Middle Eastern Marvels - Garden Plants – Jasmine

Name – many botanists argue that the plant originated from India, while others place the origins of the plant even farther off – as far as Egypt and Persia (present-day Iran). This argument does have some logic as the name Jasmine is derived from the Persian 'yasmin' meaning a fragrant flower. It's also a Persian girl’s name which has developed widespread popularity across the world.

Description – An evergreen twining climber with attractive dark evergreen leaves. Grown primarily for the richly scented star-shaped white flowers which appear during summer, and often fade to a soft pink as they age.

Origin –It was said that a Chinese emperor of the Sung dynasty (960-1279 AD) had jasmine in his palace grounds so he could enjoy its fragrance, however, what we know for a fact is that in the 1400s, Jasmine was planted for the rules of Afghanistan, Nepal and Persia to enjoy in their palace grounds. In the UK it’s not entirely hardy, so you might want to grow it in a pot on a sunny patio (but with shade from the midday sun during the summer) and move to a protected spot with a minimum temperature of 15C during the winter. Feed every two weeks during the growing season with a balanced liquid fertiliser, jasmine can be pruned to fit its growing frame in late winter or early spring, but most jasmine varieties do not require regular pruning. If summer jasmine is getting too big, thin out shoots in winter by removing whole branches - do not simply trim back the whole plant as this will stop flowering. It’s a particularly good choice for covering the wall of an unheated conservatory.

For Decoration – In India some varieties are used as religious offerings: Hindus string the flowers together as neck garlands for honoured guests and the flowers of one of the double varieties (‘Belle of India’) are held sacred to Vishnu and are used as votive offerings in Hindu religious ceremonies. Jasmine oil and extract are used in many perfumes too. The simplest way to use it at home is to cut flowering branches and set them in vases which will perfume the whole room.

Middle East Jasmine photograph by brad23707, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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