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Fiona Sunrise versus species Jasminum officinale?

Bay Area Gardener
13 years ago

Hi,

I planted a couple of Fiona Sunrise vines in my garden earlier this year and am now waiting for the first flowers. I was wondering if this cultivar exhibits behavior different from the species (other than the leaf color of course)? Are there any differences with flower size/color/quality of fragrance? How about drought tolerance, eventual size and growth speed?

I have also read that the species is somewhat drought tolerant. This is of interest to me because our summers are very dry - we get almost no precipitation from late June through September or so. It would be great if someone who has tried either this variety or the species in the Northwest could chime in with their experience.

My experience so far: I planted two Fionas, one off mail order and one from a nursery. I planted the mail order one in April or so. We were having a rather warm early spring/late winter and I thought the plant would be happy outside. No sooner had it gone outside than we had a freeze and the vine promptly lost all its leaves. I waited for a month but the plant showed so signs of life, so I bought another one from a local nursery - this was in late May/early June and moved the Fiona I had purchased earlier to a spot beside the house - right by the foundation and under the eaves. It promptly came back to life. I now see lots of growth from it and what look like flower buds, so I am hopeful I see some flowers this year. The nursery-bought plant is languishing a bit; I'll give it a little more time to catch up.

Also, how hardy are these jasmines? Can I expect them to last through a zone 8 (borderline zone 7) winter? Thanks!

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