Gardenia bush in Olympia, WA

close up of the flowers

variety: 'Crown Jewel'

bush is almost 2 feet high and a little more than 2 feet wide

Bush is kept consistently watered in the summer, and is in a spot that gets shade after about 1:30 p.m.

In climates with hotter drier summers (like in the states on the West Coast) gardenias need some shade from the intense sun during the hottest part of the day. Being put in a spot that is semi-protected from wind, or surrounded by other garden bushes, also helps, because it helps a little bit to hold some humidity in that area.

The bush is now abundantly in bloom (as of July 2025). The bush has been in the ground for about 6 years, and has been very slow growing. It keeps its leaves during the winter, even the colder winters here. So it does appear to be evergreen.

This variety is supposed to have more cold tolerance than other normal varieties.

(There do exist some other "common" cold tolerant gardenia varieties but most of them have very simple shaped smaller flowers, not like the very lush big blooms - called "double-flowered" form - of regular gardenias; so it's much more rare & unusual to see any gardenia bush this far north with the bigger flower type)

If you look in the picture, some other interesting plants can be seen, besides the gardenia bush. To the left (in front of the hydrangea), that tiny little plant is another gardenia, variety 'Summer Snow'. It is also supposed to be a special cold tolerant variety, but I can tell by the discoloration of its leaves during the winter (it turns a more yellowish shade of green) that it does have the same cold tolerance as 'Crown Jewel'.

To the right is an osmanthus plant, which also keeps its leaves through the winter. And behind it, to the far right, is another very unusual plant, and I'd say very unusual for this area. It's an "Ichang lemon" (originally coming from China, and believed to have resulted from hybridization between Yuzu and pomelo). It has survived the last 3 years in that spot without being covered. But it is right up against the wall of the house. It manages to keep most of its leaves through the winter. I'm actually surprised it is managing to survive here, since I don't believe this is an especially cold tolerant variety, though it has a little more cold tolerance than ordinary citrus. The idea that it might be possible to grow a little "lemon" plant outside here is exciting (even if it is not exactly truly a "real" lemon). If it were any colder, I don't think it would be able to survive.

These are not "low maintenance" plants, and require some expert and very knowledgeable gardening care, otherwise I do not think they would be surviving here.