Gardenia ‘Lean Green’

Gardenia 'Lean Green' (Gardenia augusta 'Lean Green') solves the problem every other gardenia creates: it grows up rather than out. Mature size is about 1.2m tall and only 60cm wide, so it fits a 600mm bed where a standard gardenia would need cutting back twice a year. The flowers are the usual thick white gardenia blooms with the scent to match, carried through the warm months against glossy dark foliage.

Why you'll love it

• Narrow by nature. Sixty centimetres wide at maturity means it suits the tight bed beside a driveway, a path or a pool fence.
• Scent where you will notice it. Heavy sweet fragrance from spring into autumn, worth far more beside a door than at the back of a border.
• A low hedge that flowers. Planted 40cm apart it closes into a dense hedge at around 1m, evergreen year round and in flower for half of it.
• Low maintenance for a gardenia. The compact habit means light tipping rather than the annual hard cutback that older varieties demand, and it is comfortable in heat and coastal humidity.

Where it works best

Low hedging. Plant 40cm apart in a single row for a dense hedge to about 1m. Tighter spacing does not close the gap any faster and makes feeding and watering harder.

Borders and edging. A single line along a path gives structure and fragrance without the sprawl. Allow 30cm of clearance from the paving.

Pots and small gardens. A 400mm pot suits one plant, and a run of matched pots along a courtyard wall works well. Potted gardenias need consistent water, because letting one dry out drops the flower buds.

Growing Gardenia 'Lean Green' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with shelter from harsh afternoon sun inland. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it takes light frost only. In cool temperate and frosty districts, treat it as a pot plant for a warm sheltered wall rather than a hedge.

Soil. Slightly acidic, rich and free draining. Work compost through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep. Yellow leaves with green veins mean alkaline soil, or a shortage of iron and magnesium.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through summer and never let it dry out while buds are forming. Feed an azalea, camellia and gardenia fertiliser in early spring, midsummer and early autumn. Epsom salts once or twice over summer help with the yellowing common in hard water areas.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flush to keep it dense. Any harder shaping cut is best done in early spring.

What to expect when it arrives

'Lean Green' is grown here as tube stock: a young plant of around 15 to 20cm with a well developed root system. For a hedge it is the sensible buy, because a long run stays affordable and small gardenias establish faster than large ones.

Expect a season of root growth before real height, first flowers in the second year, and a closed hedge in the third. A few yellow leaves after transit are normal and drop away as the plant settles. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Growing fragrant gardenias in Australia
• Compare the gardenia range
• Browse other fragrant plants
• Alternatives for hedging and screening

Common questions

How far apart for a low hedge?

40cm apart in a single row. The plants are only 60cm wide, so at that spacing the foliage meets within two seasons and the hedge stays dense right at the base.

Why are the leaves turning yellow?

Nine times out of ten it is soil pH or a nutrient shortage rather than disease. Feed an acid loving plant fertiliser, add Epsom salts over summer, and check the plant is not sitting in wet soil.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Gardenia leaves and fruit are toxic to cats and dogs, causing vomiting and lethargy if eaten. Plant it where a pet that chews foliage cannot reach it.