Cestrum parqui
“Chilean Jessamine”

photo: Zelda Richardson

Quite possibly the hardiest & longest blooming Cestrum of them all! Tresses of yellow flowers perfume the night for months & months (late Spring onward) on this easy, hardy, evergreen shrub. In 2004 this species made the Royal Horticultural Society’s list of top 200 plants of the last 200 years. Here in USDA Zone 9, it gets to be a 5’ shrub with about equal spread, but it gets much larger in warmer climes. Cestrum parqui is actually so easy to grow that it is considered to be invasive in some parts of the world – notably in Australia, where everything seems to be invasive. It has been evaluated for invasive potential in California, & so far is not considered problematic. Average to rich soil with average water in sun, please. Drought tolerant once established.

Claire Woods
Propagator