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types of gardenias

If you’re searching for the types of gardenias to grow in your New Zealand garden, you’re in for a treat. With their exquisite creamy-white blooms and captivating fragrance, gardenias stand out as timeless favourites for hedges, feature shrubs, or patio containers. Understanding the many types of gardenias available can help you select the perfect plant for your space, climate, and personal style.

Gardenia 'Fragrant Star'

Gardenia 'Fragrant Star' is a compact, evergreen shrub prized for its intensely perfumed, star-shaped white flowers and glossy green foliage. Blooming from late spring into summer, it adds elegance and scent to gardens. This variety thrives in full sun to part shade with well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Ideal for borders, patio pots, or near entrances, 'Fragrant Star' is a low-maintenance plant that creates fragrant, eye-catching displays in both formal and tropical-style landscapes.

Buy Gardenia 'Fragrant Star'

From $26.93

Suited to regions: Subtropical, Temperate

Plant type: Shrubs

Height: 1.00 m

Spread: 1.00 m

Flowering time: Summer, Autumn, Winter

Garden uses: Borders, Containers, Hedging, Living areas, Paths & Steps, Pool areas

Garden styles: Backyard, City & Courtyard, Formal, Frontyard, Japanese, Modern, Rock, Tropical, White

Gardenia 'Frostproof'

Gardenia 'Frostproof' is a hardy, evergreen shrub renowned for its fragrant white flowers and glossy, dark green foliage. Reaching around 90–120 cm tall and wide, it’s ideal for NZ gardeners in cooler regions, as it tolerates light frosts better than most gardenia varieties. Blooming from late spring through summer, it brings lasting scent and elegance to borders, pots, or hedges.

Buy Gardenia 'Frostproof'

From $26.93

Suited to regions: All regions

Plant type: Shrubs

Height: 1.00 m

Spread: 1.00 m

Flowering time: Spring, Summer, Autumn

Garden uses: Borders, Containers, Hedging, Living areas, Paths & Steps, Pool areas

Garden styles: Alpine, Backyard, City & Courtyard, Cottage, Formal, Frontyard, Japanese, Modern, Rock, Tropical, White

What Makes Gardenias Special?

Gardenias are prized for their glossy evergreen leaves and beautifully perfumed flowers, making them a classic choice for gardens in subtropical and temperate areas of New Zealand. While all gardenias share similar charm, different types of gardenias offer variations in flower size, growth habit, hardiness, and scent intensity.

Popular Types of Gardenias in New Zealand

1. Gardenia jasminoides

Often known as “common gardenia” or “Cape jasmine,” Gardenia jasminoides is beloved for its highly scented, creamy-white blooms and lush foliage. It’s one of the most popular types of gardenias grown across New Zealand and flourishes best in warm, sheltered positions. This versatile shrub is ideal for hedging, low borders, or pots near outdoor seating areas, where its aroma can be fully appreciated.

2. Gardenia thunbergia

If you’re after something a little different, Gardenia thunbergia makes a striking statement with its tall, upright form and large, white, tube-shaped flowers. Native to South Africa, this species can grow into a small tree up to several metres tall. Gardenia thunbergia is treasured for its large, ornamental seed pods and robust habit, suiting larger gardens or those wanting a focal point.

3. Gardenia Tahiti

Renowned for being both hardy and floriferous, Gardenia Tahiti is a favourite among New Zealand gardeners. It offers prolific, double, white blooms with an intense fragrance, and its compact growth makes it perfect for pots, patios, or smaller gardens. Gardenia Tahiti tolerates cooler temperatures better than many traditional varieties.

4. Gardenia Frostproof

Challenged by cooler conditions? Gardenia Frostproof lives up to its name with exceptional tolerance to lower temperatures and frost. This variety produces beautiful, pure-white, waxy flowers from late spring into autumn. It maintains a neat, dense shape, making Gardenia Frostproof ideal for hedges, borders, and exposed sites.

5. Gardenia True Love

For showy, enduring blooms, Gardenia True Love is hard to beat. This newer selection combines classic gardenia fragrance with bigger, long-lasting flowers that hold up well in the garden or as cut stems. Gardenia True Love suits beds, borders, and containers where you want an extra special touch.

Choosing the Right Gardenia Type for Your Garden

When exploring the types of gardenias, consider your local climate, garden size, and preferred flower style. Most gardenias thrive with good drainage, dappled sun, and shelter from harsh winds or frosts. With their evergreen foliage and continuous flowering, the right gardenia will reward you year after year.

Browse our full collection of gardenias to discover your ideal match and enjoy the beauty and fragrance only these enchanting shrubs can offer.

Contact us

Whether you need assistance finding the plant you’re looking for or you simply want to know more about who we are and what we do, we invite you to get in touch with us today. A member of The Plant Company team will get back in touch as soon as possible.

types of gardenias

Gardenia 'Fragrant Star'

Gardenia 'Frostproof'

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What Makes Gardenias Special?