Jasminum nudiflorum

Common name: Winter jasmine
Plant type: Flowering shrub
Flower color: Bright yellow
Bloom period: January-March
Fragrance: None
Height: Trailing to 16 feet
Hardiness: Zones 6b-9a
Light needs: Part shade to full sun
Moisture needs: Average
Seasonal character: Bright yellow flowers in late winter.

Blooming with starry flowers of bright lemon yellow since the middle of January here in Paris, winter jasmine is lighting up the winter scene like spring sunlight. More graceful and refined than forsythia--and much earlier blooming--this plant is a treat not to be missed in Zones 6b and southward.

The blossoms are about half an inch across and star-shaped, with 5 flared petals and a long, tubular throat in classic jasmine fashion. The only thing missing from this jasmine is the scent. In fact, its lack of fragrance makes winter jasmine atypical not only for its genus but also for the general grouping of winter-flowering plants, which usually rely on strong, sweet scent to attract pollinators. But the blossoms make up in profusion and cheerful color what they lack in fragrance.

Winter jasmine is a trailing shrub of many uses. I particular treasure the few plants that have this unusual form because I can create so many lovely effects with their limber branches. Winter jasmine is just the ticket if you need a plant to scramble over a bank, acting as a large-scale groundcover. If you have a retaining wall, plant a mixture of winter jasmine and rambling roses to create a winter- and summer-blooming fountain of flowers that foams gracefully over the wall. Another of my favorite ways to see this plant is trained against the wall of a house, where its branches create a delicate tracery of green twigs, even when not in bloom. In the photo above, taken in Parc Monceau just a half a block from my front door, the shrub was planted in a raised urn, then allowed to cascade down and pruned tightly and uniformly to create the dome-shape you see.

Winter jasmine is a vigorously growing plant and has a tendency to become thickety. Every few years you may want to cut down to ground level in late winter before new growth appears in a drastic renewal pruning. Feed it generously after this radical measure once new growth appears. Otherwise, profit from its prolific growth to cut branches to bring inside for winter arrangements. Even branches cut in December before blooming begins are easily forced into bloom in a warm room, where they'll be a welcome harbinger of spring on a gray afternoon.

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