Hi surfgirl21. I have one in my yard. It has been there for a long time, and breezed through the 1998 freeze as well as any cold snaps between then and now. I have seen few of these for sale. I bought mine as a single specimen at a nursery. They had no others. Here is a picture of mine. I am sure Ron B might feel it doesn't look as good as it should, but it makes me happy enough, and blooms very well for a long period in the summer and fall, and that is the reason I grow this plant, for the fragrance.

-Brian
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Brain, how tall is yours? It looks very healthy!

Sarah

Hi Sarah. I guess it is about 2-1/2' to 3' tall. In the winter, it sometimes looks a bit pale. This year I fertilized it for the first time, along with many other of my plants. Maybe it will stay very dark green all winter now.

-Brian

Mine is really small - about a foot... but it FLOWERED!!!!! Yay!! It's the first time EVER that I've gotten a gardenia to flower. Usually the flower shop variety tempts me to take it home, teases me for a couple weeks with beautiful fat buds that poke a teeny bit of white petal out... and then they turn brown and fall off.

I'm hoping to get a nice large bush eventually. Mine just went in the ground in February. They promised it was hardy....

Gardenias in general are tougher than most people think. I had a regular one, an "august beauty" perhaps for a few years in a pot outside through the winter except I brought it in on the coldest of nights, when it got down to 25 or below, and it seemed to do just fine. Eventually I killed it by not watering it enough, but the cold didn't really seem to bother it.

Sam...I am glad you said that. I have been wondering why I haven't see many gardenias since moving here from Louisiana. Our temperature range here is actually very similar to that back home in Louisiana...so I have been confused by the temperature ranges given when looking at gardenia varieties on the internet. I just figured it had more to do with lack of heat needed to make it flower properly. Here is a link for a "hardy" gardenia apparently out of Oregon by the name. Maybe it hasn't picked up in popularity yet.

http://www.oregongardenias.com/oregongardenia.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Oregon Gardenia

That's who I bought mine from. They had a booth at the Portland Yard, Garden and Patio Show in February, 2005. More buds are coming on and two flowers just opened up. Can't wait 'til the little guy gets to be 5' tall. We'll smell the flowers inside the house.

Brian and ell in OR, what kind of light conditions do your plants get? Thanks.

In the summer, my gardenia gets full sun for 2-3 hours in the mornings, then dappled shade, then by late afternoon, probably mostly shade.

From mid-fall to mid-spring, it will get full sun most of the day. It will still get shade in the late afternoon until it has the abelia near it beat for height.

I have an evil Tree of Heaven (not what WE call it!!) that provides some shade to it during the late spring to early fall from mid-day to evening. Since the ToH is first to lose leaves and last to get them, the gardenia will get full sun for most of the colder weather in the winter.

I have it situated on the south side of the house where it has a 6 foot wood fence on the east. We get a viciously cold east wind, so I'm hoping that the house and the fence will protect it. I'll probably need to cover it a few time this winter. I only put it in last February. It hasn't had an outdoor winter yet.

Thank you!

I have August Beauty in pots, that I leave outside all winter. They are now blooming! Ah, the perfume! Vashon Wa

I saw some nice 5 gallon 'Chuck Hayes' at Molbaks in Woodinville, if anyone is looking for this one. They were $44 bucks, I wanted to buy it real bad, but thought I'd wait and find a 1 Gallon version and save some $$$

I once grew Klein's Hardy that lasted a few years before the deer destroyed it. The planted never suffered in the Winter. Chuck Hayes is also sold and grown on our island. By the way Brian from what I can see of your garden it looks very exotic. I want to see more! My type of garden for sure. Cheers, Banana Joe

Some really great tips on that site on how to maintain these beauties (see link below):

Control leaf chlorosis (yellowing) by applying Ironite in mid-spring and again in the fall.

PH should be around 6.0 (Acid Loving - needing regular fertilizing)

Here is a link that might be useful: Care for Gardenia