Gardenia ‘Swirl’

Gardenia 'Swirl' (Gardenia jasminoides 'Swirl') is the variegated gardenia, grown as much for its cream edged foliage as for its flowers. It settles at about 1m tall and 1m wide, which makes it one of the few gardenias small enough for a low hedge or a front door pot. Single white flowers open through the warm months with the heavy sweet scent the genus is known for.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that works all year. Grey green leaves with irregular cream margins hold interest between flushes of flower, which no plain green gardenia does.
• Fragrance you notice from the path. Single white flowers through the warm months, strongest in the evening.
• Small enough for real gardens. At 1m by 1m it fits a courtyard bed, a low hedge or a pot by the door without outgrowing the space in three years.
• Comfortable in heat and humidity. Built for tropical and subtropical conditions, where a wet summer suits it.

Where it works best

Low hedging. Plant 60cm apart for a low fragrant hedge. At that spacing the plants close into a continuous band about a metre high, low enough to see over from a seat.

Borders, edging and mass planting. Repeat it in a block along a front path where people brush past, since the scent is the point. The variegation also lightens a shaded bed.

Pots and small gardens. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, and container growing tends to hold it a little under a metre. Keep the mix acidic and never let it dry right out.

Growing Gardenia 'Swirl' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun in subtropical and warm temperate gardens gives the heaviest flowering, though in the tropics and through hot inland summers it wants shelter from mid afternoon sun. It takes light frost only, so cold southern gardens, tablelands and frost hollows should keep it potted and sheltered.

Soil. Acidic, rich in organic matter and free draining. Work compost through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep. Alkaline soil is the usual reason a gardenia yellows between the leaf veins.

Water and feed. Even moisture matters more than volume, because gardenias drop buds when they dry out at the wrong moment. Feed with a fertiliser made for acid loving plants in early spring and again in midsummer.

Pruning. Light tip pruning after the main flush keeps it dense and brings on the next round of buds. Do not cut hard into old bare wood, which is slow to reshoot. Remove any fully green shoots as they appear, or they will outgrow the variegated growth.

What to expect when it arrives

Gardenia 'Swirl' is grown as tube stock: a young single stemmed plant with a small root system, worth potting into a 200mm container for a season before it goes into the ground. Expect two to three years to reach hedge height.

Availability moves on this one, so check the product page before planning a full hedge. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Some leaf drop after transit is normal, and new growth follows within four to six weeks in warm weather. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to grow and care for gardenias
• Compare every gardenia we grow
• Other fragrant plants for warm gardens
• Browse plants with variegated foliage

Common questions

Why are the leaves yellowing?

Yellow leaves with green veins point to iron or magnesium locked up by alkaline soil, the most common gardenia complaint in Australian gardens. Correct the pH first and feed second.

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

Gardenias are considered mildly toxic to cats and dogs, and eating the leaves or fruit can cause vomiting or digestive upset. It is not the plant to choose if you have a pet that chews foliage.

Will it flower as heavily as a plain green gardenia?

Not quite. Variegated foliage carries less chlorophyll, so 'Swirl' grows a little slower and flowers a little more sparsely. You gain twelve months of leaf interest in exchange.