How To Grow and Care For The Carolina Jasmine

Landscape Plants Home

When you are looking to brighten up your landscape or garden, you'll find that Carolina Jasmine, also known as a jessamine is a prized find for a number of different reasons.

You may find yourself attracted to the color that it can bring to your land or you might simply be after something that the deer won't feel free to nibble on! Take some time and learn a little bit about the Carolina jasmine and how well it can fit in your area.

Description:

Once one has been pointed out to you, you'll always be able to recognize Carolina jasmine. This is an extremely attractive evergreen vine that, under the right conditions, can grow up around twenty feet.

When it is kept in conditions that are very bright, it tends to stay rather compact, but when its roots are partially shaded, it can grow over trees, shrubs, fences and trellises.

The rich green leaves are a beautiful counterpoint for the small clusters of tubular yellow flowers. This is a long blooming plant and you can enjoy the flowers from late winter to early spring, depending on where you are living. These flowers are particularly gorgeous and can add an impressive hint of color to your land.

You'll find that the Carolina jasmine is a native of the South. In the wild, it tends to grow along streams and in the lowlands and thickets. You can find it anywhere where there is a lot of shade and though this is not a truly water loving plant, it does prefer the damp areas.

They are most common near the coast, from the eastern part of Virginia, stretching down to Florida and west to Texas. It can also be found in Mexico. The further north you are of this general area, the harder this vine is to grow.

Culture Needs:

The Carolina Jasmine is a fairly hardy vine that can take a fair amount of abuse, but as you might imagine, there is a certain amount of attention that needs to be paid to it.

You'll find that you can grow them from rootstock fairly easily or that you can acquire them from any nursery. They should be planted in a place where the roots are relatively well shaded, but it will do just fine if the leaves and vines see full or partial sunlight.This can be something of an aggressive plant and there are some that prefer to keep them confined in pots for this very reason. While you should keep them damp (the soil that they are on should not dry out between watering) take some care not to over-water them, as this can be a very basic problem.

Make sure that they are pruned after their winter blooming and if the plants become too top heavy with seeds, it might be time to tie them to a trellis or a fence. The plant does quite well so long as the temperature does not dip below fifteen degrees Fahrenheit.

Landscape Usage:

When you are looking to see what the Carolina Jasmine can do for your garden, keep it dramatic coloration in mind. The bright yellow and the deep green do quite well as an accent to most gardens and you can choose to make the star of your landscape or just a lovely background detail.

Take some time and make sure that you think about how you want them to grow; they will reach for all the sunlight that they can, and having a trellis or a shrub to train them up is essential for making sure that they are not going to get out of hand.

Location:

You'll find that the Carolina jasmine is a native of the South. In the wild, it tends to grow along streams and in the lowlands and thickets. You can find it anywhere where there is a lot of shade and though this is not a truly water loving plant, it does prefer the damp areas.

They are most common near the coast, from the eastern part of Virginia, stretching down to Florida and west to Texas. It can also be found in Mexico. The further north you are of this general area, the harder this vine is to grow.

Culture Needs:

The Carolina Jasmine is a fairly hardy vine that can take a fair amount of abuse, but as you might imagine, there is a certain amount of attention that needs to be paid to it. You'll find that you can grow them from rootstock fairly easily or that you can acquire them from any nursery. They should be planted in a place where the roots are relatively well shaded, but it will do just fine if the leaves and vines see full or partial sunlight.

This can be something of an aggressive plant and there are some that prefer to keep them confined in pots for this very reason. While you should keep them damp (the soil that they are on should not dry out between watering) take some care not to over-water them, as this can be a very basic problem.

Make sure that they are pruned after their winter blooming and if the plants become too top heavy with seeds, it might be time to tie them to a trellis or a fence. The plant does quite well so long as the temperature does not dip below fifteen degrees Fahrenheit.

Landscape Usage:

When you are looking to see what the Carolina Jasmine can do for your garden, keep it dramatic coloration in mind. The bright yellow and the deep green do quite well as an accent to most gardens and you can choose to make the star of your landscape or just a lovely background detail.

Take some time and make sure that you think about how you want them to grow; they will reach for all the sunlight that they can, and having a trellis or a shrub to train them up is essential for making sure that they are not going to get out of hand.

Pros:

This is a beautiful plant and in the right area, it is quite tough and very sturdy. You'll find that if you live in an area that is plagued by deer that these plants are quite resistant to the deer.

It is also relatively easy to care for and it does not need all that much attention beyond the pruning. It is fairly easy to find and it is a great way to add a splash of riotous color to your garden. As among the first flowers to bloom, it is a beautiful sign of spring.

Cons:

Carolina jasmine is poisonous and should be avoided if you have small children. Depending on how sensitive you are, it can also cause problems with its sap and handling it might mean that you need gloves on at all times.

It is also fairly aggressive and can choke out more delicate varieties unless you are careful. You will also find that the further north you are, the harder it will be grow

Have A Great Story Or Growing Experience About The Carolina Jasmine? Professional And Novice Gardeners Are Invited To Share

I invite novice gardeners to submit their stories, articles, questions, problems, comments, photos, just about anything related to this plant.


The professional gardening community is invited as well. Feel free to create a page on your plant nursery, gardening store, website, blog or other professional trade. Please include only information that is helpful to the members of this page and site.

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...