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Thursday, April 20, 2017

A TALE OF TWO JASMINES

It is nearly 15 years since I planted this jasmine by the front door. Every spring from late March until the end of April it perfumes the garden wafting into the house when I open the front door. It is the  jasmine, Trachelospermum Star of Toscana,  cousin of the Confederate jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides.


As you can see it is an exuberant vine and constant trimming is necessary to prevent it covering the front door. ( I have seen a few front doors like that over the years) The original wooden trellis attached to the wall broke under the weight last year and there was grave concern over what to do; tear it down and replant or try to salvage? Finding a new one would not be easy as the only one I ever see is the white Confederate jasmine. David drilled into the wall on the side and tied it back with a piece of hosepipe. It was touch and go there for a while because the green hose and the wire attaching it to the wall were quite unsightly. But within a year it had completely covered the hose and now, as I look though the window, I am appreciative of David's fix.


Although growth is similar in that it is a self twining plant and reasonably hardy in central Texas, the flowers are yellow and more exuberant and I do find this one to be hardier than its cousin.


Compare this with the pure white flowers of the white confederate jasmine.


Despite its location on the similar NW facing wall this vine was severely hit by our winter freeze, all its leaves turning brown and many of its stems splitting. However, after pruning and primping, it has made a good recovery in recent weeks and is now flowering. Like the other jasmine it is constant work to keep it in its place.


Both are favorites for maintaining an evergreen look over the winter even though they do take work.

6 comments:

  1. It's beautiful. I'm sure the fragrance makes the effort to keep it in line worthwhile.

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  2. The yellow species is beautiful! I've never seen it here but I do have the white form. Mine could use a good trimming but I'm not as disciplined as you are there.

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  3. My confederate jasmine had to go this past winter. The combination of needing to continually prune it and all the paper wasp nests that it harbored (and the stings!) were more than I could take.

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  4. Mine is confederate and took a hit like yours. We tidied it up and it's blooming again and very happy. I'd love to find the yellow one! Your posts are always interesting and appreciated! Thanks!

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  5. I have never seen the yellow one, but Trachelospermum jasminoides strikes me as one of those plants that constantly expanding its range at the moment, be it because of climate change or because people are just discovering it to be hardier than they thought in a lot of places. It was virtually unknown where I am from in southwestern Germany twenty years ago and now several houses on my parents' street have it covering an entire trellis around the front entrance much as the yellow one does for you.

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  6. IS that yellowish jasmine a cultivar of Jasminum humile? If it's tougher than Star Jasmine, I should try it out this way. David's fix seems to have done the trick.

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