The Jasmine hedge is in full flower now, and the smell is gorgeous. It is trachelospermum jasminoides (“Star Jasmine”), really. Not a true Jasmine at all, but very reminiscent of Jasmine. I have a true Jasmine vine nearby and there are several similarities. Lots of lovely small scented flowers, looking like stars. See the comparison shot. (On the left is an actual Jasmine. Our friend is on the right.)
Here’s the hedge in full bloom:
You know, I was thinking…
If I ever have a daughter, perhaps I will call her Jasmine. With the agreement of the mother, of course.
Yes…. Jasmine.
Such a lovely name. Such a lovely scent.
Such a lovely flower.
-cvj
May 13th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Jasmine is a lovely name for a daughter, if only because the natural nickname is then “Jazz” (or Jaaz to be accurate).
May 13th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
I was thinkng that same thing just now!!
-cvj
May 14th, 2006 at 5:09 am
I’ve always liked Virginia, and also Roslind.
As for flowers with wonderful scents, Daphnes are gorgeous! A single sprigg can scent a whole room for days.
May 14th, 2006 at 6:13 am
If I were a girl, I’d been named the equivalent of Rosemary (as son of a biologist…). Naming girls after flowers seems to be a typical ‘white’ thing to do, by the way. At least, that’s what I recall from the book ‘Freakonomics’.
May 14th, 2006 at 8:29 am
Hilbert, one of our ferrets, loves Jasmine flowers. He never attacks the plants, but will sniff the blooms and is in complete ecstasy when given one to eat. When the plants are blooming his breath is always delightful.
May 14th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Would you mind making one small change, please? Change “With the agreement of the mother, of course.” to “With the agreement of her mother, of course”. Somehow, the “the” is jarring me like a nail scratching on a blackboard.
May 14th, 2006 at 10:38 am
Sorry it jars you. It is common usuage, and does not have the connotations you might be conjuring up. Just out of interest…. would it jar you if it were the other way around and the phrase “the father” had been used?
I’m just curious.
-cvj
May 14th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
Clifford, yes, unless it was an indeterminate child, in which case “the father” or “the mother” would be fine. But this is a very definite baby girl.
May 14th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
At present, the pleasing fragrance of star jasmine – most definitely – dominates the atmosphere of my garden. Because star jasmine is an exceptional climber – additionally – is a perpetual evergreen in the southeastern region of the U.S., this hardy vine serves as an excellent means to mask an unsightly fence or wall. Furthermore if your yard appears too structural or has an overly groomed appearance, this free flowing plant is an ideal specimen to use in order to tone-down the highly sterile/stark look of a manicured landscape. By the way, happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers of the blogisphere.
May 14th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
BTW, Yasmin is the original Arabo-Persian word from which Jasmine originates, and is also a very nice name.
May 14th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
The star jasmine next to my front walkway is just about to burst into bloom – I can’t wait!
May 14th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
Jasmine is your day bloomer. Night blooming jessamine, Cestrum nocturnum, is the queen of the night (related to tobacco). Its lush fragrance after sundown is so intense one cannot stand near it. Alas, the canes are weak wood and it takes some doing to get it over six feet tall. It is also a smorgapbord for aphids+ants, mealy bugs, snails, and some kind of large black space alien monstrosity with skinny legs. Heady delight needs regular spraying with insecticide.
May 14th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
Arun. I’m sorry about that. I prefer to leave the “the”, since it is all fictional or “indefinite”, in any case. Sorry.
Cheers,
-cvj
May 14th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Sat back down at the computer a while ago and the whole room smells of Jasmine. I looked around and found on the table the single flower that I picked yesterday to show you the comparison to the star Jasmine flower. This “true” Jasmine is the one on the left in the picture. That one flower has filled the entire room with a powerful and lovely scent. Amazing.
-cvj
May 14th, 2006 at 10:31 pm
…maybe there was a open window, or having sat with the many exposed, you might have been overpowered?
May 15th, 2006 at 7:50 am
Clifford,
You have a difficult and unusual style of prose. After several re-readings, I think I know what you said. A re-write in labeling the photos would be useful.
Some kind of jasmine grows in our yard.
May 15th, 2006 at 8:55 am
“You have a difficult and unusual style of prose.”
Thank you so much. That’s actually a very nice thing indeed to say!
-cvj
May 15th, 2006 at 10:18 am
interesting… striving to create prose convoluted as prose created by William Faulkner or James Joyce?
May 15th, 2006 at 10:31 am
…or Clifford Johnson.
I was just writing what I felt at the time. No styles were invoked – that I’m aware of.
-cvj
May 15th, 2006 at 11:06 pm
Beautiful Flowers!
Strange that the usage “the mother” and “the father” sounds jarring to me too. However, the reason that it seems so weird to me is that I’ve heard such usage only in the case when the parents are estranged. Maybe it’s an Indian English thing. I’m just wondering if there’s any difference between the usage across the Atlantic between The USA and UK?
May 16th, 2006 at 11:08 am
Speaking of baby names, this is totally addictive. If you can resist looking up your own name and the names of most of your friends, you have more self-control than I. The graph for Jasmine is apparently fixing to be the “witch’s hat” shape typical of certain girls’ names, e.g. “Lisa” and “Jennifer” — names that come out of nowhere and become very popular for a short while. A lovely flower, a lovely name.
May 18th, 2006 at 10:31 am
janet, you are right. i know of many people that can’t resist! it is too fun and too curious!
May 19th, 2006 at 10:36 am
Janet:- It is *fantastic*…. Er, make it stop now please! I can’t stop typing names.
Help meeeee…..
-cvj
May 19th, 2006 at 11:03 am
I vaguely remember Sean blogging about that naming thingy, not sure when or where…
May 26th, 2006 at 10:30 am
I showed this post to a 9 year old called Jasmine at the weekend. I think it made her day – big grins all around!
And janet – that thing is too addictive!
June 21st, 2006 at 11:49 am
Help! My star jasmine that grows up over the house has to be cut back because I am havingthe house tented for termites next week. They have already warned me the plant may die. Before this happens, is it possible to take cuttings off the plant and how do I do that? It is so beautiful, at least 15 feet high and in full bloom! It is too large to transplant the whole thing. Does anyone have suggestions for me? Thanks