medium - sized , flat , single blossoms that showcase five petal and a bright yellow center .
As the fragrant flowers age , they turn cream colored .
grow up to four feet tall and five feet wide , this bush is cover in flowers from natural spring until mid - fall , and it has dark gullible , lanceolate leafage . It ’s hardy in zone 7 to 10 .
‘ Daisy ’
As a dependable raiser that is both tough and floriferous , ‘ Daisy ’ has served as the parent of many splendid cultivars . It ’s one of the oldest cultivars in production .
Bring home this cheerful optionfrom Fast Growing Trees .
5. Diamond Spire
Owner of Transcend Nursery in Independence , Louisiana , and Director of Plant Innovations and Plant Development Services , Inc. , Robert Edward “ Buddy ” Lee is a well - respected stock breeder ofazaleasand gardenias . He breed a real gem with this one .
G. jasminoides‘Leefive , ’ ordinarily sold under the name Diamond Spire ™ , is n’t like other gardenias . It sparkles with a unique columnar growth habit that just begs to be placed in a decorative container .
In zone 7 to 10 , this four - foot - grandiloquent , two - foundation - wide bush is covered in medium , single white flush from late spring through tumble .
Even when the blossoms are n’t present – which is n’t very farseeing – the leaf has a unique crinkly texture to it , sum up visual interest .
Diamond Spire
Diamond Spire ™ was discovered in 2010 and exhaust to the market place in 2020 .
Visit Plants By Mailto find Diamond Spire ™ gardenias available in two - and - a - one-half quart or two - gallon containers .
6. Everblooming
If you ’re tired of gardenias that do n’t bloom as reliably as you ’d care , G. jasminoides‘Veitchii ’ is go to put a smiling on your face .
It ’s widely regarded as the most dependable bloomer of all the coarse cultivars .
Everblooming , as its name propose , blooms dependably and extravagantly from fountain through gloam with intermediate - sized bivalent flower that calculate likerosesbut smell like jasmine .
If you ’re lucky , it might even flower straight through winter . It ’s truly an ever - blossom gardenia .
‘ Veitchii ’
The shrub is compact and rounded , growing to four feet tall and three feet wide-eyed . If you like thin the flowers to bring them indoors , this one is a dependable option .
Grab a live plant in a # 5 containerat Nature Hills Nursery , plant it , sit down back , and watch the drawn-out show .
7. Fool Proof
If you ’re looking for a classic gardenia , look no further thanG. x‘Leesix , ’ aka Fool Proof ™ .
Bred by Robert “ Buddy ” Edward Lee of Independence , Louisiana , this industrial plant has all the definitive characteristics of a gardenia .
Happy in Zones 7 to 10 , it has enceinte , threefold , heavily fragrant white flush that appear in late spring and bloom of youth sporadically through summertime .
cod Proof ™ is disease - resistant , heavyset at four feet grandiloquent and three feet wide , and dependable without being demanding .
arse around Proof
It ’s so wanton to grow , a child could do it , which must be the reason it was given the name Fool Proof ™ . Lee discovered the works in 2010 , and it was released to the market in 2020 .
you could find plantsavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
8. Frostproof
You in all likelihood already guess from the name , butG. jasminoides‘Frostproof ’ is n’t dash by the cold .
Hardy down to Zone 7a , the bloom buds that emerge in the other outflow wo n’t be killed off by a belated frost .
Once the medium - sized , double flower open , you ’ll be greeted by a dulcet perfume that is most abundant during the first flush in early summer , surveil by sporadic flowering throughout the residual of summertime .
‘ Frostproof ’
This shrub has an upright , bushy riding habit and stay fairly stocky at just four foot marvelous and three feet wide .
Visit My Perfect Plantsto ‘ Frostproof ’ your garden . They carry plants in one- and three - gallon containers in single , three- , or 10 - packs .
Orhead over to Nature Hillsfor a quart or # 3 container .
9. Jubilation
PetiteG. jasminoides‘Leeone , ’ commonly live as Jubilation ™ , grows to about four feet marvelous and wide at most , with a dense , rounded shape .
The leaves are lanceolate , setting it apart from many cultivar .
It blooms in other leap with masses of double , complete white blossoms with an vivid fragrance . exultation ™ tolerate heat and humidity , and is resistant to pests and fungal disease , making it a popular option with southern growers .
Jubilation
Part of the Southern Living Plant Collection , it was bred from open - pollinated ‘ Daisy ’ by Robert Edward Lee in 2000 in Independence , Louisiana , and patent in 2011 .
you’re able to cop a live plant in a two - and - a - half - quart , two- , or three - congius containerat plant By Mail .
10. Kleim’s Hardy
Plant breeder and botanist Don Kleim of the Henderson Experimental Gardens in California discovered this gardenia and stick in it to the grocery , and since then , G. jasminoides‘Kleim ’s Hardy ’ has been wildly democratic in garden from Zones 7 to 11 .
‘ Kleim ’s stalwart ’
The petite bush grows to about two feet tall and wide and is cover in intermediate - sized , ivory flowers with five petal and golden stamens .
The first big boot of fragrant blossoms burst off in late spring and then blooms appear sporadically throughout the summer .
Burpee carriessmall plants .
11. Miami Supreme
G. jasminoides‘Miami Supreme ’ survive up to its name . The flower are so large that they need their own category . Not just large , they aresupremelylarge , growing up to six inches across .
The flora itself is with child as well . It grows about six feet tall and equally wide .
‘ Miami Supreme ’
The blossom period is a second more brief than that of some cultivars , flowering from late springtime to midsummer , but it ’s deserving the wait .
You might get a second flush in summer . The ivory blossom are dual and highly fragrant .
Nature Hills carries‘Miami Supreme ’ in a # 3 container .
12. Pillow Talk
Proven Winners has a credit line of plants known as Color Choice , which are selected to be floriferous and comfortable to care for .
G. jasminoides‘SMNGDUO , ’ known as Pillow Talk ® in the commercial business deal , is one of their gardenia offerings .
Bred by Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven , Michigan , this gardenia was bred from unidentified parent in 2017 and neat and patented in 2022 .
It was bred with the purpose of create a low , mound gardenia that would be covered in fragrant flowers , like a pillow of jasmine .
‘ Pillow public lecture ’
It ’s also quite cold tolerant , hardy from Zone 7 to 10 , with big , double flower that blanket the two - base - improbable , four - foot - broad bush in tusk during the bounce .
Snuggle up to ‘ Pillow Talk ’ by contribute one homefrom Burpee .
13. Radicans
She might look like a miniature ashen rose wine , butG. jasminoides‘Radicans ’ is all gardenia .
The diminutive shrub grows to just a foot tall and a few foot wide-eyed , and sometimes a spot larger , but it will still fill your garden with fragrance when it ’s draped from head to toe in heady , intermediate - sized treble flower .
‘ Radicans ’
It ’s also large-minded of heat and drouth , which means it would be every bit well-chosen in a container on your patio that may dry out quick , or lining the walkway to your house .
Fast grow Treeshas plants available in both gal and three - Imperial gallon containers .
14. ScentAmazing
A sister plant to the adorable Jubilation ™ ,G. jasminoides‘Leetwo ’ was cover by the same Robert Edward Lee of Independence , Louisiana .
It must have been a streamer class for him , as he bred this gardenia , commonly know as ScentAmazing ™ in 2000 as well , also from ‘ Daisy . ’
He further refine the new cultivar and apply for a patent of invention in 2014 , which was allot in 2017 .
The resulting gardenia is heat tolerant , has heavyset , dense growth , resists disease , and is intensely fragrant . It ’s also cold-blooded - hardy enough to grow in Zones 7 through 10 .
Now part of the southerly Living flora aggregation , this three - understructure - marvelous and evenly wide plant has a mounding habit that highlights the individual ivory flowers with their cheerful yellow marrow .
ScentAmazing
It blooms with a large flush in late outflow and reblooms throughout the summer .
And in case you were curious , there is a ‘ Leethree ’ and a ‘ Leefour ’ as well , also bred at the same fourth dimension .
maneuver to Plants By Mailfor a plant in a two - and - a - half - quart , two- , or three - gal container .
15. Summer Snow
If you miss the pristine tone of fresh snow cover your garden when the ardent calendar month wrap around , G. jasminoides‘BAB1183 , ’ unremarkably known as Summer Snow ® , can recreate the thaumaturgy with the added fillip of angelical - scented jasmine , thanks to its pure white , double flower .
You might be thinking to yourself , “ Yes , I have snow in winter because I live in the definitely - gardenia - hostile Zone 6 . ” I hear you , and I ’m distinguish you not to worry .
This is one of the few gardenias that will be dead fine in anyUSDA Hardiness Zonefrom 6 to 10 .
You do n’t give beauty for that hardiness , either . The flowers are expectant and persist throughout the summertime .
Not only can it survive temperature down to 0 ° atomic number 9 , but Summer Snow ® is also drought tolerant and pest resistant .
Summer Snow
Bred by Douglas I. Torn at Buds and Blooms Nursery in 1993 , he used a cutting of unknown origin from a garden in Dania , Florida .
For the next few years , he refined it until it resemble the plant we delight today , which was awarded a patent in 2012 .
If you ’re wishing for snow in the warmer seasons , make your aspiration make out on-key by purchasing a live plant life in a gallon - sized potat Fast Growing Trees .
Why Choose Just One?
It can be hard to choose from all the options out there . Hopefully this listing helped you specialise thing down .
But you have it off what ? My advice would be to pick two or three . That way , you do n’t have to be choosy and you could test a few out for yourself !
foot one is just the first step . Now that you ’ve forecast that out , there ’s a lot more tolearn about growing gardenias . Here are a few guides worth checking out next :
© postulate the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photograph via Burpee , Fast Growing Trees , Nature Hills Nursery , and plant life by Mail . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Kristine Lofgren
