A Dandy for Winter: Jasminum nudiflorum

Jon Hetman

iscovering eye-catching ornamental without any appreciable color change. In the interest in the winter landscape can wild, produce rather inconspicuous black Dbe a challenge, but is by no means an berries, though cultivated plants appear to be impossible task. Some taxa retain their attrac- self-sterile. tive fruits long into winter, and plants with Perhaps unsurprising for a that blooms handsome bark like paperbark maple (Acer at the most unforgiving time of year, winter griseum) or colorful stems like red osier dog- is a fairly tough customer. It toler- wood (Cornus sericea) stand out like beacons ates a wide range of both soil and light condi- against a snowy backdrop. Truly astonishing, tions, though it grows and flowers best in full both from a visual standpoint as well as a sci- sun to part shade in well-drained, loamy soil entific one, is the odd species that hazards to with regular moisture in USDA Zones 6 to bloom when most other plants—and indeed 10. Gardeners also appreciate its versatility of most pollinators—lie dormant. Jasminum form, growing it as a small (3 to 4 feet [1 to 1.2 nudiflorum, or winter jasmine, is one such meters] tall) or spreading ground cover, horticultural jewel. or even training it up a vertical surface using A member of the olive family (), supports. Its long, arching branches make it a winter jasmine is a hardy member of a genus great choice for cascading over a wall or terrace. best known for its potently fragrant tropical and Winter jasmine displays incredible vigor as a subtropical members. Blossoms of this small ground cover; its stem tips root readily where deciduous shrub appear before the leaves (its they touch the ground, making it an attractive choice for erosion control. It may sprawl aggres- specific epithet means “naked flowers”), borne sively under the right conditions, but cutting it singly in the leaf axils on the previous year’s back will both rejuvenate the plant and produce wood like its relative, Forsythia, which it rather fewer bare patches in subsequent flowerings. resembles. Winter jasmine’s small, waxy, bright No serious insect or disease problems trouble yellow flowers feature funnel-shaped corollas its robust nature. that flare at the end into five or six spreading Native to , winter jasmine can be lobes, giving a starlike appearance. These are found thicketing slopes and ravines in , described as either non-fragrant or possessing , , Xizang (Tibet), and . a delicate, mossy scent, but in any event they The plant was introduced to the West in 1844, do not summon the delightful olfactory sensa- and first described by English botanist John tions that makes its genus name synonymous Lindley in the Journal of the Horticultural Soci- with perfume. Fortunately this shortcoming ety of London in 1846. It has gained popularity is redeemed by an extremely lengthy period in Europe and North America as an ornamen- of bloom, which may last from November to tal, even naturalizing in parts of France and the March. In severe winters, some dieback may . A small number of cultivars have occur and flowers may suffer damage, but the appeared in the trade, notably ‘Aureum’ with plant usually rebounds to continue flowering yellow-variegated leaflets and a slow-growing after such events. dwarf form called ‘Nanum’. Compounding the seasonal interest offered The Arnold Arboretum has grown winter jas- by its flowers, J. nudiflorumalso delights with mine since 1885, beginning with a cultivated arching, willowy green stems that provide fur- plant attributed to Charles Sprague Sargent, per- ther visual relief from winter’s tonal monotony. haps cut from his own garden. Today, accessions In spring, stems produce compound leaves that grow in two locations—in the Explorers Garden are oppositely arranged and composed of three (603-81-MASS) on Bussey Hill and in the ter- ovate leaflets, each about ½ to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 races of the Leventritt Shrub and Vine Garden centimeters) long. Foliage stays a lustrous dark (654-2003-MASS). Seek them in bloom this win- green through the summer and drops in autumn ter for a delectable foreshadowing of spring.

Jon Hetman is Director of External Relations and Communications at the Arnold Arboretum.