Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia

Name: Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia
Brand: Evergreen Trees Direct
Price: 150.00 AUD
Availability: InStock

$250.00

Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

1000 in stock

Size: 40cm/45L

30cm/33cm 40cm/45L

Current Stock Height Guides

30cm/33cm: Enquire within for height guide information.
40cm/45L: Enquire within for height guide information.

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About Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’, commonly known as the Florida Gardenia, is a compact, evergreen shrub loved for its glossy green foliage and beautifully fragrant white flowers. The blooms are full and creamy-white, appearing from late spring through summer and perfuming the air with their sweet scent. The dense, rounded habit and vibrant foliage make it a favourite for formal and tropical gardens alike. Mature plants typically reach 1–1.5 metres tall and 1–1.5 metres wide, creating an attractive, tidy shrub.

This variety performs best in full sun to part shade and prefers rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soils. Gardenia ‘Florida’ is frost tolerant once established but benefits from protection in colder regions. It requires regular watering during the growing season and light pruning after flowering to maintain its compact form. With the right conditions, it provides a lush, green backdrop and months of fragrant blooms.

They look excellent as feature shrubs near entrances and pathways, planted in groups for hedging, or grown in decorative pots for patios and courtyards. The Florida Gardenia’s combination of fragrance, foliage, and form makes it an essential addition to classic, tropical, or formal landscapes.

Key Information to Know

Evergreen / Deciduous

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia is an Evergreen (foliage year round) Tree

Mature Height & Width

Mature Height: 1–1.5 metres

Mature Width: 1–1.5 metres

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia is expected to grow 20 – 40 cm per year (moderate).

Frost Tolerance

Is Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia frost tolerant?

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia is Frost Sensitive – May suffer damage from frost, best in frost-free or protected spots.

Flowering Information

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ produces masses of double, creamy-white, sweetly fragrant flowers from late spring through summer, often continuing into early autumn. These beautifully formed blooms sit proudly above the glossy dark foliage, creating a standout perfumed display across the warmer months.

Native Information

Is Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia an Australian Native? No

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia is Native to Southern China and Japan, where Gardenia jasminoides grows naturally in warm, humid forests.

Wildlife Value

Its highly fragrant blooms attract bees, hoverflies, butterflies and night-time pollinating moths, while the dense evergreen foliage provides shelter for small birds and beneficial garden insects. The nectar-rich flowers support a broad range of pollinators, adding strong biodiversity value to subtropical and cottage gardens.

Sunlight Information

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia will thrive best in:

Full Sun
Part Shade

Preffered Soil

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ performs best in well-drained, slightly acidic loam or sandy loam soils. It struggles in alkaline or heavy clay soils unless improved with organic matter and soil acidifiers to increase drainage and support the acidity gardenias require. Keep soil evenly moist during establishment, then maintain deep, consistent watering as the plant matures to support healthy foliage, strong flowering and long-term vigour.

Botanical Information

Common Name: Florida Gardenia

Genus: Gardenia

Botanical Species: Gardenia jasminoides

Family: Rubiaceae

Botanical Name: Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’

Landscape Uses

Screening or Privacy
Council or Civic Landscapes

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia works in an:

Formal Garden – structured, symmetrical design with clipped shapes.
Cottage Garden – romantic mix of flowers, colour, and texture.
Tropical Garden – lush, leafy planting for a resort-style atmosphere.
Modern Garden – sleek, minimal, and design-led planting.
Low-maintenance Garden – resilient choices for easy care and year-round appeal.

Planting, Spacing & Care

Choose a sunny to partly shaded site with rich, well-drained soil.
Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball.
Mix in compost and well-rotted manure to improve soil fertility.
Water deeply after planting and mulch to retain moisture.
Avoid planting too deeply — the top of the root ball should be level with the soil surface.

Hedging & Screening: Space 60 – 90 cm apart
Feature Planting: Space 1 – 1.5 m apart

Water regularly during flowering and dry spells.
Fertilise in spring and late summer with an acid-loving fertiliser.
Prune lightly after flowering to maintain a dense, compact shape.

Sandy soils: Add compost and organic matter to improve water retention.
Loamy soils: Ideal for balanced growth and flowering.
Clay soils: Tolerates light clay with good drainage.
Coastal soils: Performs well in protected coastal gardens.
Poor soils: Add compost and mulch; prefers slightly acidic conditions.

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Florida’ – Florida Gardenia is expected to grow 20 – 40 cm per year (moderate).

Medium Growth Rate

Root Ball Dimensions (Width × Depth) For Planting

Use this as a reference when digging your planting hole. We recommend digging at least 10% wider than the dimensions below to encourage strong root development.

30cm Pot: 33cm (W) × 30cm (D)
40cm/45L Pot: 44cm (W) × 41.5cm (D)
50cm Pot / 70L Pot: 55cm (W) × 41.8cm (D)
100L Bag: 50.6cm (W) × 52.8cm (D)
150L Bag: 66cm (W) × 55cm (D)
200L Bag: 71.5cm (W) × 60.5cm (D)
300L Bag: 88cm (W) × 63.8cm (D)
400L Bag: 99cm (W) × 66cm (D)
500L Bag: 122cm (W) × 66cm (D)
750L Bag: 134cm (W) × 69cm (D)
1000L Bag: 146.3cm (W) × 71.5cm (D)
2000L Bag: 176cm (W) × 82.5cm (D)

Ideal Conditions

Tropical QLD (Cairns, Townsville)
Subtropical QLD (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast)
Northern NSW (Byron, Coffs, Armidale)
Sydney & Central Coast
South Coast NSW (Illawarra to Bega)
Inland NSW / Tablelands (Orange, Bathurst, Canberra)
Melbourne & Surrounds (Metro, Bayside, Geelong, Bellarine, Mornington)
Western District & Central VIC (Ballarat, Bendigo, Hamilton)
Gippsland (Latrobe Valley, East Gippsland)
Adelaide Metro & Coastal

Thrives in

Full Sun
Part Shade

Frost Tolerance

Frost Sensitive – May suffer damage from frost, best in frost-free or protected spots.

Drought Tolerance

As a young plant it requires regular watering, and even once established ‘Florida’ has low to moderate drought tolerance. It performs best with consistent moisture and benefits from deep, reliable watering during hot or dry weather to maintain bud formation, flower quality and vibrant foliage.