Common jasmine
Also called Summer jasmine, Poet's jasmine.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 5 days in the growing season, every 21 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 600 cm (236 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats safe, dogs safe |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Jasmine entry.
True jasmine is the one worth planting for scent, and the scent is the reason for every rule about growing it. The perfume is released in the evening from flowers that were built in the sun, so a warm sheltered wall or a fence beside a door gives you far more than an open border. Plant in spring or autumn in the north, and in the spring months in South Africa when the climbers go in. Give it wires or a trellis to twine through, because it climbs by winding rather than clinging. The single mistake people make is pruning in spring, which cuts off the flowering wood. Prune after the flowers fade instead, taking out the oldest stems at the base and shortening the rest, and it will fill the space again by autumn.
Ailments observed
| It will not flower | Pruned at the wrong time, or fed too richly. Prune straight after flowering, not in spring, because the flowers come on wood made the previous year. Swap a general feed for a potash rich one. |
|---|---|
| Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant | Cold wet soil in winter, or a pot that has run out of root room. Improve the drainage at the base of the wall and mulch. In a container, move it up a size and use fresh compost. |
Filed underPlants that will not poison the cat, Plants that forgive a beginner
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