Jasmine officinale is listed as hardy to zone 7 (0ºF) and warmer. The common names are jasmine, common jasmine, true jasmine, white jasmine, summer jasmine, poet's jasmine, poet's jessamine and jessamine. It is semi-evergreen—keeping its leaves where winter isn't cold enough to cause leaf drop. Some 200 species of Jasminum grow in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world. The most cold-hardy species is a shrub, J. nudiflorum, called winter jasmine because that is when it blooms. There are other genera with species commonly called jasmine: Trachelosperma (Star jasmine), and Gelsemium (Carolina jasmine), which is also hardy to zone 7. I suspect the word "hardy" is used by nurseries to describe what they offer, but it is not one of the common names for a Jasminum species.

Good call, michaelspokane!! Sweet Summer Love is NOT related to SAC......or only rather distantly at best :-) The actual parentage has not been disclosed but SSL came about as a controlled cross between two hybrid parents. Both flammula and viticella are involved in the mix but to what degree, it is not possible to say without a DNA analysis.

SSL is much more closely related to C. xtriternata 'Rubromarginata', to which it bears a very close resemblance, being only a slightly different flower color. Rubromarginata also has a strong fragrance (described as 'almondy' or hawthorn-like) and blooms in late summer (July) into early fall. I grow both myself but on opposite sides of my garden and the scent on a late summer's evening from these two blooming at the same time is quite enchanting!!

@michaelspokane thank you for the Woodlander's tip! Any idea what variety it was called? And @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) love all the information, thank you!

It is listed as Jasminum officinale, and they give it a zone 8.

Hi @Westminster_7NYC,

I was on a similar hunt for a hardy jasmine. I once saw an enormous jasmine in full fragrant bloom, planted in the ground in a garden here in central NJ, so I know it‘s not impossible. Last week, I found “Kleim’s Gardenia” at a local nursery. The info on the label says that it’s hardy to zones 7-11, and I’ve seen some photos of it used as a hedge.

I’m always confused by the differences between jasmine and gardenia. The Kleim’s has thick glossy dark green leaves and small single white blooms that are very fragrant. My mom has luck growing jasmines indoors in NYC and hers are very similar to the Kleim’s except for the double flowers. Hers are enormous and when they bloom indoors, the perfume is amazing.

In my garden, I’m hoping it will be happy under a window in a SW garden bed against my home’s brick foundation. I’ve found that it’s a warmer garden bed, and bulbs such as dahlias and cannas return when planted there.

Good luck with your hunt!

It may not be impossible but there are very few jasmine that will reliably survive a zone 7 climate. Even in my climate, many will struggle over winter. And I would not take a garden center planting as evidence of the winter hardiness.....many times those are seasonal plantings and are routinely replaced as necessary.

The only jasmine that looks remotely like a gardenia IMO is Arabian jasmine or Jasminum sambac. This can have the large, often doubled flowers and broad evergreen leaves tat resemble gardenias but it is definitely a tropical species and will not survive outside below a zone 9. Gardenias are always shrubs while most jasmine species are vines although a few shrubby forms exists as well. Both J. officinale and polyanthum have compound leaves and are semi evergreen in cooler climates. And the flowers are quite petite although very fragrant and produced in abundance.

Grand duke and Grand duke supreme have the full gardenia like flowers.

Poets jasmine mentioned above is not very hardy...I have several and I overwinter them in the garage but the one in th ground in a sheltered location and covered up does at 15 to 16 degrees here in Houston.

I had been searching for Jasminum Officinale too. Many are listed as official jasmine but are actually spanish jasmine or Jasminum grandiflorum. You can tell by the leaves. Grandiflorum leaves are a bit shorter and rounder than Officinale and the scent is much more musty and smells strongly of indole ( An animalistic scent, some say feces or sweat). The Officinale has a cleaner purer scent. I finally found what I was looking for at Brushwoodnursey.com. I bought the Affine variation. They sell lots of clematis too and I was a bit dismayed to find that they prune the jasmine HARD, down to nubs to ship. It grows fast but because of the hard pruning no flowers for me this year. They start selling them around January or February and run out within a few months.