For many years Jasminum polyanthum has been cultivated and long offered in vast quantities by commercial growers via the florist trade often seen grown round hoops.
As a child I well remember it being offered on many hospital visits and Easter gifts in particular and being well received by its recipients.

It is now possible to see this vigorous evergreen climber growing outside in protected areas like London where it flowers over a longer period with its pink rolled buds and intense fragrance once it opens into its pure white single flowers. Its main drawbacks are its vigour and relatively short flowering period in spring which makes it unsuitable under glass in all but the largest conservatories.

There is a vast specimen growing along railings in Central London’s Pimlico district in Lupus Street. Most people are familiar with it and the artful Dutch nurserymen, aided by chemicals and artificial lights can now provide a steady stream of ready to flower Jasminum polyanthum with very deep green tight foliage and its prodigious quantities of elongated flushed red buds all standing upright, just waiting to burst…..or not as the case maybe.

Often cold storage/ and plant hormonal treatments are used to preserve the plants condition for marketability and once purchased and placed in the appointed place… they all drop like matchsticks leaving only a very sorry sight!
Jasminum polyanthum needs two things to make it worth while as an ornamental climber.
Firstly it needs a climate where the temperature is rarely below freezing (especially during January until April) and also secondly plenty of space.

Unless you have a conservatory of gigantic proportions I would advise against growing it under glass. Not only because of space( which is a primary consideration) but also because the flowering tends to be quicker than outside where cooler weather means that what is one glorious week under glass is 4-5 weeks outside.

The temperature is important as flowering and flower production is all produced on soft new early growth which is much more susceptible to lighter frost than the hardened older wood.
I have seen plants incorrectly placed where every year the frost removed the buds but the plant survives to thunder on in size year by year defeating the object of the exercise.

Never the less it serves its purpose and a well grown flowering plant never fails to cheer me up at a particularly miserable time in the European weather calendar.