By Grandadan
United Kingdom 
We are having problems with a jasmine plant outside our front door which is driving us mad because it is so vigorous - it grows right up and under the gutters, winding itself round the climbing roses so that it is very difficult (and painful) to disentangle. Moreover, while it does have flowers they are buried beneath great growths of foliage so not readily visible. We are loath to simply get rid of it because the foliage is very decorative. Does anyone know of a less adventurous variety that we could replace it with?
6 Feb, 2014
Answers
Google Jasminum officinale Grandadan - it sounds as if it could be that, although I'm not at all sure I'd describe the leaves as particularly 'attractive', rather more ordinary really. If it is J. officinale, that gets 35 feet by 30 feet and does twine around absolutely anything it grabs hold of including itself, an attribute it shares with any of the twining climbers. Again, if it is that, I'd get it out while you still can...
How much space is there for a climber in that situation, in other words, what size (height and spread) do you prefer? Is the area shady or very sunny? Do you want a climber there at all, in fact?
6 Feb, 2014
It sounds like the summer flowering Jasmine which does smother everything in its path. I would plant a pyracantha. It will be evergreen, can be trimmed to grow no more than 9" deep and depending on the colour of your roses you can have red, yellow or orange berries over the winter.
6 Feb, 2014
Well, there I've learned something! The number of species of jasmine that I have personally experienced is somewhat limited--the ones that do best here are the ones from subtropical and Mediterranean climates.
11 Feb, 2014
It sounds almost more like a honeysuckle, than any jasmine that I am familiar with, Grandadan. Any chance of pictures? Or do you know the name of the species?
6 Feb, 2014