Winter jasmine associations: 5 lovely scenes

On a a wall, a fence, a pergola

Requiring support to showcase its pendulous silhouette, winter jasmine ideally adorns walls, low walls, fences, and pergolas, enhancing them with its charming arching branches and abundant yellow flowering.

While it looks stunning on its own, pairing it with equally generous bushes or climbers helps to complement the predominant greenery once the flowering is over. You can choose one from this small selection of beautifully arching bushes to enhance its foliage with a duo of greenery, flowers, or berries: against a wall, a weeping-type bush like the Laburnum (Laburnum) will extend the lovely cascading effect from May with its superb yellow flowering, while a Cotoneaster lacteus evergreen will bring abundant spring cream flowering, a magnificent arching habit year-round, and red berries for many months. A Kerria japonica planted at the foot of the wall will maintain the yellow flowering of winter jasmine and pairs beautifully with its bushy silhouette.

Finally, on a fence or pergola, opt for a large winter clematis like Clematis armandii for simultaneous flowering in the depths of winter, creating a very graceful yellow and white palette, or a Clematis montana ‘Double Delight’ to brighten the area from April with its greenish-white flowering (it will flower again in late summer).

In a flowering country hedge

Beyond the traditional use of winter jasmine on a wall, the dimensions and dense habit of winter jasmine make it well-suited for use in hedges, where it can be mixed with various ornamental shrubs. For a winter display in a country garden, the elegant Abeliophyllum distichum or white forsythia enhances the scene when it is covered in white flowers at the end of winter. A Hamamelis, in orange hues like Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ or ‘Aphrodite’, elegantly completes this deciduous hedge, enhanced by a few Chimonanthus praecox. For a spring scene or evolution, the beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) and a black elder will provide lovely pink coloration and purple foliage with the elder. Complete this hedge with a few evergreens that enjoy the same soil conditions and sunny exposure, such as a Chinese spindle or Euonymus myrianthus and a variegated laurustinus.

Jasminum nudiflorum, Abeliophyllum distichum, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ and Chimonanthus praecox

A Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is also a good companion that precedes and accompanies winter jasmine with its beautiful orange-red fruiting from October to December, or even longer if the birds do not devour the berries. With similar dimensions and a slightly arching habit, taking over with yellow flowering when the jasmine begins to fade, a Hippophae rhamnoides with fine greyish foliage will form an unusual duo with the bright yellow winter jasmine!

A hedge composed of Sea buckthorn and Winter Jasmine

With spring or summer climbing plants

Winter jasmine begins to flower in late March, so it is wise to pair it with vigorous climbers that will take over during this period to bring subtle blooms. Choose climbers that provide a beautiful presence both in terms of foliage and flowering for a pleasing visual balance, as winter jasmine is very prolific. Spring clematis with impressive stature and large flowers, such as the Clematis ‘Proteus’ with pink flowers, or summer-flowering varieties like the stunning Clematis ‘Blue Angel’, whose soft green foliage contrasts beautifully with the jasmine, are all excellent choices.

In summer, fragrant honeysuckles also provide a strong presence, which can be measured against the imposing foliage of jasmine; they will find a support to wrap their lianas around, such as Lonicera periclymenum ‘Belgica Select’ with its stunning pink and yellow inflorescences, and Lonicera periclymenum ‘Scentsation’ with its bicolour yellow and cream flowers. Also consider a honeysuckle with light or variegated foliage to soften the jasmine’s foliage, such as Lonicera japonica ‘Mint Crisp’.

A deflowered winter jasmine, with climbers blooming in spring and summer: Honeysuckle ‘Belgica Select’, Clematis ‘Blue Angel’, Clematis ‘Proteus’, and Honeysuckle ‘Mint Crisp’

In a bed

Left free, without training, your winter jasmine will spread out much more horizontally than a plant trained against a wall. It may even form a ground cover in some cases. In this configuration, it is interesting to surround it with other shrubs that remain colourful in winter, such as the orange wood of a Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’ or a Cornus ‘Flaviramea’, a carpet of Hellebores, and some heathers (Erica carnea ‘Springwood White’). To keep this bed attractive in the beautiful season, plant a large shrub trained on a stem or in coppice that will rise above the jasmine, such as a Syringa, a Styrax japonica, or a Chitalpa, along with some tall summer perennials whose soft colours will brighten the dark green carpet: Platycodons, Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’, etc.

Winter jasmine as ground cover shares space with winter heathers and Hellebores, some decorative wood Cornus, and here a Lagerstroemia

In a naturalistic garden, winter jasmine can perfectly mingle with a somewhat wild flowerbed almost exclusively composed of brooms (Cytisus scoparius), their foliage closely resembling that of jasmine. Choose them in various colours and heights, from white to orange and pink, to create a bed that is both colourful and very natural: Cytisus sagittalis, the white Cytisus praecox ‘Albus’, the stunning Cytisus procumbens ‘Zeelandia’ in pink and orange, etc.

A naturalistic scene combining winter jasmine (in the centre) with a Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, some Achilleas, and brooms (Cytisus praecox ‘Album’ and Cytisus procumbens ‘Zeelandia’)

In a pot on the terrace

By skillfully staking and shaping it to create a casually arched silhouette of intertwined branches, winter jasmine becomes a wonderful bush planted in a container with a draining substrate. It is then enchanting on a terrace in the middle of winter, where it begins to bloom on the naked wood.

Surrounding it with a Salix Caprea ‘Kilmarnock’, also remarkable with its silver-yellow pom-poms on the naked wood, creates a truly magical winter scene. You can add a few evergreen shrubs with ornamental foliage on a sufficiently large terrace, such as a Cryptomeria japonica dwarf or a columnar yew (like Taxus baccata ‘David’ with golden foliage), or further enhance it with the superb foliage of a Hedera helix ‘Sagittifolia’ also shaped around a topiary. Pots of snowdrops and early muscari will complete this decor with great softness.

Jasminum nudiflorum (© Couleur Lavande), muscari, Hedera helix sagittifolia, Salix caprea ‘Kilmarnock’ and Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa’