Primrose Jasmine

Primrose Jasmine (Jasminum mesnyi) covers a bank, a fence or a retaining wall faster than almost anything else. It builds an arching, weeping mound about 2.5m each way, carrying clear yellow flowers along every cane from late winter into spring. It scrambles rather than twines, so it spills over a wall but needs tying in to climb.

Why you'll love it

• Colour at the end of winter. The yellow flowers open while most of the garden is still asleep.
• Fast cover. A bare slope or a wire fence disappears within a couple of seasons.
• Hardy across many climates. Frost hardy, drought tolerant and heat tolerant once established, from subtropical gardens to cool temperate and Mediterranean ones.
• A weeping habit built for walls. Given an edge to fall over the canes cascade and soften hard masonry, and one prune a year is the whole job.

Where it works best

Retaining walls and slopes. Plant along the top of a wall and let the canes hang, or through a bank where the arching stems root as they touch soil.

Screening and privacy. Plant 1.5m apart along a fence. It will not make a formal hedge, but it builds a thick informal green wall to about 2.5m.

Groundcover and mass planting. Left unsupported it spreads into a low mounding cover at the same 1.5m spacing, knitting together in two seasons.

Growing Primrose Jasmine in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings the heaviest flowering; partial shade is tolerated but the display thins. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and being frost hardy it comes through a southern winter without fuss.

Soil. Not particular. Any reasonably drained soil works, including the thin ground along the top of a retaining wall. Improve heavy clay with compost and plant slightly proud.

Water and feed. Water twice weekly through the first summer to get the roots down, after which it only needs help in long dry spells. One application of complete slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering, cutting the oldest third of the canes back hard to the base. That keeps it dense and stops the centre going woody, and it reshoots readily enough that an overgrown plant can be renovated.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and in 140mm pots sold in packs of ten. Tubes are young rooted plants with a few short canes, best where you need numbers for a large slope. The 140mm plants are a season ahead and cover a fence line sooner.

Both sizes travel well because the growth is flexible rather than brittle. Expect a quiet first few months while the roots establish, then rapid extension through the first warm season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the climbers and groundcover range
• Compare plants for retaining walls
• Softening fences and retaining walls with planting
• Other drought tolerant plants

Common questions

Is it fragrant like other jasmines?

Barely. It is grown for its yellow flowers rather than its scent, and most people find it close to scentless. If perfume is the point, choose a different jasmine.

Will it climb a fence on its own?

Not really. The canes arch and scramble rather than twine, so they need tying in to go upright. On a wall or bank they need no support at all.

How do I stop it looking messy?

Cut it back hard right after flowering and remove the oldest canes at ground level each year. Skip that for a few seasons and it becomes a tangled woody mound.

How far apart should I plant it?

Space plants 1.5m apart for a screen or a mass planting. That gives each plant room to build its mound while still closing the gaps in about two seasons.