The Story of the Runaway Jasmine

When it comes to landscaping, one of the most common mistakes gardeners make is not taking into consideration the size of a plant at maturity instead of its size when they plant it. I have to admit that I was guilty of making that mistake a few years ago when I planted a Carolina jasmine plant (also known as Carolina jessamine) on a small trellis outside our bedroom window. Nice, huh? Well, that was four years ago, and those little Burfordi holly plants now stand about six feet tall and are completely covered by the kudzu-like jasmine vine ... And the little trellis has long since disappeared, hidden amongst the hollies in a tangle of jasmine vines ... Even though the vine has "done its own thing," I enjoy seeing it from our bedroom windows, and love the heavenly scent of its trumpet-shaped blossoms. Here are some closeup shots of the flowers ... I even like the contrast between the bright yellow blooms and the deep red berries of the hollies ... In fact, now that I think about it ... anyone can plant jasmine on a fence (like our neighbors' fence shown here) ... But it takes a special talent to grow it on a living trellis like our hollies, don't you think? [For more information about Carolina jasmine plants, you can visit this website: Carolina Jasmine]

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

For those of you who are still experiencing winter's wrath and pining for Spring, I thought I would share some pictures I captured yesterday of our Carolina Jasmine plant that is in full bloom. I planted it on a small iron trellis a couple of years ago, which was poor planning on my part. The poor little trellis disappeared long ago, and the Jasmine has totally wrapped up the hollies surrounding it. Even though my plant reminds me of that old horror movie The Blob, in which some oozy gooey stuff covered everything in sight, I still love its bright yellow blooms in the Spring. It's like a burst of sunshine outside our bedroom windows, especially on these dreary, rainy days we've been having. I love the way the sun was filtering through the petals of these blossoms (you can click on the pictures if you'd like to get a closer look). There's a old saying about "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." I think that's true of Carolina Jasmine, too. Just look at my neighbor's plant cascading gracefully over her fence. It's so much prettier than my "blob."