Sweet Tea Gardenia

Gardenia jasminoides ‘PIIGA-II’ PP27258

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a-11 (6?) Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub

Height at Maturity: 4-5′

Width at Maturity: 4-5′

Suggested Spacing: 3 feet apart for solid hedge; 7 feet or more apart for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Dense, Mounding

Flower Color: White

Flower Size: 4″

Flowering Period: Mid to Late Spring, Summer

Flower Type: Double

Fragrant Flowers: Yes – extremely fragrant!

Foliage Color: Dark Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: No

Berry Color: NA

Sun Needs: Morning Sun with Afternoon Shade or Filtered Sun, All Day Filtered Sun

Water Needs: Average, Lower when established

Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist

Soil pH: 4.5 – 6.0 (Acid)

Maintenance / Care: Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer, Drought (when established), Heat, Humidity, Insect

Description

A new reblooming cold hardy Gardenia, ‘Sweet Tea’ is sure to please with her enormous, golf ball sized, wonderfully fragrant, white double flowers that will fill the garden with a heavenly aroma. She blooms very heavy in spring and then repeat blooms in summer. Sweet tea survived temperatures of 4 degree F during the winter of 2013-2014 in an above ground pot with no injury to the plant. This means reliable cold hardiness in Zone 7 in pots or the ground and possibly hardiness in the ground in Zone 6. Very deep green foliage on upright rounded plants 4 to 5 feet tall and wide at maturity. To enjoy the beautiful flowers and the fragrance, plant near windows, patios, decks, porches and other outdoor living spaces.

Note: If you are in Zone 6 and want to try growing the Sweet Tea Gardenia year round outdoors in the ground, we suggest planting in a protected area or on the east side of the home near the foundation. If you try, please let us know how your plant did over the winter!

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing 4 to 5 feet tall and wide, the Sweet Tea Gardenia is ideal for use as an accent, in groupings, or as a hedge in partially shaded landscape borders and home foundation plantings. Needless to say gardenias are a fine addition to fragrance gardens. Plant them near patios, decks and other outdoor living spaces where the fragrance and flowers can be enjoyed from close up.

Suggested Spacing: 3 feet apart for solid hedge; 7 feet or more apart for space between plants

Growing Preferences

Gardenia are exceptionally easy to grow in moist but well-drained soils of average fertility and part sun, preferably morning sun with some shade or filtered sun in the mid afternoon hours. The east side of homes or other structures is best as plants will get afternoon shade during summer and shelter for northwest winds during winter. As with so many other ornamental plants, constantly soggy or wet soils can cause root rot or other plant diseases.

Soil pH is important!

To flower their best and maintain deep green foliage color, all Gardenia require an acid to moderately acid soil ranging from 4.5 to 6.0 on the pH scale. If your soil is alkaline foliage will turn pale-green to yellow and flowering will be diminished.

Soil pH is a measurement of the alkalinity or acidity of soil and is measured on a scale of 1-14, with 7 as the neutral mark. Any measurement below 7 indicates acid soil conditions, and anything above 7 indicates alkaline. If you’re unsure about the pH of your soil and whether or not it’s suitable for growing Gardenia it’s a good idea to test the soil pH in the planting area.

You can quickly test soil pH with an inexpensive soil pH tester probe. To raise the pH (make more alkaline) you can add pelletized limestone to the soil. To lower the pH (make more acid) you can apply Soil Sulfur, Aluminum Sulfate, or Chelated Iron. Adding organic compost to the soil or using compost as mulch can also help to increase acidity and maintain acid soil conditions.

Learn More: What is Soil pH & How To Test & Adjust It

Helpful Articles

Click on the link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, fertilize, prune and water Gardenia plants…

How To Plant & Care For Gardenias

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Questions? Contact Us

My plant was impeccably packed and arrived as expected. I ordered in mid April (spring in Ga) still winter here. It had at least 30 buds on it! I kept it inside until all threat of freezes was past (2weeks ago). It’s now on my deck with blooming gardenias on it that smell divine. It will go into the ground soon (after blooming) and I will watch with curiosity to see how it survives my 6b zone winter. Perhaps an update on its progress next spring will be in order.—————————————–We are so glad you are pleased! Beth | WBG 🙂