Carolina Jessamine is a climbing vine, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Carolina Jessamine — the short answer
Carolina Jessamine: grown in zones 6–10, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 6–10
- Hardy to zone 6a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Carolina Jessamine on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether carolina jessamine actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score carolina jessamine against your land's real conditions.
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What Carolina Jessamine is
Carolina Jessamine grows as a perennial and reaches around 20 feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Carolina Jessamine
Carolina Jessamine grows in USDA zones 6 through 10. Carolina Jessamine does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 800 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
6-10
Rated hardy to zone 6a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
800+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
20 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant carolina jessamine in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Carolina Jessamine prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut carolina jessamine blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Carolina Jessamine thrives
Carolina Jessamine is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 10. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 6–10 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 16 outright and splits 32 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–10·Where Carolina Jessamine growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Carolina Jessamine stands, state by state
Carolina Jessamine is rated for zones 6–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 16 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 32 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–10
16 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 16 shown
The line runs through
32 states
3 of 32 shown
Carolina Jessamine’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 6–10
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Carolina Jessamine
Growing guides for carolina jessamine
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — carolina jessamine is toxic to dogs and cats (severe severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Carolina Jessamine offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Carolina Jessamine's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Carolina Jessamine will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether carolina jessamine actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Carolina Jessamine
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Carolina Jessamine in my zone?
Carolina Jessamine grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10 (Rated hardy to zone 6a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Carolina Jessamine?
Most growers plant carolina jessamine after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Carolina Jessamine need?
Carolina Jessamine needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Carolina Jessamine need?
Carolina Jessamine prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Carolina Jessamine attract pollinators?
Yes — carolina jessamine's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Carolina Jessamine safe for pets?
Carolina Jessamine is toxic to dogs and cats with severe severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Carolina Jessamine
Carolina Jessamine state by state
Every state carolina jessamine's zone reaches — 2 link straight to that state's carolina jessamine growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.