Showy Jasmine Care – How To Grow Showy Jasmine Plants What is Showy Jasmine? Showy jasmine ( Jasminium floridium ), also known as Florida jasmine, produces glossy, blue-green foliage with masses of sweet-scented, bright yellow flowers in spring and early summer. Mature stems turn a rich reddish brown as the season progresses. How to Grow Showy Jasmine in Your Garden.
Growing showy jasmine
Showy jasmine plants can be trimmed to form a neat shrub or hedge, but they are at their best when spread across the ground or climbing over a wire fence. Use showy jasmine plants to stabilize the soil on a difficult slope, or plant one in a large container with arching vines cascading over the edge.
Showy jasmine plants reach mature heights of 3 to 4 feet (1 m) with a spread of 6 to 10 feet (1-3 m). Showy jasmine plants are suitable for growing in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. This versatile plant is easily propagated by planting cuttings from a healthy, mature plant.
Showy jasmine is adaptable to a wide range of conditions, but it does best in full sunlight and well-drained, acidic soil. Leave 36 to 48 inches (91-120 cm) between plants.
Eye-catching jasmine care
Water showy jasmine plants regularly during the first growing season. Once the plant is established, showy jasmine is drought-tolerant and only requires occasional supplemental water, especially in hot, dry weather.
Feed showy jasmine before new growth appears in spring, using an all-purpose fertilizer.
Cut back showy jasmine plants after they finish blooming in summer.
Jasmine Companion Planting – Learn about plants that like jasmine
Jasmine [1] offers many joys in the garden. The flowers – usually white but sometimes pink or yellow – foam over walls and trellises in spring or summer, and many species have this strong, honeyed scent. This is a plant that can stand alone in a garden, but it is not difficult to find companion plants for jasmine. And the contrasting colors and textures of other blooms add extra appeal. What grows well with jasmine? Read on for some jasmine companion plant ideas.
What grows well with jasmine?
The best companion plants for jasmine are plants that have the same sun, soil and watering requirements. When beginning to plant jasmine as a companion plant, it is important to first identify your jasmine.
There are around 200 different jasmine plants [2] available commercially . Some are evergreen, some are semi-evergreen, and some are deciduous shrubs or vines. Most, but not all, prefer a sunny location, well-drained loamy soil and regular watering. Plants that like jasmine in a garden are those that have the same sun, soil and water requirements.
Jasmine Companion Planting
It’s easier to understand companion planting if you think of your garden as a community. Like individuals in a human community, plants in a garden influence each other. Ideally, they support or complement each other. Companion planting means selecting plants that benefit each other in some way.
The classic example of companion planting is the Indian planting combination of corn, beans and pumpkin [3] . Beans produce the nitrogen that corn needs to thrive. At the same time, the beans use the corn stalk as stakes, and their leaves surrounding the corn stalk confuse the corn earworm moth [4] . The pumpkin grows low to the ground and keeps down weeds.
So what grows well with jasmine? Clematis vines [5] have similar growth requirements to jasmine and make great jasmine companion plants. Clematis vines are plants that like jasmine and thrive in the same conditions. You can choose a clematis that complements and/or contrasts your jasmine.
If your jasmine has yellow flowers, consider planting clematis with deep blue flowers. Swamp clematis ( Clematis crispa ) produces blue, bell-shaped flowers all summer long.
Which clematis grows well with jasmine bushes that bear classic white flowers? Choose clematis with dark purple flowers such as Jackmanii clematis ( Clematis x jackmanii ) or “Julka” clematis ( Clematis x “Julka”). The former grows to 3.7 m (12 feet) while the latter reaches 2.4 m (8 feet). Both are excellent choices for jasmine companion planting.
As long as the plants you choose have similar requirements and look attractive together, it’s a pretty good bet that they will make exceptional garden companions.
Winter Jasmine Care: How To Grow Winter Jasmine Plants
Winter jasmine ( Jasminum nudiflorum ) is one of the earliest flowering plants, often blooming in January. It has none of the family’s signature scents, but the cheerful, buttery flowers help dispel winter gloom and encourage cabin fever. This decorative plant is quickly established and winter jasmine care is a breeze. Learn how to grow winter jasmine and spruce up your garden during the cold season.
Information about winter jasmine
Every kind of flower in winter seems like a great miracle. Cool-season blooms are rare, but winter jasmine is a scratchy shrub that makes the gardener think of spring sun and summer heat. Jasmine [1] has a deeply sweet scent, but one interesting piece of information about winter jasmine is its lack of scent. Still, these starry little blooms are magical surprises in a cold-season landscape, and caring for winter jasmine is a low-maintenance task that makes the plant a lazy gardener’s favorite.
Winter jasmine is not a true climber [2] , but it does tend to climb over structures and hold itself up with the help of other plants or support structures. The glossy green leaves are deciduous and attached to deep green stems. Small butter yellow 5-petalled flowers appear in early January. Each is ½ to 1 inch (1.5 to 2.5 cm) wide and odorless.
Information about winter jasmine should include its family, the olive family [3] , and the fact that it is the hardiest of the jasmine species. It was introduced in 1844 by a plant collector who purchased it in Shanghai, China.
Tips for Growing Winter Jasmine
Winter jasmine prefers well-drained soil in full sun. Remarkably, it doesn’t seem to be fussy about the quality of the soil, but adding some compost can be beneficial.
Use winter jasmine to block ugly walls and fences, as a ground cover, or to grow over a trellis with training. Winter jasmine can actually become somewhat weedy as its stems root at the internodes and form new plants. Plants can reach heights of 1 to 4.5 m but are easy to maintain in habit with a little trimming.
Care with winter jasmine
Plants need regular moisture, especially in summer. Place mulch around the root zone to conserve moisture and prevent weeds.
Fertilize winter jasmine in spring after the flowers have faded.
An important part of winter jasmine care if you want to grow it vertically is training. When planting, set up a trellis or other structure and tie the stems together as they grow longer.
For vertical growth, remove side shoots when the plant is young. Every few years, when the stems turn brown and flower production slows, cut them back to just a few inches (7.5 to 15 cm.) above the ground after flowering. The stems will rebuild quickly and growth will be tighter and less leggy with more flowers.
Now that you know how to grow winter jasmine, you can use this pretty, easy-to-grow plant to spruce up your winter landscape.
Pruning Jasmine Vines: How To Control Asian Jasmine Plants
Look before you leap when it comes to planting Asian jasmine vines. You may be attracted to the plant’s small, dark green leaves and pretty white flowers or its reputation as an easy ground cover. However, once you lose control of Jasmine, it can be difficult to keep him where you want him. Read on for more information on how to control Asian jasmine.
Information about Asian jasmine
Asian jasmine ( Trachelospermum asiaticum ) grows wild in Korea and Japan and is used as a ground cover in this country. It quickly covers your garden or the wall of your garage and survives cooler weather better than many other jasmines [1] .
Asian jasmine is planted by homeowners as a quick, inexpensive ground cover. The trick to controlling Asian jasmine is to act early to set limits on it. Decide where you want the plant and cut it down if it moves outside of that area.
How to Control Asian Jasmine
When planting Asian jasmine in your garden, mow the shrub religiously. Schedule regular mowing appointments and never, ever miss them. It’s easy to lose control of jasmine plants.
Whenever a branch of this plant touches the ground, that piece sprouts roots. If you allow it to take over your garden, it can be virtually impossible to eradicate.
Pruning jasmine vines [2] will help reduce the vigor of Asian jasmine over time. Prune stems ruthlessly to the ground or mow at ground level to get rid of all leaves and stems. This can discourage him as he needs foliage to make his food.
The problem with Asian jasmine is that killing the stems and leaves – whether by pruning jasmine vines or spraying with herbicides – does not kill the roots. So controlling Asian jasmine means preventing the roots from migrating far away.
Uprooting the plant with as many roots as possible is more effective than pruning jasmine vines. It can help you take control of jasmine that has overrun your garden. However, this requires a lot of time and effort on your part.
Controlling Asian Jasmine with Herbicides
If your jasmine vine is near or entangled with other desirable shrubs, using herbicides [3] may not be a productive idea. No herbicide eliminates one without also killing the other. You need to use a shielded spray and go slowly.
You can try painting the Asian jasmine foliage with a herbicide. However, remember that killing the above-ground portion of this vine does not kill the roots.