AboutC.L. Fornari Expertise Annuals suggested for specific situations (sun, shade, windowboxes etc) New or unusual annuals are a particular interest of mine, and I grow many of these from seed. I am happy to help problem solve, answer questions about maintenance, and guide you to sources of unusual plants.
Experience I am a garden writer/speaker/consultant and host of a weekly gardening radio program in the Northeast. I have been gardening all my life for my own pleasure, and started as a professional gardener and garden communicator 15 years ago. I work part-time at a garden center, selling and tending shrubs/trees/annuals/perennials...and doing some propagation and design work. I often think that all these professional activities serve to put a somewhat legitimate framework around a serious case of plant-lust.
Question Hello, I LOVE jasmines and live in Long Island, NY now. Where is the best place to grow one now. I'd prefer outside if possible. Will it grow in this kind of sandy soil, or should I keep it in a pot? Thanks
Answer Gabriela,
There are many types of jasmines. Most are not hardy on Long Island, so grow those in pots and pull them indoors for the winter. The winter-blooming variety (the very fragrant one you find in supermarkets and greenhouses around Feb or March) need a chilling period in order to bloom, so leave those outside right up until hard frost, and maybe even put them out in the day and in at night through October and November. There is one jasmine that would be hardy for you and can be planted in a sheltered spot outdoors: Jasmine officinale. You can see a picture of it at the Logees greenhouse website: http://www.logees.com.
