Daisy Duke™ Gardenia

The Daisy Duke™ Gardenia is a breakthrough in hardiness, and the best choice if you garden in zone 7, and even in zone 6. Renowned for holding its leaves well even in cold winter weather, this ‘new wave’ of gardenias sport large single blooms like velvet daisies, not the old-fashioned double blooms of the past. Much easier to grow too, it opens up great gardening possibilities as both a year-round evergreen and a spring and early summer source of glorious fragrance and stunning blooms. In the garden, as a border or in a pot, this rounded shrub – 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide in a few years – will wow everyone who sees it. You will love how easy it is to grow compared to older varieties, as well as the beauty and tropical perfume of its abundant flowers.

• Superb hardy shrub giving you weeks of blooming on a broad, rounded bush 3 or more feet tall.
• One of the hardiest gardenias every, grows well even in zone 6, and keeps its foliage all through the coldest months
• Produces an abundance of large single blooms through spring and early summer
• A year-round top-quality evergreen bush with handsome, dark-green and glossy foliage right to the ground
• Great companion for other acid-loving shrubs like azaleas and camellias

Plant your Daisy Duke™ Gardenia in a spot with direct sun all morning, and shade later in the day. In hotter zones light all-day shade is fine. If you plant in humus-rich acidic soil you are set to go. If you don’t have the right soil, no problem – opt for a pot with soil for acid-loving plants. This plant isn’t drought tolerant, so water whenever the top inch of soil is dry, but never water wet ground. Rich mulches are also beneficial. Pruning isn’t necessary, but if you want super-neat balls, trim as soon as flowering is over, and not at any other time.