April 7th, 2016
Add Fragrance to your Garden with Gardenia
If there is one plant that you should have in your garden to add fragrance it has to be Gardenias. In the past they have been hard to grow in our climate. Recently breeders have been working on hybridizing new varieties that are more cold tolerant but just as fragrant.
The old standard when it comes to hardy Gardenia is a variety called ‘Kleim’s Hardy’. It is rated to survive in a zone 7 climate like ours but there are winters that it cannot survive so be sure to plant it in a protected spot or give it extra protection during the coldest winters.
Two new varieties that are showing excellent cold hardiness are ‘Chuck Hayes’ and ‘Frost Proof’ which are rated for zones 7-10. They will both grow to be about 4 feet high and 5 feet wide.
The newest variety available is ‘Double Mint’ which as you can guess is a double flowering variety. Double Mint is rated for zones 7-9 and will produce flowers all summer long.
If you are looking for fragrant flowering shrubs for your garden be sure to add a Gardenia this year.
