PlantFiles: Stephan's Jasmine
Jasminum x stephanense

I ordered 4 plant last year from a nursery that said the plants could survive to zone 5.

Well I'm in topsfield mass and in 2012-13 the winter got down to -10 one morning. 1 of the plants survived and has buds on all the vines, the other look like they will come back from near the ground. I did not mulch them and did nothing to prep them for winter. They are exposed in a sunny area of the yard.

My 2 year old plant survived an exceptionally cold winter with min reaching -20F. First year after planting it did not bloom at all. This year there was very little bloom, only on one stem. I am wondering if it has to do with the cold winter. By now (mid august) the vine tripled in size, it's hard to say how long the stems are, I estimate 12-15 feet. I hope I'll get more blooms next year. Their fragrance is lovely.

Ordered 10 plants online for various areas and all 10 grew 5 - 7 feet the first season. Competed well with tall grasses and little care except water. Surprisingly even the ones in part and full shade. Only negative is it's fragile compared to other vines when moving to train up a tree or fence.

Update May 1-
a tough winter for a zone 7 but not below 0 F
All 10 plants lost their leaves and vines apparently dead almost down to ground. We'll see if any spring back to life.


Update June 2010
After dying off the past 2 winters, finally received dozens of delicately fragrant flowers this spring. Delicious and well worth it/

I have this Jasmine in a pot at the base of a small pergola in front of our garage. Our zone 6 weather in Massachusetts is too cold, so I simply unwind it from the pergola and move it into the unheated garage for the winter. This is our third year and it is beautiful. The light shade, fragrance and inflorescense are a nice touch around the kitchen entrance.

I purchased my Stephan's Jasmine from a vendor listed in the plant files. Their clone is purported to be hardy to zone 5. I can vouch that my plant grew six feet in its first season, and has laughed off minus 8 Fahrenheit, even managing to keep some of its striking green leaves.

Like different gardenia cultivars, I suspect not all cultivars of Stephen's Jasmine have the same hardiness, so do your research before you purchase and plant!

May 8, 2007 update. There was some vine die-off above two feet, but new shoots have appeared down low on the vine. It will fully recover. What a vine!!!

June 4, 2008 update. IT BLOOMED! The fragrance is very faint, but jasmine. It may be more fragrant at night, unfortunately the flowers are short-lived. Sniff 'em quick. :)

May 20,2010 update. FINALLY! This year after a mild winter my Stephan's jasmine is finally living up to its promise. It is covered with buds, and the first two that have opened are intensely, sweetly fragrant. It's similar in fragrance to poet's jasmine, only a bit lighter, and much sweeter. The fragrance of this jasmine is second for me only to jasminum sambac.

I absolutely adore the foliage on this plant - crisp green and ornately shaped. I have one receiving full afternoon sun in zone 8, where it's evergreen, but I've yet to see it romp away and it flowers very sparsely. Will see how it does next summer!