In part of the drab mid-January garden, lots of little yellow flowers sparkle amongst the bare branches of the dormant shrubs.
They are the flowers of winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), whose lax stems make it seem more like a climber than a shrub. In my garden it blends well with other shrubs because the long, thin stems with tiny leaves take up little space. It fills the gaps between other plants and becomes almost invisible in summer, while the other shrubs are in full leaf.
But just you wait for winter! Then the yellow starry flowers shine out against their dark background and add a touch of exuberance to brighten a cold and gloomy day.
If you leave it unpruned, the winter jasmine can spread quickly, with its flexible stems sprouting roots wherever they touch the soil. It’s easy to control the plant by pruning it after the flowers have finished, and it can be trained onto trellis or kept cut back to form a shrub. Personally, I like to have it growing in its natural, spreading form and I’m going to gather up some of the rooted stems to start new plants in other parts of the garden.
The flower you see in the photograph had been frosted and was still covered in water drops from the thaw. Although the frost destroys the jasmine flowers that are open, there are plenty of undamaged buds to provide lots more flowers – I’ll be sure to take the time to enjoy them. (And to take some more photographs!)
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Those yellow and white combination petals remind me of our buttercups. Very often as the plants age, the yellow petals take on patches of white. They’re actually just as attractive that way, especially if the yellow and white patches are symmetrical.
Is this as fragrant as many jasmines? Having a lovely scent in winter as well as color would be wonderful.
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Yes, the white patches are possibly caused by the sun burning the petals through the water drops…don’t really know, but definitely age-related! I can’t smell any scent from it and I don’t think it’s said to be scented. Would have been good if it was!
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Flowers in winter! How luck you are, Ann. 🙂
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Yes, I am, Steve! There may not be many different flowers at this time of year, but I’m grateful for all those that there are. 🙂
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Such a beautiful quality to this flower, like a glace effect. Wow!
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Thanks Liz! It was such an ephemeral effect too – later on the flowers that were frosted all looked very wilted. But there are more buds! 🙂
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cheerful yellow! the water drops make it very refreshing as well, Ann!!
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Thank you Indira! Water drops give a bit of variety to the things I can photograph here. 🙂
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It looks almost like an ice sculpture – lovely!
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Thanks Phao! The winter jasmine is a reliable subject to photograph at this time of year – I’m grateful for its cooperation, hehe!
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Great shot Ann.
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Thanks Flower – I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
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These little yellow flowers look so perky! I would love to have some in my yard right now – I need a touch of color.
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They’re lovely to see when everything else is a bit dull. I’m going to get some of the rooted stems going against the back fence, so I’ll be able to see them from the house easily. Jasmine is handy because it doesn’t seem to mind being at the back of everything else in summer but can get plenty of light when the other shrubs are bare – makes great use of the space!
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Is this the flower that smells so good?
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Ah, no…it’s the white one that has the scent. (Jasminum officinale.) I have that in the summer, but don’t yet get many flowers on it. I used to have a large one as a houseplant and the scent was terrific. But, sadly, the yellow jasmine has no scent at all – pity!
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This was the first shrub I bought 25 years ago after my little lass Jasmine was born. Like the Nudiflorum, she is my beautiful little winter flowering jasmine.
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Ah, that is really lovely! The best kind of Jasmine! 🙂
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😀
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Gorgeous photo! I love it that these little flowers visit even in winter. What a gift to us!
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Thank you Shelly! I love having these little flowers to brighten up the garden when there’s little else around. Nature is wonderful! 🙂
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I can imagine that! They are like pre-spring!
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I like pre-spring, but springy-spring will be even better! 🙂
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