As the daylight hours oh so gradually lengthen, and sunshine warms our winter-weary gardens (even as a chill gust warns us not to be too hasty in pruning the roses), those first swelling buds are welcome signs of spring. Dog-eared stacks of seed catalogs and gardening books that have sustained us through frost-glazed months begin to lose their charm, and that urge to plant something, anything, grips us like a bad case of hiccups.

I’m convinced this early call of nature is the only reason there are so many forsythias taking up so much space in gardens worldwide. If it weren’t for those few weeks in early spring when the plant bursts into golden splendor, would this relatively thirsty, otherwise nondescript hulk of green for the rest of the growing season and shabby bundle of twigs in winter find its way into our gardens? With water becoming more precious, it’s time to quit being taken advantage of when we’re weakest by plants that are lackluster at best for 50 weeks of the year.

Look a little further and you’ll find more than the fool’s gold of forsythia in local nurseries. The yellow star-shaped flowers of winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) appear in February. Winter jasmine is not

new here. Look in older neighborhoods in Albuquerque and south, and you’ll find plants 50 or more years old. Unlike its more tender relatives, this jasmine is cold-hardy for brief periods to –20 degrees F. This is a plant that hasn’t decided whether it’s a shrub or a vine. Without any pruning, its slender evergreen stems arch and sprawl, eventually spreading at least eight feet wide and up to three feet high. Plant it against a fence and it will scramble up the side and drape over the top. Plant it on a slope and its stems will take root wherever they stay in contact with mulch-softened soil. Once it has rooted out well, all winter jasmine requires to thrive is watering monthly in partial shade, or a bit more frequently in full sun. The long branches can be pruned back occasionally to create a more controlled mound.

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