The Double Shot® Jessamine, otherwise known as the Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii or Hardy Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Crane’s Bill ‘Rozanne’, is a rather well known perennial plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this perennial will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Double Shot® Jessamine is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Double Shot® Jessamine Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
In order to take proper care of your Double Shot® Jessamine you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Double Shot® Jessamine grows best with regular watering to keep the soil moist during the dry season. Reduce watering once the plant is established.
- Light: Keep your Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Double Shot® Jessamine in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Double Shot® Jessamine will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Double Shot® Jessamine belongs to the Geraniaceae family, and the genus Geranium, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii (jel-SE-mi-um sem-per-VY-renz, jel-SE-mi-um RAN-kin-eye).
As with other Geranium’s, the Double Shot® Jessamine is a semi-evergreen plant, which means it will shed its leaves but only for a short period of time.
Growing Region
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Double Shot® Jessamine is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii will be most used to the heat zones in the 2 – 10 region, and in climate zones that range between 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Double Shot® Jessamine is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Double Shot® Jessamine are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii can grow up to 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) and 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm) in 2′ – 3′ (60cm – 90cm).
These dimensions make the Double Shot® Jessamine a relatively medium perennial compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 24″ – 36″ (60cm – 90cm) free so the Double Shot® Jessamine can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Double Shot® Jessamine is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii grows best with regular watering to keep the soil moist during the dry season. Reduce watering once the plant is established.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Double Shot® Jessamine in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, and moist properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Double Shot® Jessamine is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Double Shot® Jessamine prefers to have soil with good drainage, and moist properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Double Shot® Jessamine requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this perennial will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a semi-evergreen plant, the Double Shot® Jessamine will shed its leaves but only for a short period of time.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (late), the summer (early, mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Double Shot® Jessamine to flower around the spring and in the summer months from April to June (spring), and from July to September (summer).
In particular, this perennial is well known for its repeat flowering, long bloom season and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Double Shot® Jessamine produces some beautiful yellow, or purple/lavender, blue and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Double Shot® Jessamine have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Double Shot® Jessamine is well known for being able to attract butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for drought and animals like rabbit and deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Double Shot® Jessamine? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Gelsemium Sempervirens & Gelsemium Rankinii owners agree that this perennial will look great in most cottage and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, coastal garden, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Double Shot® Jessamine’s best location within your garden is in ground covers, patio and containers, beds and borders, hanging baskets, and in underplanting roses and shrubs, others use it for landscaping in a mass planting, container, espalier, or a privacy screen.
Companion Plants
Double Shot® Jessamine’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Bougainvillea, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Hibiscus will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Double Shot® Jessamine to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
