For this installment of my series on native plants, I have chosen Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens).  This is the state flower of South Carolina, but its natural range is from Virginia to Florida over to Texas and Arkansas and south into Central America.  Several years ago I lived outside of Charleston, and although Jessamine vines were planted in gardens on purpose, it was more often found growing very vigorously and wildly in natural areas.  Each year beginning in late February the Lowcountry roadsides and woods come alive with the bright yellow blooms that can last into early April.  The intoxicating fragrance of so many Jessamine flowers all blooming at once made it difficult to concentrate.
 
     The name Jessamine is a corruption of the word Jasmine, and despite this fact, Carolina Jessamine is not a true Jasmine.  It was likely given that name because it is viney and fragrant like so many true Jasmines are.  Because it is so fragrant, I would recommend planting this somewhere near the house, where you can enjoy its aroma.  They prefer full sun, but will also grow and flower in shade, but the more sun, the more flowers.  They are tolerant of poor soils, but not extremely wet ones, and the more fertile the soil, the better the Jessamine will perform.  Because of their viney nature, I would definitely try to grow this on a trellis or a fence.  The vines can get anywhere between 10 and 12' long but is fairly easy to control with regular pruning each year after it flowers.  You do need to pay attention to it, as it can sometimes climb into and overwhelm nearby shrubs.  A mature plant will produce lots of fertile seeds and you will see these coming up in your beds, but they can be pulled to transplant, or to compost.  The last time we had our house painted I found it necessary to cut my Jessamine down to the ground - I think this only made it stronger.
 
     One thing you need to be aware of about this plant is that all parts of it are very poisonous.  It is ok to work around, but do not let a child or pet eat this plant.  I found out about the toxicity of this plant long after I admired it and planted a dozen of them on the fence surrounding my neighborhood's dog park.  I am glad the dog urine killed the vines before any puppy got sick from eating them.  You would think that any plant so toxic would be avoided by insects, but bumble bees and certain butterfly species crave the nectar from the Jessamine.  In fact, the bumble bees love this Jessamine so much that the whole plant will seem to vibrate from their activity. 
 
     After all of this spring hoopla dies down the Carolina Jessamine sort of disappears into the landscape looking like a nondescript evergreen vine.  It does however have a cousin called Swamp Jessamine (Gelsemium rankinii) that looks identical in flower and in foliage, but has the nice trait of blooming in the fall, as well as the spring - though a little later than Carolina Jessamine.  On the downside is the fact this moisture loving cousin has no fragrance, but it does bloom for more than one season.  If you want the best of each species, look for the combo pots that have one vine of G. sempervirens and one of G. rankinii.  We will have the combo pots available in late March, but the Carolina and the Swamp will be here by the time you are reading this.   If you have any other questions about this native beauty, or if you would like some suggestions for good companion plants, please let me know.
 
 
Les Parks