Varieties of Yellow Jessamine

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. The straight species of our native Gelsemium sempervirens, yellow jessamine, is hard to beat, but some people think everything can be improved upon. The cultivar ‘Pride of Augusta,’ of the famous Master’s Golf course fame --the eighth hole is named for the species -- has beautiful double flowers and they, too, are wonderfully fragrant. Lemon Drop is more shrub-like and good for a smaller space, the flowers are a softer yellow if you lean more towards pastels. The native swamp jessamine, Gelsemium rankii, blooms twice but doesn’t smell sweet at all. And although Carolina jessamine can grow in wet or even dry spots once established, swamp jessamine is found in actual swampy areas where it’s perfectly happy. Both species can bloom in full sun or partial shade, but with fewer blooms as it gets less sun.