Confederate Jasmine!

When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, we go to the utility room and pick up the milking buckets, open the garage door and walk outside.  Right at the instant that we open that door, Tricia will say, "Mmmmm...  Smell that jasmine?"  I have Confederate Jasmine growing on a wooden fence that hides our air conditioning units.  The fragrance naturally permeates the backyard this time of year, but the return air from the air conditioner does a good job of dispersing the scent like a giant outdoor air freshener.  We love the smell and the honeybees like them too.

Confederate Jasmine in bloom

This particular plant is from a cutting that I got off of the 'mother' plant at my Grandmother's (who we affectionately called Bumby) house.  After she passed away and the family sold her house, I wanted to have something to remind me of her, so I clipped some cuttings from her Confederate Jasmine as well as some runners from some St. Augustine grass.  All of it survived and thrived and now I have some remembrances of my grandmother every time I walk out of the door.

Confederate Jasmine is not really a true jasmine.  It is a vine that can be trained to grow anywhere.  We do some pruning once or twice a year.  If we don't it would take over the place!  It likes to send out long vines that will grow into the air conditioner, if we let it and that's not good.  I've actually taken some cuttings off of this one and intend on starting it growing on an arbor that I'd like to build in the entrance to the garden or a pergola that we'd like to erect in the back.

Loaded with blooms

The Confederate Jasmine, when you clip it, emits a white, milky sap that is sticky.  It will get on your hands and clothes and stain them black, so you've got to be careful. The new leaf growth in the Spring is a bright green color while the mature leaves are a darker, shiny color.

If you stop long enough to observe things, nature is truly amazing.  Confederate Jasmine is also called Star Jasmine and you can see why in the photo below.  There is such beautiful symmetry in nature.  Look at the swirl or the vortex of the flower.  In the background you can see that there are numerous flowers that have yet to open. They sort of look like umbrellas that are waiting to be unfurled.

The Beauty of the Confederate Jasmine

The beauty of the Confederate Jasmine is one thing, and the sweet fragrance is quite another, but memories evoked by the scent of their blooms remind me of growing up in the South.  It's funny how a smell or a song can instantly transport you back in time...