Caxton magazines staff
Few climbers can rival this plant’s beauty and fragrance. By choosing a combination of different varieties, you’ll be able to enjoy its delightful scent all year round. Follow these tips on growing jasmine throughout the year.
Jasmine at a glance
Position: does best in full sun or partial shade.
Plant: in moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter.
Flowering season: spring, summer, autumn or winter, depending on the variety.
Water needs: moderate.
Frost tolerance: generally semi-hardy to hardy.
READ MORE: Different types of soil for your garden
Plant these jasmines
Spring-flowering Jasminum polyanthum
One of the most prolific flowering plants of the entire jasmine group, J. polyanthum has delicate evergreen foliage that belies its hardy nature. From late winter through to spring, thousands of pink buds appear all over the plant and erupt into clouds of sweetly scented white flowers that last for a few days before being replaced by yet more blooms. It will grow both in full sun and semi-shade.
Landscaping tips: Reaching 4-5m, this jasmine is incredibly aggressive in its growth habits, so if you have a smaller garden, contain its roots in a pot to prevent it from taking over. However, if you have a wall or trellis that you want to cover quickly, then this is the plant for you.
Autumn-flowering Jasminum sambac
More commonly referred to as the Arabian jasmine, this bushy 3 x 3m climber produces scented white blooms for many months of the year; the flowering season starts in late winter and continues until the following autumn. It was initially grown for its flowers which were used to make herbal teas.
Make your own fragrant cuppa by steeping a few blooms in hot water, or add them to your bath water as a pampering treat.
This plant prefers full sun and is semi-hardy.
Landscaping tips: As it blooms at night, train this jasmine up the pillars of your veranda so you can enjoy its fragrance in the evenings.
Read more like growing jasmine: Six unusual flowering climbers
Summer-flowering Jasminum officinale ‘Clotted Cream’
This is a cream-coloured form of the much-loved common jasmine, but with larger flowers with even more fragrance. Not only will this climber fill your garden with its wonderful scent throughout the summer months, its flowers are edible and make a pretty addition to salads and desserts. It’s semi-hardy, prefers full sun and reaches a mature size of 12 x 3m.
Landscaping tips: It spreads quickly in all directions, so it’s a great choice for covering unsightly buildings or large trellised areas.
If you enjoyed this feature on growing jasmine, you’ll enjoy: How to create a magical white garden
Winter-flowering Gelsemium sempervirens
With sprays of scented yellow trumpet flowers from late autumn all the way through to spring, this false jasmine will add a cheery touch to any winter garden. Reaching 3–6m, this plant grows in full sun or semi-shade and is frost hardy. Take care when pruning it as the sap may cause skin irritations.
Landscaping tips: G. sempervirens has a light, airy, twining habit that works well in an informal setting, especially when it’s combined with other spring- and summer-flowering climbers. Allow it to scramble over fences or up a trellis.
