The Fast-Growing Climbing Plant That'll Turn Your Yard Into A Bird Paradise

In this modern digital age where technology seemingly does more to keep people isolated and lonely than maintain social connections, getting in touch with nature provides huge benefits to your mental and physical health. One of the easiest and most effective connections you can make with nature is through birdwatching. With nearly 10,000 species of birds on earth, there are innumerable local varieties you could try attracting to your yard for your own benefit and to improve the local ecology by helping to control insect populations. Birds are attracted to backyards with proper food, water, and shelter. While there are many benefits to putting up bird feeders, one fast-growing plant you can foster to provide fragrant cover for nesting and pollinators is Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens).

Native to the southern U.S., Mexico, and Guatemala, Carolina jessamine was named the official state flower of South Carolina. The perennial plant can grow as a ground cover or vine, with fragrant, golden flowers that bloom in the spring or fall, as well as thin fruits that grow between September and November. Carolina jessamine survives in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10, and ground covers are a great alternative to grassy lawns, given they protect the soil from erosion and crowd out weeds. A garden bolstered by flowering jessamine is sure to help attract birds to your home, and it's easy to start with this low-maintenance plant.

Carolina jessamine is able to grow in a variety of conditions, including light coverage from partial shade (two hours of direct sunlight a day) to full sun (six or more hours). It thrives in mediums with a lot of organic matter and good drainage, but measuring the pH level of your soil isn't particularly important — it can grow in both acidic or alkaline. If you're interested in growing vertically rather than as ground cover, Carolina jessamine has twining-type vines, which can spread up flat surfaces but work best with wires, trellises, or arbors. Stick to redwood, cedar, or cypress if you want a sturdy wooden trellis; alternatively, try a copper or aluminum wire if you would rather use rust-resistant metals.

If your flowering Carolina jessamine berries have attracted the birds you want to see, it's best to avoid trimming your ground cover shrubbery until fall or winter when its food supply has been picked clean. It's also worth keeping in mind that there are two similar plants of the Gelsemium genus native to North America, so you should be sure you're growing South Carolina's state flower rather than swamp yellow jessamine (Gelsemium rankinii), which is not fragrant. You must also be careful regardless of which jessamine you're growing; these fragrant flowers are great for attracting birds, but Gelsemiums are poisonous to humans, containing neurotoxic alkaloids. Don't let this turn you off from the idea of growing your own jessamine, though, especially if you want to bring more hummingbirds to the yard.