Cestrum nocturnum

Public reference

Genus

Cestrum

Species

nocturnum

Cultivar

—

Trade name

—

Hardiness zones

8–11 (USDA)

Mature height

6–12 ft

Mature width

3–6 ft

Description

Night blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) is the plant behind the heavy, sweet perfume that fills warm summer evenings. Clusters of slender, creamy greenish-white tubular flowers open at dusk and scent the garden through the night, in repeated flushes from late spring into fall, followed by small white berries. Despite its name it isn't a true jasmine; it's a fast-growing shrub with glossy green leaves, reaching 6 to 12 feet in the ground and easily kept smaller with pruning or in a large pot. Give it full sun to part shade and regular water. Evergreen in zones 9 to 11; in zone 8 it may die back in a freeze and regrow from the roots, and farther north it grows well in a container brought inside for winter. All parts of the plant, especially the berries, are poisonous if eaten; keep it away from children and pets.

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