Trachelospermum jasminoides Star of Toscane - Star Jasmine

The Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Star of Tuscany' distinguishes itself from the traditional star jasmine with its cream-white flowers that turn yellow and its fairly compact growth, making it more suitable for small gardens and pot cultivation. Its yellow flowers emit a more subtle fragrance than that of the classic Chinese species, a fragrance capable of perfuming a whole area of the garden on summer evenings. Adorned with glossy evergreen foliage that takes on beautiful reddish hues in cold and shady conditions, this climbing vine-plant also remains attractive all year round. It can be planted in the ground near a fence, used as ground cover, or even placed in a large pot on a terrace or balcony.

Star jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides, is a climbing or creeping plant in the apocynaceae family, related to periwinkles, as well as the Allamanda and Mandevilla (the Dipladenia, summer glory of our flowering pots). Its origins are found in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, where it grows on the edge of forests and among thickets.

The 'Star of Tuscany' cultivar was introduced before 2007 in the Netherlands. A bit slow to establish, the plant develops long stems that quickly lignify, its evergreen growth capable of reaching a height of 3m (10ft) and a width of 1.50m (5ft) over time. The branches are adorned with opposite leaves, with entire laminae and ovate-pointed shapes. They are thick and leathery, glossy, and green in color, varying in darkness depending on the nature of the soil. Their length ranges from 5 to 12 cm (2 to 5in), and their width from 2 to 4 cm (1 to 2in). When the plant suffers from cold or intense drought, the leaves take on a beautiful red color, more intense in semi-shade than in the sun, and then they fall. When conditions become more favorable, new leaves appear to replace them. The voluble branches encountering a moist surface emit aerial roots that allow the plant to cling to walls, ground, or stones, similar to ivy.

Another asset of Trachelospermum jasminoides Star of Tuscany is its tender yellow flowering with a golden yellow center, abundant from May to July depending on the climate, often blooming again in September, and especially divinely scented. The flowers are grouped in small clusters at the axils of the leaves and at the tips of the branches. The turbinate bud opens into a small corolla with a short tube that widens and divides into 5 narrow petals arranged in a spiral. The diameter of the flowers reaches 2 to 3 cm (1in). The fruit, rarely observed in our latitudes, resembles a pair of small curved green beans joined at both their base and tip. At maturity, they bear seeds with an egret. Like many plants in the apocynaceae family, false jasmine contains alkaloids that are toxic to humans.

A single plant of this false jasmine Star of Tuscany is capable of perfuming a whole area of the garden, especially in the evening and during warm weather. In most climates, except for the coldest ones, it can be planted in the ground, preferably well-drained and humus-rich, in sunny or semi-shady locations. With fairly slow growth, tolerating summer drought once well-established, this Trachelospermum is most often used as a climbing plant to cover a fence or small structure, but it can also form a magnificent ground cover, as an alternative to ivy. It can be grown in pots in colder regions to be able to protect it during winter. It can then be easily stored in an unheated conservatory to enjoy its beautiful winter foliage. Balconies and terraces can also accommodate its prodigious flowering by placing the plant in a large container.