Carolina Jessamine

Size, growth and what to expect

Carolina jessamine grows slowly until it is established and then at a medium pace, about a foot and a half a year in our growth estimator. A vine climbs 10 to 20 feet on a trellis or into trees, and unsupported it mounds about 3 feet high. One plant covers 3 to 6 feet of fence.

Fragrant yellow trumpets about an inch and a half long open from February into April, sometimes as early as December, and a few may follow in fall. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies such as the spicebush swallowtail visit them. Flattened capsules about an inch long ripen from September into November and split to release winged seeds.

It grows wild from Virginia and Tennessee south to Florida and west to Arkansas and eastern Texas, and in the highlands of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. It climbs over thickets, fencerows and open woods and high into pines, on ground from dry to wet. NatureServe ranks it imperiled or critically imperiled in Tennessee, at the edge of its range.

How to grow Carolina Jessamine

Carolina jessamine flowers and grows best in full sun, and it takes part shade, though it blooms less there. It wants a moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Once established it rides out short droughts and occasional wet spells, and it tolerates wind and some salt. It climbs by twining, so give it a support to wind around. Set the support 3 feet from a wall, and set plants 4 feet apart along a fence or trellis for a screen. It burns readily, so where wildfire is a risk keep it out of the planting zone next to a house. At its size it can go within 15 feet of overhead wires.

Saplings ship bare-root or potted. Plant them in cool fall weather, in a hole wider than the roots and no deeper. Set the crown at the soil line, put the native soil back in, and keep the mulch clear of the stems. Tie the first shoots to the support with soft ties until they twine on their own. Collect the brown capsules in October or November, dry them for a few days, and break them open for the seed. Keep the seed sealed in the refrigerator until spring. Sow it in spring in pots of seed-starting mix, with no chilling first. Softwood cuttings taken in summer root under mist in 10 to 12 weeks.

Water in dry spells through the first year, and keep a layer of mulch over the roots. Feed it lightly, since too much fertilizer cuts flowering. Prune right after it blooms to shape it and keep it on its support. An old vine grown top-heavy or sparse can be cut back to a few feet above the ground after flowering. Deer and rabbits will not eat it.

Plants bear flowers of one of two forms, and seed sets only when bees carry pollen from one form to the other, so plant three or more seedlings for seed. It has no serious pests or diseases, though it can turn weedy along roadsides and in disturbed ground. Its pollen and nectar harm honeybees, so it is a poor choice near beehives. Every part of the plant is poisonous if eaten, even the nectar a child might suck from a flower, and honey made from its nectar can poison people.