Common Name: winter jasmine
Type: Vine
Family: Oleaceae
Native Range: Northern China
Zone: 6 to 10
Height: 10.00 to 15.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Bloom Time: March to April
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Heavy Shade
Culture
Best grown in well-drained sandy loams with regular moisture in full sun to part shade. Tolerates full shade but with much reduced flowering. As a vine, it is perhaps best sited where it would receive full winter sun, such as the south side of a building or against a south-facing wall. Tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. Train as a vine on a support structure or sprawl along the ground. When grown as a ground cover, plants will spread less aggresively in poor, lean soils. Prune as needed in early spring just after flowering is completed. If renovation is needed, cut back hard to 18-24” or replace plants.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Jasminum nudiflorum, commonly called winter jasmine, is a trailing, viny shrub that grows from a central crown. As a shrub, it typically grows in a sprawling mound to 4’ tall with arching branches, and spreads by trailing branches that root as they go along the ground. As a vine, it typically grows to 10-15’. Willowy green stems are attractive in winter. Non-fragrant, bright yellow flowers bloom along the stems in late winter before the leaves. Compound, trifoliolate, dark green leaves with ovate leaflets (to 1.25” long).
Genus name is a medieval Latin name for the Persian name yasmin or yasamin.
Specific epithet means with flowers coming before the leaves.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for Japanese beetle.
Uses
Mass as ground cover for slopes, banks and terraces. Trail stems over a stone wall or terrace. Train as a vine on a support structure. As a vine, it is quite effective when framed close up in front of a wall.