Gardenia was Billie Holiday's signature flower. It is grown for its fragrance and beauty.
The gardenia is a small shrub densely covered with shiny, green, lance-shaped leaves. It is grown specifically for its highly perfumed white flowers, which often fade to cream. They are generally double or semi-double.
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Buy this plant in bloom or bud and maintain it as a temporary plant. Even then, it will drop its flowers if conditions are not to its liking. Constantly cool temperatures of about 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) are necessary for new buds to form.