Flowers and Plants
Gardening Guides
For a Bare Garden Wall or an Empty Corner, Consider Jasmine Nightshade
Solanum laxum has dainty white flowers and thrives in gardens where winters are mild
Jasmine nightshade (Solanum laxum), also called potato vine, has found a new home in gardens from California to mild-winter regions throughout the Southwest, where its relatively long flowering season is appreciated. The tendrils of jasmine nightshade climb up using whatever they find handy, decorating bare surfaces with sweetly fragrant white flowers and attractive dark green foliage. This member of the potato and tomato family needs support from a trellis or fence to transform an area into one reminiscent of a cottage garden.
Fall is the best time to plant jasmine nightshade. Although the heaviest bloom period occurs in spring, in some regions, you’ll see flowers through winter. It can take the vine a good year after planting before it really starts to concentrate on top growth.
Caution: All parts of jasmine nightshade are poisonous.
Fall is the best time to plant jasmine nightshade. Although the heaviest bloom period occurs in spring, in some regions, you’ll see flowers through winter. It can take the vine a good year after planting before it really starts to concentrate on top growth.
Caution: All parts of jasmine nightshade are poisonous.
Distinguishing traits. Dark green leaves that are 1 to 2 inches long create a nice green backdrop to bare walls or fences, or they can decorate a patio or arbor. Evergreen in frost-free climates, jasmine nightshade is deciduous in areas where winter temperatures dip below freezing; however, it grows back quickly in spring.
Pale purple blooms open to reveal white star-shaped flowers with prominent yellow stamens beginning in spring and lasting through fall, with the heaviest bloom period occurring in spring. The flowers are fragrant and may even appear in winter in the absence of freezing temperatures.
How to use it. Jasmine nightshade is suitable for use wherever vertical interest is desired, including a wall, fence or pillar; its foliage and flowers add beauty while producing filtered shade. It can also be used in a large planter where it can be allowed to cascade down the sides.
To create a moderately drought-tolerant cottage garden with a cool color scheme, use jasmine nightshade along with roses, gaura (Gaura lindheimeri), germander sage (Salvia chamaedryoides), Mexican bush sage (S. leucantha), Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi) and South American mock vervain (Glandularia pulchella).
To create a moderately drought-tolerant cottage garden with a cool color scheme, use jasmine nightshade along with roses, gaura (Gaura lindheimeri), germander sage (Salvia chamaedryoides), Mexican bush sage (S. leucantha), Parry’s penstemon (Penstemon parryi) and South American mock vervain (Glandularia pulchella).
Jasmine nightshade flanks a front entry.
Planting notes. Select a location that receives full sun (or filtered shade if you live in the low desert). It’s important to choose a spot protected from high winds, which can topple the plant. Fertilize in spring and again in June using a slow-release fertilizer.
Runners can be aggressive in some regions, but growth rate is usually more controlled in drier climates.
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Planting notes. Select a location that receives full sun (or filtered shade if you live in the low desert). It’s important to choose a spot protected from high winds, which can topple the plant. Fertilize in spring and again in June using a slow-release fertilizer.
Runners can be aggressive in some regions, but growth rate is usually more controlled in drier climates.
More
See surprising ways to use vines
Find out how to grow more great design plants
Common names: Jasmine nightshade, potato vine
Origin: Native to Brazil
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (USDA Zone 9; find your zone)
Water requirement: Low once established
Light requirement: Full sun (filtered shade in low-desert zones)
Mature size: 25 to 30 feet tall
Benefits and tolerances: Drought-tolerant; attractive to birds and bees; deer-resistant
Seasonal interest: Fragrant white flowers with bright yellow stamens throughout the year in frost-free climates
When to plant: Spring or fall