I’ve had a Carolina jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) for about four years. For the last two years I’ve had it growing up one of the support posts of my front porch. A friend and I noticed this past weekend that some of the vines are trying to invade the actual structure of my porch. My friend said this wasn’t good because ants (!!) could climb the plant and get into my attic.
I’ve decided I should probably move the plant even though I love it where it is. I’ll probably put it on a home-made arch away from the house. The problem is that many of the vines are upwards of 20 feet long making moving just a wee bit on the difficult side. Well, maybe not moving it, but it’ll certainly make training it onto the arch difficult. And it does have to be trained. I’ve found that simply giving it something to grow on won’t work. Unless it is trained, it will simply mound in one spot.
So here’s my question: If the plant blooms in early spring, can I prune back the plant now and move it within the next month and still get blooms next spring?
I’m in southern Oklahoma, zone 7. We haven’t had first frost yet but should within the coming month. The plant usually blooms sometime around Easter.
Thanks!
