JASMINUM sambac 'Gran Duca di Toscana'

Fabulous and famous variety of Jasminum sambac, dedicated to the Grand Duke Cosimo III de 'Medici who at the turn of the eighteenth century was particularly proud and jealous, to the point of having built in Florence in one of his residences specific heated greenhouses called “mugherini stoves” dedicated to the cultivation of this jasmine: in Sicily, on the other hand, at the beginning of the 20th century, gentlemen used them as flagships. Perennial, semi-deciduous and slow-growing, it has an extremely irregular bushy habit and it is native to Asia: at its maximum development it can grow 3-m tall and almost the same large. Well lignified and branched from the base, it has numerous sarmented stems that after an initial erect trend tend to fold in disorder outwards, making the plant take on a roughly rounded and very light and vaporous shape. The leaves, glossy, wide and lanceolate with smooth margins and acute apex, glabrous and dark green, are arranged on the branches in a really strange and original way, sometimes vertically, sometimes in the opposite way. From late summer until autumn, in the apical parts of the stems, white double flowers appear copiously, beautiful and similar to gardenias, with an intoxicating scent.

It requires bright and sunny positions, but in places where summer afternoons can be hot it can also appreciate a partial shade; it prefers fertile, rich and humid soils, as long as they are well drained. It does not tolerate the presence of saltiness of the sea winds and does not tolerate prolonged periods of drought, but it rather takes advantage of periodic wetting in summer. It resists winter minimum temperatures only a few degrees below zero, therefore in regions characterized by intense and prolonged cold it is advisable to place it in sheltered places or guarantee it shelter in a cool and bright environment in winter. Since it responds in an unpredictable way to possible pruning, in spring it does not need any intervention at the vegetative restart: perhaps you can simply remove dry, broken, damaged, old or bulky parts. Choice of great taste for terraces, balconies and verandas, where it will be cultivated in medium-sized containers and followed with care in the summer watering and fertilizations; in the open ground in the garden, think about it as guided along fences, backs or pillars of pergolas and gazebos, and especially near rest areas in order to fully enjoy its intense scents.