In order to under the aroma composition and release regularity of Gardenia jasminoides during the flowering period, the aroma-active components of Gardenia jasminoides at the early, full and late flowering stages were determined by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). A total of 36 aroma-active components were detected throughout the whole flowering stages, which were mainly esters, terpenoids and hydrocarbons and together accounted for 85.25%, 85.29% and 94.37% of total volatile compounds at the early, full and late flowering stages, respectively. The relative contents of esters and hydrocarbons were low at the early flowering stage and then increased as the flowering period proceeded; however, the relative content of terpenoids showed a trend of decreasing initially and then increasing. The main compounds responsible for the aroma of Gardenia jasminoides flowers were ocimene, α-farnesene, benzoic acid methyl ester, isopropyl cyclohexane and 3,7-dimethyl 1,6-octadiene-3-alcohol propionate.