I'm still experimenting with the correct placement & companions for my gardenias, but this year's arrangement has turned out well. They are interplanted with star jasmine, which has a similar fragrance, but many more, smaller flowers. In front of both, I have bright magenta & deep purple petunias.

Well, I've been making a mad effort to get lots of odds and ends plants I've been collecting all season into intelligent, aesthetically pleasing groups in the ground before winter. This weekend I grouped my 'Kleim's Hardy' gardenia with Pyracantha 'Mohave'. I love the way that the leaf size and shape is practically identical, but the gardenia is yellow green and the pyracantha leaf is a very complimentary blue green. I think the plant forms will make a pleasing contrast also. I also included a 'Heatherbun' Chamaecyparis and a 'Limeglow' Juniper in this same group. The 'Heatherbun' has a purplish tint and the 'Limeglow' is a mellowed chartreuse. It feels like an inspired combination although I was just dealing with what I had haphazardly collected and found on sale. I just hope I can balance watering so that it continues to look as good.

I have three 'Daisy' gardenias, which I think are in the same size range as yours, interplanted with Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) and 'Toffee Twist' Sedge (Carex flagellifera). I'm very pleased with the contrasting textures and colors, and the overall graceful look. Also in this bed, which is a foundation planting between the house and a parallel walkway to the front door, are specimen hostas, drifts of astilbes, a Star Magnolia, Summersweet bushes, and variegated Confederated Jasmine, all bordered by Lilyturf. I'm going for a slightly more formal look in this bed, being at the entryway, with the rest of the beds/yard being natural woodland gardens.