Gardenia jasminoides 'August Beauty'
flowerAugust Beauty is one of the longest-blooming gardenias, a glossy-leaved broadleaf evergreen that perfumes the whole garden through the warm months. It grows four to six feet tall and three to four feet wide, with dark, leathery, evergreen leaves, and from late spring through fall it opens a long succession of double, three-inch, creamy-white flowers whose rich, heady fragrance is the signature of a Southern summer. Gardenias are cherished cut flowers and corsage flowers for that scent, but they are also famously particular: they demand acid soil, steady warmth, and even moisture, and they reward the gardener who meets those needs with months of perfume.
Sun
partial shade
Water
Every 7 days
Bloom
~40 days
Difficulty
medium
Lifecycle
perennial
Comes back every year
Spacing
3-4 ft apart
Planting Depth
Plant slightly high, top of root ball at or just above grade; mulch the shallow roots
Soil pH
below 6.0 (acidic)
Soil Type
Acidic, rich, moist, well-drained
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8 – 11
When to Fertilize
In spring and again in summer with an acid fertilizer
Fertilizer
Acid-forming (gardenia/azalea/camellia) fertilizer
Plant gardenias in light to partial shade, ideally morning sun with afternoon shade, since hot full sun scorches and bronzes the leaves while too much shade cuts flowering. They require acid soil, a pH below 6.0, that is rich in organic matter, moist, and well-drained, much like azaleas and camellias, so amend with compost and pine bark and keep them away from alkaline foundations and walks. They are warm-climate plants, hardy outdoors in roughly zones 8 to 11; at the cold edge a hard winter can kill them back, and farther north they make fine container plants to shelter over winter. Keep them evenly moist (never soggy) and mulched, avoid disturbing the shallow roots, and feed with an acid fertilizer in spring and again in summer. Bud drop usually traces to dry soil, cold drafts, or sudden swings in conditions.
🌼 Have a different variety?Cultivars of the same species usually share the same basic care — they differ mainly in flower color, height, and bloom form, not in how you grow them. So this guide still applies even if your exact variety isn't the one shown.
Direct sow
Apr 15
Projected first bloom
May 25
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
Tiny white flies that swarm up from leaf undersides - rinse foliage, encourage beneficial insects, and treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap
Cluster on tender new growth and buds - rinse off with water and encourage ladybugs
Bumps on stems and leaf undersides that weaken the plant and drip honeydew - prune out heavy infestations and treat with horticultural oil
A black film that grows on the honeydew left by whiteflies, aphids, and scale - control those sap-suckers and the mold disappears on its own
Gardenia is one of the great fragrant cut flowers - snip a few just-opened blooms in the cool morning, handle them gently since the white petals bruise and brown easily, and float them in a shallow bowl to scent a room, the classic way to display them. On the plant, remove spent brown flowers to keep it tidy. Any pruning or shaping should be done right after a flush of bloom, since heavy pruning can sacrifice the next round of flowers on this long-blooming shrub.
An ornamental broadleaf evergreen grown for its intensely fragrant white flowers and glossy year-round foliage. The flowers offer some nectar to bees and to night-flying moths drawn by the scent, but gardenia is prized above all for perfume and as a cut and corsage flower. Mildly toxic to pets if eaten.
Gardenia is considered mildly toxic to dogs, cats, and horses - eating the foliage or flowers can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and mild lethargy. It is not a danger to handle or grow around, and the flowers are not a hazard to people; just keep pets from chewing on the plant.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.