Gardenia or Gandharaj belongs to the family Rubiaceae and is prized for its very fragrant white flowers and glossy, dark green leaves. Many cultivars of Gardenia jasminoides exist that offer considerable variation in plant size, flower form, and blooming time and duration. They are evergreen shrubs and small trees.
The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three or four, broad, dark green and glossy with a leathery texture. The flowers are solitary or in small clusters, white, or pale yellow, with a tubular-based corolla with 5-12 lobes. Place in light to moderate shade, preferably with minimum competition from tree roots. Gardenias resent root disturbance. Use fertilizer for acid-loving plants, and use iron compounds.