Carolina Jessamine

Gelsemium sempervirens

Hills guide picknative · Central Texassold locally

Carolina Jessamine is a vine native to Central Texas that grows 6–20 ft tall and 8 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and medium water, and handles clay soil. Blooms yellow in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May and Dec. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Deer rarely browse it. Good for butterflies and hummingbirds.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Evergreen twining vine with glossy leaves and fragrant yellow trumpet flowers in late winter.

Why it works here

Evergreen screen on a fence plus the first strong fragrance of the year.

Watch out

All parts are toxic, including the nectar. Gets top-heavy — thin it every few years.

The facts

8 sources

Type: Vine
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Medium
Height: 6–20 ft
Spread: 8 ft
Bloom: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Dec · yellow
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, loam, moist, sand, well drained
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it. All parts toxic; deer avoid it entirely.
Wildlife: Supports butterflies and hummingbirds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in this EPA Level IV ecoregion in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Northern Blackland Prairie

3 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. A Central Texas grower lists it; sizes were not published.

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.