Gardenia ‘Golden Magic’

Gardenia 'Golden Magic' (Gardenia jasminoides 'Golden Magic') is the gardenia that keeps changing. The double flowers open ivory white and age to a deep golden yellow over several days, so a plant in full flush carries both colours at once. It holds at about 1.2m tall and 1.2m wide, stays evergreen, and the scent is the real reason to plant it near a door or a seat.

Why you'll love it

• Two flower colours on one plant. White to gold as each bloom ages, over a long warm season flush.
• Serious fragrance. Heavy and sweet in the evening, strong enough to carry across a courtyard from a single plant.
• It stays small. At 1.2m by 1.2m it fits a border or a balcony pot without annual hacking.
• Heat and humidity suit it. Where other flowering shrubs sulk through a wet subtropical summer, this one flowers.

Where it works best

Low fragrant hedging. Plant 70cm apart. At that spacing it closes into a solid low hedge in about two seasons and holds at knee to waist height with light trimming.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A 400mm pot is the minimum for a plant this size. Contained, near a door or an outdoor table, is where the fragrance earns its keep.

Borders and feature planting. Single plants suit the front of a mixed bed, or a repeated line along a path where people brush past in the evening.

Growing Gardenia Golden Magic in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It handles heat and humidity well but takes light frost only, so cool temperate and hard frosting gardens should grow it in a pot that can shift under cover for winter.

Soil. Acidic and free draining, ideally pH 5.5 to 6.5. Dig compost through the bed and use a camellia and azalea mix in pots. Gardenias will not tolerate wet feet or lime.

Water and feed. Keep the soil evenly moist through the flowering season, since dry spells drop buds before they open. Feed with an acidic plant food in early spring and again in mid summer, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the stem.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after the main flush to keep it dense. Yellowing leaves usually mean cold roots, alkaline soil or a magnesium shortage rather than a watering fault.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, and 200mm in packs of six. Tube stock is young and cheapest per plant, which makes it the sensible pick for a full hedge run. The 200mm plants are bushier and closer to flowering size, so they suit pots and single feature positions.

Gardenias can drop a few buds and leaves in transit. That is transit stress, not a fault, and new growth follows within a month in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Growing and caring for gardenias in Australia
• Compare the full gardenia range
• Browse more fragrant plants
• Choosing the right pot size

Common questions

Why do the flowers turn yellow?

That is the variety doing what it should. Blooms open ivory and deepen to golden yellow as they age, which is where the name comes from, so an older flower is not a sick one.

Can I grow it in a cool climate?

Only in a pot you can move. It takes light frost at best, so in cool temperate gardens keep it in a container against a warm wall and shift it under cover through the coldest months.

Is it safe around pets?

No. Gardenia leaves and berries are toxic to cats and dogs, causing vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten. Keep pots off the floor or plant it where a chewing pet cannot reach.