Volume XXXIII Number 1 Page 16

Gardeners are always searching for ways to disguise a fence, create privacy, cast shade over a patio or add low-maintenance color to the landscape. A Carolina jessamine variety known as Pride of Augusta fits the bill so well that it was named the 2008 Georgia Gold Medal winner for evergreen vines.

Pride of Augusta is a double-flowered form of our native Carolina jessamine, the state flower of South Carolina. The bright-yellow, tubular flowers are about an inch across and are borne in clusters along the stems. Although the spring bloom is the most dramatic, additional blossoms are produced sporadically throughout the growing season. Peak bloom lasts two to four weeks.

Also called Plena in some catalogs, Pride of Augusta Carolina Jessamine is a twining evergreen vine for sun or partial shade. It grows to a manageable 10 to 20 feet and is not invasive. Once established, is it low-maintenance, pest-free and deer resistant.

It grows best in zones 7 to 10 and in full sun or part shade.

Like other Carolina jessamines, Pride of Augusta needs help climbing a support, since it lacks the tendrils and holdfasts that other vines use to cling to a structure. Nylon fishing line wrapped around a post can be used to help guide the vine upward.

As it climbs, the plant produces numerous shoots along its main stems, which weep downward if left untrained. Occasional pruning may be necessary to thin these shoots and to direct the energy of the plant upward instead of outward.

Pride of Augusta Carolina Jessamine is a versatile vine. It adapts well to arbors, trellises and fences and can be used to cascade over large containers or walls. Plus, this vine’s bright yellow flowers work well in many garden situations.