Gardenia, Sweet Tea Gardenia jasminoides 'PIIGA-II' Height: 5 feet Spread: 5 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 6b Brand: First Editions Description: This compact, robust variety sets masses of wonderfully fragrant double white blooms from mid-summer until fall; very tightly branched and dense; great for along garden paths; Ornamental Features Gardenia, Sweet Tea features showy fragrant white flowers with buttery yellow eyes at the ends of the branches from mid summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The glossy pointy leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. Landscape Attributes Gardenia, Sweet Tea is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics. Gardenia, Sweet Tea is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Gardenia, Sweet Tea will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. This shrub should be grown in a location with partial shade or which is shaded from the hot afternoon sun. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. Gardenia, Sweet Tea makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Special Attributes In Eastern Washington & Oregon Gardenias can have die back from our winters, We recommend mulching with about 3 inches of bark mulch at the base of the plant going out about as wide as the crown to protect the roots. Evergreens need to be watered during the winter. Our desert climate especially in late winter to early spring evergreens can suffer during next growing season. An easy way to remember check for dryness on the holidays Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Valentines Day & Easter.
