LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Carolina Jessamine: Positive Attributes and Caveats

One of the plants that we often see flowering along the edge of the woods in late winter is Carolina jessamine (AKA Carolina jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens). This is an evergreen vine with yellow flowers that’s native to the southeastern US, including Louisiana.

When I lived in central North Carolina, one of these plants grew on lattice next to my deck. (As you’ll read later in the article, this may not have been the best place for it.) Though I see Carolina jessamine growing in the wild here, I don’t think I see it planted as much here as I did there.

You can use this vine where you want something evergreen – with a seasonal perk of pretty yellow flowers – to cover a sturdy vertical structure like a metal fence or arbor. While Carolina jessamine often grows along the edges of wooded areas in nature, it flowers more abundantly in sunnier locations. The site should be reasonably well-drained.

If you do plant it next to a fence or lattice, it’s recommended that you weave it in and out, starting low on the structure, to encourage more growth on the lower and middle parts instead of just encouraging a mass of growth at the top that shades out parts of the vine under it.

Carolina jessamine will probably need to be pruned from time to time. It’s best to do this in the spring, shortly after it finishes flowering.

While this vine has a lot going for it, there are a couple of caveats. One is that it’s highly poisonous if eaten by humans or livestock. Bees are even reported to have been killed by it, so don’t plant it near honeybee hives. Also, be careful not to plant it where a child might mistake the fragrant flowers for those of honeysuckle.

A second note of caution is that it’s considered highly flammable, so avoid planting it too close to the house. We don’t talk about “firewise landscaping” a lot here, but in drier climates, it’s a more common consideration. We’re certainly not immune to wildfires, either, as we’ve seen over the past few years. A common recommendation in firewise landscaping literature is to not plant any high flammability plants within 30 feet of a house or other structure.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu, 985-277-1850 (Hammond), or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).