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Casual Gardener: Warming winter jasmine

Winter flowering jasmine is warmth for the soul on chilly days...

Winter flowering jasmine. Picture by PA Photo/thinkstockphotos
Winter flowering jasmine. Picture by PA Photo/thinkstockphotos Winter flowering jasmine. Picture by PA Photo/thinkstockphotos

THE law of supply and demand states that the rarer a desired item is, the greater its value. It should be a principle that can be applied to the winter garden, where flowers and colour are in short supply, but often isn't. Because the garden is an unwelcoming place during the colder months, fair weather gardeners tend to overlook many of the plants that are at their best at this time of year. It's an approach that only reinforces the view that winter gardens can't be beautiful, a misguided self-fulfilling prophecy.

Among the roll call of underrated plants that are most showy in the earliest months of the year is the rather ungainly Jasminum nudiflorum or winter-flowering jasmine, a plant that arcs and criss-crosses to create a mesh of stems and stalks that's most effective discreetly tethered to a plain wall.

The jasmine family has many members with year-round popularity. However, there are a number of imposters, who take the name because they're similarly scented. Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), Madagascar jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda) and Chilean jasmine (Mandevilla laxa) are not part of Jasminum genus.

Summer or common jasmine (J. officinale) is valued for its heady scent. The plant derives its name from the Persian 'yasamin', which means 'gift from God'. It has a number of ancient medicinal uses and recent research claimed that the sweet smell of jasmine flowers can be as effective as valium for calming the nerves.The essential oils of flower are also a key ingredient in many of the most popular perfumes and fragrances. Perfumers cherish the richness and intensity of its sweet floral note, alongside a seductive muskiness.

Winter jasmine is much less fragrant than its summer counterparts, though some gardeners insist it does give off a subtle scent. The plant's main attribute is the vibrant colour it delivers just when the garden needs it most. The hardy and deceptively robust flowers of winter jasmine – vivid, sunshine bright yellow and pure against naked green stems – are the perfect way to enliven a barren vertical service.

Jasminum nudiflorum was brought to Europe from northern China by the renowned plant hunter Robert Fortune in 1844. Its Latin name refers to flowers, which appear before its leaves – nudiflorum meaning naked flower. Unlike other jasmines, winter jasmine does not twine and therefore needs training if vertical growth is required. Although not strictly speaking a climber, the arching, rambling stems of this beautiful plant can grow up to 5m in length and it's recommended to support it for maximum effect.

Varieties to look out for include Jasminum nudiflorum 'Aureum'. This plant has yellow leaves and flowers in February and March. Jasminum nudiflorum 'Nanum' is dwarf, slow growing and compact, so ideally suited to situations where space is tight. As a gardening problem-solver, it's a winner because it's tolerant of poor soils and content in the shade. It's easy to maintain too, but vigorous varieties will respond best if given a severe pruning every 3-4 years.

It's not an especially fussy plant when it comes to soil type but if planted by a wall keep it well watered early on. Propagation is relatively straightforward and is best achieved by layering or semi-hardwood cuttings in late spring to early summer. Its splash of sunshine yellow in late January or early February is warmth for the soul on chilly days.