Winter jasmine
Jasminum nudiflorum · Oleaceae
Bright yellow flowers open on bare, arching, green stems through the mildest spells of winter. The stems stay green all year.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 10
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early January to late March
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around winter jasmine
The planner designed this bed around winter jasmine when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why winter jasmine stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Winter jasmine × 1, yellow
- 2 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 19, red
- 3 Leadwort × 28, blue
- 4 Golden Japanese euonymus × 1, variegated leaves
- 5 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 6 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 7 Virginia bluebells × 13, blue
- 8 Bloody cranesbill × 5, white
- 9 Creeping phlox × 3, pink
- 10 Chives × 16, purple
- 11 Easter lily × 5, white
- 12 Camassia × 6, blue
- 13 Spring starflower × 17, blue
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does golden Japanese euonymus.
Why here
- At the back. At 4 ft it is seen over coral bells 'Firefly' (10 in) in front of it, and has nothing behind it to hide.
- A step in the back row. Next to golden Japanese euonymus (6 ft) and Easter lily (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 12 weeks. From early January to late March.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 18 of the 20 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Leadwort repeats along the bed to tie it together. Blue is the colour seen most, on 4 of the 12 kinds grown for their flowers.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 8 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where winter jasmine goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
It will trail down a bank, hang over a wall or be tied up a fence. Unscented, unlike its cousins. Stems root where they touch the ground. Prune it after flowering.
- Winter flowers
- Trailing over walls and banks
- Training on a fence
What to plant with winter jasmine
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Snowdrop: in flower together for three weeks, from early March; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Bergenia: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid April; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about winter jasmine
Does winter jasmine need sun or shade?
Winter jasmine grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does winter jasmine grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 10. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does winter jasmine flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early January to late March. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Early January to mid March |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early January to early March |
| Zone 8 | Early January to early March |
| Zone 9 | Early January to late February |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should winter jasmine be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many winter jasmine plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is winter jasmine poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like winter jasmine?
Winter jasmine comes from South East Tibet to Central China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Coralberry: the same job in a bed; 24 in narrower, flowers mid July to early August.
- Fragrant sumac 'Gro-Low': the same job in a bed and the same colour; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 24 in shorter.
- Salal: the same job in a bed; 2½ ft narrower, flowers late May to late June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat winter jasmine?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will winter jasmine spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by stems that root where they touch the ground. Cut them back after flowering.
What flowers after winter jasmine?
Winter jasmine is over by late March. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lenten rose: from late March to early May, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Bergenia: from mid April to early May, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Daffodil: from mid April to early May, 16 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does winter jasmine look like in winter?
Winter jasmine drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter flowers. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants for deep shade
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Groundcover plants
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
- The first flowers of spring
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early January to late March; trumpets; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; dark green
- Shape
- Arching, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 10
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Comes from
- South East Tibet to Central China
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.