Yellow Jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens

Born in the South, Carolina jessamine is a terrific native vine for Carolina landscapes– it's even the state flower of South Carolina. Admired for its sweetly scented, canary-yellow flowers, this vine really puts on a show from February to May, depending on the weather. The golden, funnel or trumpet-shaped blooms are 1½ inches long and seen in small clusters, with narrow, glossy evergreen foliage. The foliage bronzes in winter.

Carolina jessamine is tolerant of wind, short periods of drought, and is moderately salt and wet soil tolerant. Carolina jasmine is winter hardy to USDA Zones 7-10 where it is best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun and acid to slightly alkaline pH. It will tolerate light shade, but best flowering and growth occur in full sun. Plants will grow as a twining vine or, if unsupported, as a bushy ground cover.

Carolina jessamine can be trained to arbors and trellises and is often found in wooded areas and thickets growing up tree trunks. The jessamine has a modest growth rate until well-established; it generally takes three to four growing seasons for the vines to cover an average-sized arbor. It is well suited for growing in vertical spaces like trellises, arbors, fences, planters, porch columns, and screens.

This landscape plant will become 20 feet or taller when allowed to grow untrained. Occasionally, older jessamine vines become top-heavy or sparse. This can be remedied by pruning the vines soon after they finish flowering. It can become weedy in disturbed areas and along roadsides.

Fire Risk: This plant has an extreme flammability rating and should not be planted within the defensible space of your home.  Select plants with a low flammability rating for the sites nearest your home.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious pest/disease problems.

Quick ID Hints:

• Thin, wiry, evergreen vine that climbs by twining
• Leaves are shiny green, opposite and lanceolate
• Persistent fruit is a flattened, dehiscent capsule
• Flowers are golden yellow, funnelform, axillary

Carolina jessamine can be confused with honeysuckle vines which have different flowers and broader leaves with a lower length-to-width ratio. As a seedling, it may be confused with Vinca minor which has shorter, obtuse leaves, violaceous flowers, and non-climbing stems. Euonymous fortunei is also similar but has toothed leaves.