Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) — Plotwright

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Gardenia

Habit (mature) · George E. Koronaios / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Limited coverage

Gardenia

Gardenia jasminoides

A broadleaf-evergreen shrub from China, Taiwan, and Japan grown for intensely fragrant, waxy white-to-ivory double flowers set against glossy dark-green leaves. Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder rates it high-maintenance: it demands a well-drained, humus-rich, acidic soil and light-to-moderate shade, and resents alkaline or hard-water conditions that turn its leaves yellow. The night-intensified scent draws sphinx moths and daytime bees to a classic warm-climate hedge or near-entry container plant.

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: narrow (38/100)

Structure

Focal point

Light

Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

60-72" tall · 60" apart

Hardy in zones

8a-11b

cold to nearly frost-free winters

Summer heat range

Warm-Extreme

warm to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Won't grow here

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Won't grow here

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✕

Out of range today and still out of range in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 39 ecoregions — 34 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

California coastal sage and chaparral

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Chihuahuan desert

Chilean Matorral

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/gardenia

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY-SA 2.0

Backs 1 field

Image

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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