those are not listed on california'a invasive plant list so they are probably well-behaved plants for your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: california weedy plant database

Thank you for the link Jeff. I looked through it and it has no Jasminium listed as being invasive. However I came across some information yesterday at plantsman's website. http://www.plantsman.com/JasGuidetoSpecies.html It has an indepth article that suggests that Jasminum officinale ÂAffine may become invasive under certain conditions.

"It is hardy to ice age proportions and can become a rampant weed like plant. Especially when planted in moist shade or in a N European garden where there is high rainfall and insufficient strength of sunlight.

Flowering tends to be weak and over very quickly before once again the plant produces enough new growth to power one of these new Bio Mass power stations. I am familiar with it both in London and Devon. In both places it rooted along the stem anywhere the stem touched soil/leaf debris & was running along the base of a wall or pushing its way into roof spaces and garden sheds. 10 out of 10 for vigour and at one house in London it squeezed the well appointed wooden trellis of the wall within 2 years of planting.

In my opinion with so many other choices of species it seems a folly to plant such a unrewarding plant. It did not earn its keep and the ratio of flowers to growth was remarkably low. Only an annual Âcull would bring the beast under control and of course reduce flowering even more. The end result was a vegetative nightmare speckled with the odd smattering of medium/poorly scented flowers for a few weeks a year."

well, if you go by his review, j. officinale 'affine' sounds like a plant that you may not actually want to devote garden space to.
and also, remember that the climate in your part of california may be nothing like the mild, cool, wet conditions he describes in england (unless you are in the northern part of the state)where the plant flourished and exhibited aggresive tendencies.
it is always a good thing to listen to experienced gardeners when it comes to plant selection but also consider the differences in growing conditions. what runs rampant in the southeast may be a good garden plant in the northwest.

Guy, who owns plantsman, probably knows more about jasminums than most people alive, but it's really hard to measure how a plant will perform in a different locale, especially with California's many microclimates. Myself, I'd pick the cultivar that grabs you the most and see how it does for a year; if it goes haywire it'll still be possible to pull it that year . . . .
but be careful!

Jim

Thank you for your insightful replies.

I do live in Northern California, and we have coastal fogs, that keep us cool (and make us somewhat similar to British in climate, though not enough to grow delphiniums :-(

We have some plants that have become problematic even though they have adorable fragrant flowers :-) Lathyrus and Scotchbroom are two that have become hard to eradicate. We do not have time to battle new invasives, and I definitely do not want to introduce a new one to the neighborhood :-)

Does anyone have experience growing Aspergillus verticillatus? I am thinking of trying that instead of the Jasminium.

i don't have experience with aspergillus but a vine that is popular here for fast growth and good fragrance is confederate jasmine or trachelospermum jasminoides. not a true jasmine, it has been cultivated in the southern u.s. for many years. it can be quite vigorous after establishment if you want something to cover a pergola or similar. blooms with honey-scented whitish (aging to soft yellow)flowers which almost hide the foliage over a long period in summer and a smaller flush in autumn. hardy to zone 8.