What Are Gardenia Hips?

Identification

• Native to China, Taiwan and Japan, the gardenia is winter hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. It blooms seasonally, usually throughout spring and summer, though some varieties bloom into fall. Blossoms are characteristically white or ivory colored, up to 3 inches across and highly fragrant. Evergreen foliage is dark and shiny, between 2 and 4 inches long and generally clustered in groups of three. Gardenias prefer moist, well-drained soil in lightly dappled shade, fall or spring planting, and a minimum of competition with the roots of other trees or shrubs.

Gardenia Hips

• Gardenia hips form from the pollinated blooms of the plant, usually gaining color between late October and November. The berry eventually grows to between 1 and 1 1/2 inches long, with the pale green sepals of the flower sprouting from the top of it. Not all gardenias will produce hips. If you like the idea of a plant that provides fall and winter as well as spring and summer interest, try planting a single-flowered variety such as “Daisy.” “Rosedown Star,” also called the “hip gardenia,” produces especially prolific fruit in fall.

Precautions

• Gardenia hips are similar to the better-known rosehips that come from garden and wild roses (Rosa spp.), whose USDA zones vary depending on the species and are generally hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. Rosehips are often gathered for consumption by themselves or dried and made into tea. Despite this similarity, however, gardenia hips are not edible. Gardenia hips may look appealing to young children; if you plan to leave them on, be sure to warn children that the hips are not for eating.

Gardenia Propagation

• Despite the fact that the gardenia hips do contain the seeds of the gardenia, you are unlikely to have much success planting them. The best way to propagate gardenias is to take tip cuttings in the spring, root them with the rooting hormone IBA, and mist them until fall, at which point you can plant them in rich, acidic, well-drained soil. Because they are widely available and affordable, it is best to leave propagation to the experts, and avoid transplanting at any time but when they are very small.