In the Chinese tradition, the gardenia represents feminine grace, subtlety, and artistry.
In the American South, the gardenia stands for hospitality, for the grace of the southern style of life. Its fragrant blooms perfume the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
In the nineteenth century in England, the elegant gardenia was one of the few flowers considered suitable to adorn the lapel of a gentleman’s formal evening jacket. Any more extravagant a bloom might have been in bad taste.
