Confederate Jasmine

Host: Gary Bachman, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist

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The other spring flowering vine I absolutely love is Confederate jasmine today on Southern Gardening.

Flowering vines are a group of plants that many gardeners enjoy but don’t really give enough attention except when they are blooming in the spring. Today I’m going to focus on Confederate jasmine. Regardless of its name and the fact it is widely grown throughout the south, it is neither a southern native nor true jasmine. Confederate jasmine is an import from China and is hardy in zone 8 in Mississippi. It begins flowering by mid-spring through early summer and produces clusters of small white flowers having twisted petals that resemble tiny pinwheels. Even though the individual flowers are pretty small the prodigious numbers produce a fragrant punch as you pass by. Confederate jasmine is a fairly fast growing vine that can be trained to cover a trellis, wall or mailbox. This vine tolerates pruning very well; in fact, regular pruning keeps the foliage tight and looking tidy. Be sure to prune after flowering as the flower buds as set on last year’s growth. This is one of the few plants that I consider using pruning shears to be appropriate. The timing would be similar to any pruning you would do to landscape azaleas. Now is the perfect time to plant for flowering next spring in a well-drained landscape bed or even a large container near a landscape structure to climb. Fertilize at planting and maintain consistent moisture this year and get ready to enjoy the show next spring. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.