When we moved in last summer, it took some time for me to discover the large Jasminum mesnyi because it was well hidden behind a thick Eleagnus hedge. It had been planted up on the retaining wall between the garden and the neighbors lower back terraces. It had apparently never been trimmed and was hanging way down over the neighbor’s small back terrace, shutting out light and taking up space. Which is why one day in August, when I was working in the garden, she opened her window and begged me to please trim the monster. Of course I did and heaped up several big mounds of trimmings. It was not only hanging way down on her terrace it had also spread along the retaining wall and was growing into and all around the Pittosporum and the Reineclaude tree.
Our neighbor, who has since become a friend, called it “Jasmin d’Hiver”, which is normally used for Jasminum nudiflorum, flowering on naked branches in winter. However this one has yellow semi-double flowers along with bright green leaves in March. So I’m inclined to think it’s a Jasminum mesnyi, although the flowers are not fragrant, it blooms only in March, and it is apparently quite frost hardy.
Since that first heavy trim I’ve been cutting it back two or three times per year. It’s a very vigorous grower and I don’t quite understand why someone would plant it this close to the retaining wall, behind a thick hedge. Maybe the hedge came later? Anyway, it’s hard to get to and hard to control back there.
But the flowers in March are lovely and so for now it stays. In any case we would need a digger to get it out and then the hedge as well as the lovely Pittosporum and Reineclaude trees would have to be taken out as well since it’s all become quite entangled in the ground.
Jasminum mesnyi is a dense scrambling evergreen shrub, able to grow 3 meters high and 2 meters wide, and can be made to climb. It is a native of Vietnam and Southern China. This one does well here in this dry, hot climate and only gets a bit of sunburn in the height of summer.
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