August Beauty Gardenia Plant – Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’ (Fragrant White Evergreen Shrub, Live Plant)

The August Beauty Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’), also known as Cape Jasmine, is prized for one unforgettable quality: intoxicating fragrance. This moderately growing evergreen shrub produces velvety, double, creamy-white flowers about 3 inches across, blooming heavily from mid-spring through summer and into fall. In fact, it lives up to its name by carrying that sweet, jasmine-like scent right through August, when many gardenias slow down. Set against thick, glossy, dark green foliage, the August Beauty Gardenia is a classic specimen, accent, hedge, or screen for warm-climate gardens.

Why Grow an August Beauty Gardenia?

• Intense, long-lasting fragrance – sweet, jasmine-like blooms perfume the whole garden, perfect near patios, doorways, and windows.
• Long bloom season – velvety double white flowers from mid-spring through fall, with repeat flushes in summer heat.
• Glossy evergreen foliage – thick, lustrous, dark green leaves give year-round good looks.
• Pollinator-friendly – the fragrant flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
• Versatile & elegant – also works as a specimen, informal hedge, foundation shrub, or patio container plant, and the flowers are wonderful for cutting.

Looking for more fragrant and flowering shrubs? Browse our Flowering Plants and Shrubs & Bushes collections.

Plant Specifications at a Glance

• Botanical name: Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’ (Cape Jasmine)
• Plant type: Fragrant, evergreen flowering shrub
• Plant family: Rubiaceae (the madder/coffee family)
• Mature size: a moderate grower to about 4–6 feet tall and 3–4 feet wide, in a rounded, bushy habit
• Flowers: Velvety, double, creamy-white, intensely fragrant blooms about 3 inches across
• Bloom season: Mid-spring through fall, with heavy summer flushes
• Wildlife: Attracts bees, butterflies, and pollinators
• Cold Hardiness Zones: 8–11

August Beauty Gardenia Care & Growing Guide

Gardenias reward the right conditions with months of fragrant blooms. Follow these guidelines:

• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade. However, in hot climates it performs best with morning sun and afternoon shade, since harsh afternoon sun can scorch leaves or cause bud drop.
• Water: Water regularly to keep the soil consistently moist, with more frequent watering in extreme heat. However, avoid soggy soil, because both drought and waterlogging can cause bud drop.
• Soil: Prefers moist, organically rich, well-drained, acidic soil (about pH 5.0–6.5). Because alkaline soil makes the leaves yellow, acidic conditions are important.
• Cold Hardiness Zone: 8–11. Near the cold end of its range, protect the root zone from hard freezes with mulch, or grow it in a container that can be moved before frost.
• Pruning: Prune lightly after flowering to shape the plant, and avoid heavy pruning during the growing season. In addition, mulch helps keep roots cool and moist.

Good to know: gardenias are considered mildly toxic to cats and dogs if ingested. Therefore, keep pets from nibbling on the plant.

Ways to Use August Beauty Gardenia in the Landscape

This fragrant shrub shines wherever its scent can be enjoyed. Popular uses for the August Beauty Gardenia include:

• Fragrant specimen or accent near patios, entries, and windows
• Also informal hedges and screens
• Foundation plantings and mixed borders
• Similarly, containers and patio pots in cooler regions
• Cutting gardens — the blooms make beautiful, fragrant arrangements

It pairs beautifully with other warm-climate flowering shrubs. For example, gardeners often combine it with the single-flowered Veitchii Gardenia, the acid-loving Ruby Loropetalum, or the bird-friendly Red Cluster Bottlebrush.

What You’ll Receive

These are live August Beauty Gardenia plants, grown and shipped by Carlo’s Plant Farm. The listing photos show mature plants of the same species. That way, you can see how yours will look as they grow and bloom. Finally, choose your preferred bundle size using the options above.

Also, due to different state laws, we reserve the right to charge extra fees where necessary to comply.

Ordering, Shipping & Returns

Every order ships free and is insured against loss or damage in transit. For full details on how we pack and send your plants, processing and delivery times, and what to do in the rare case of a problem, please review our Shipping Policy and Terms & Conditions before purchasing. By placing an order, you agree to those terms.

August Beauty Gardenia FAQ

Growing & Care Questions

Hardiness, Buying & Shipping Questions