Night-blooming Jasmine, properly known as
Cestrum nocturnum, is a highly fragrant shrub for sun or part shade. The small greenish-white, tubular flowers appear on new growth, opening only at night to release their perfume. During the day, they close back up again.
The fragrance can be quite intense and carries throughout an entire neighborhood. Some references claim this is the world's strongest smelling plant! All of the plants bloom repeatedly throughout the summer and all bloom at the same time. Each flowering cycle lasts about a week.
Cestrum nocturnum is fast-growing, and can quickly reach 12-15 foot in height if not trimmed back regularly. In this photo, the roof line is at 10 feet, giving you an idea of the ultimate size of the plant and the quantity of flowers they can produce.
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| The vine growing on the Cestrum is Chayote! |
The Night-blooming Jasmine is fairly tender and will freeze back during a hard freeze, but rebounds rapidly in the spring, ready for another season of intoxicating fragrance!
It is native to tropical America, and is recommended for USDA Zones 8-11.
5 comments:
I would happily grow this in my parent's garden if my dad wasn't such a big baby with the allergies. On my own balcony its too shady so oh well. BTW, I repotted the tipuana tipu and it should perk up in no time! There were a lot of air pockets in the soil that may be to blame. Umm... and I'm embarrassed to say that I may have messed up on the cattley guava seeds. I decided to briefly stick the fruit in the freezer to take no chances with the fruit fly larva but then forgot about it. I'm so embarrased! I'm going to bite the bullet and order some from tradewinds fruit. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness!
Your blog is so beautiful, as usual. I remember a Jasmine bush we had in So. Cal. that took your breath away. We also had a low opinion of the passion vine at that point. using the fruits for kids grendes. What I would give to have those things in my not so tamperate garden!
These are indeed very sweet smelling flowers! I remember when I was a kid walking back from night tution class with friends, suddenly there was this sweet fragrance in the air. Immediately everybody went suddenly very quite n ran helter skelter! Why? We were told that when you walked at nite n if there was a sweet fragrance suddenly, there might be a pontianak (local vampire) around! Hehehe..actually it was these nite-blooming jasmine in a neighbour's garden after all!
Hi, Jim! I love night blooming jasmine! Truly intoxicating!! I don't have one, but have the orange jasmine which also tends to bloom at night (also during the day)...the scent is so strong, but not as strong as the night blooming! Pure heaven!
I planted one on mom's garden ,close to a moringa tree that shades it
Still ,it blooms almost every month of our south florida's(Hollywood ,broward county)extended summers
See ,it is November 7th ,and that night blooming jasmine keeps flowering here
I loved them as I love regular jasmine and also a white blooming fragant ysora that is the only one mmore intense fragrance that night blooming jasmine
I also have a still growing white blooming acasia tree that is very fragant at night
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