Consider "Chuck Hayes" Gardenia. A man in Philadelphia had one that he was asking for pruning instructions on because it had grown to be 5 feet tall in 3 years and was getting really big. They are evergreen and love shade, especailly in the afternoon. They can bloom off and on all summer, but they really bloom in the spring and fall. As far as smell, well, it's a gardenia, a double flower. Only the "Chuck Hayes" blooms like that and is cold hardy to your zone. Just don't drown it.

i think you are right, razorback, about the cultivar name. after purchase, i googled it and that is the closest i can come up with. spring foliage is supposed to have pink margins but fade to green as summer progresses and probably should look like mine at this late date. hate to hear about your results with it. you're in an area of lower zone so that does not give me much encouragement but it's in the ground and i'll hope for the best. after reading that, i may move it to an area of total shade instead of the site i selected with a lot or morning sun. i will be happy if the foliage looks good and i get no flowers but even better if it blooms.

I am in 6b and have grown Illicium floridanum for about 4 years. Each Spring it comes out looking battered and a bit scorched, but after a grooming session with the Felcos, it bounces back. The foliage is nice and the flowers are maroon and interesting, eventually turning to green starfish shaped seedheads. Nice foliage for along a path where you may brush against it. Virtually unheard of around here - I have only ever seen one in a landscape locally. Rx

Ann, I suppose you could bury a softer plastic pot. Obviously and clay or ceramic would be a goner! The only other thing I can think of would be some sort of large construction concrete piece, such as a cinder block that has the one large opening. It could be totally buried since only the roots need to be contained, so it wouldn't be an eyesore. That would survive the ground freezing. The only other thing that comes to mind is one of those concrete pipe sections, but they are generally pretty big around, so it sort of negates the "crowding" effect of being rootbound. I enjoy it in the pot though, and it's no problem to take in in winter. I'm hoping that it blooms well this year.