Any way of getting this flowers in Zone 6b?

[RogueRose]

I got to go down south for Thanksgiving and I realized there's some plants that I wish I could have here that remind me of "home" - specifically gardenias and camillas. I currently have a lemon and mandevala which I bring in every mid-october. The lemon has been fine doing this for 3yrs. This is the first time I brought in the mandevala this year after getting it this summer. It's definitely NOT happy and has been dropping it's leaves since I brought it in. Soon it will be leafeless. I am guessing (hoping) it is going dormant and will come back once I put it outside next summer.

Can I do this with gardenias or camillas? Or can they stay outside all year round?

[applestar]

There are newer camellias that are hardy here -- I think to zone 5.

I have had scale problems with gardenias in the past and haven't tried in a while but I'm sure it's possible to overwinter. I've been wanting to try again because gardenia buds can be used as yellow food coloring.

My mom has a pot of pink mandevillas that she brings in for the winter, but I'm unfamiliar with them.

[RogueRose]

There are newer camellias that are hardy here -- I think to zone 5.

I have had scale problems with gardenias in the past and haven't tried in a while but I'm sure it's possible to overwinter. I've been wanting to try again because gardenia buds can be used as yellow food coloring.

My mom has a pot of pink mandevillas that she brings in for the winter, but I'm unfamiliar with them.

I need to find those camillas....my aunt had a few bushes around her property and they were all FULL of buds. They're such pretty little flowers. Some bushes down there were flowering and had TONS of flowers on them.

My grandmother loved camillas, hydrangeas and gardenias too - which is why I would like to get them up here. I knew as soon as I saw the hydrangea here I HAD to rent this house bc it was like my grandmother saying "this is it!"

[applestar]

Aren't you located close to RareFind Nursery? I've only purchased at their native plant sale offsite sales -- where knowledgeable staff have offered well grown healthy plants -- and have forever been intending to visit -- but is just far enough to mke it complicated -- but they seem to have a nice selection:

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https://www.rarefindnursery.com/index.cfm/action/displayproducts/level/3|16.htm

-- sorry, there's something about this link -- the vertical line -- that breaks it and won't be displayed as a clickable link. Cut and paste into your browser.

[RogueRose]

I'm about 50min from there which isn't too far. Do they have a physical store? Looks like a cool place to poke around! I have been looking for a nursery to visit

[rainbowgardener]

As Applestar said, there are newer varieties of camellias, that have been bred for cold hardiness, down to zone 6 or 5. They usually have Winter in their variety name.

Here's a site that sells them and has some info:

https://www.camelliashop.com/cold-hardy-camellias-1/

I have not bought anything from them and am not recommending them, just showing what is out there.

I will say, I tried planting one of the winter camellias here one fall (I am also in zone 6b) and it did not make it through the winter. If you are going to get one, wait until the weather warms up in spring and then plant it, so it has a chance to get well established before winter comes. Plant it in a morning sun only area.

Gardenias can be grown like your mandevilla in a pot and brought in for the winter.