By William Mills
Jasmine
Jasminum officinale and nudiflorum
Summer Jasmine has white flowers while the winter variety nudiflorum produces yellow ones and being more hardy can be left outside in winter.
Jasmine is a climbing plant needing a framework to support its rapidly growing green vines from which the stems produce small fragrant flowers in abundance.
From these oil of Jasmine, prized by aromatherapists for its soothing properties, is obtained.
Jasmine care guide
The keys to success are fresh air, some sunshine and correct watering.
Get this wrong and your beloved plant can’t absorb its nutrients soon showing its distress with yellowing leaves which in turn curl and fall.
An unhappy plant can be swiftly cured with a little remedial attention, your knowledge and care being rewarded with a new green shoot or delicate red bud leading to a successful flowering.
Guests can feel more at home if a picture of health greets them in the form of a blooming plant radiating appreciation for its successful owner.
Watering Jasmine
Water is usually described as being either hard or soft depending on where we live. Certain areas which are fed by lakes, Manchester for example, have soft water which makes soap lather more. On the other hand the South Downs are formed from chalk which makes water extremely hard.
One of the measures is acidity. The pH scale runs from 1-14. Below pH 7 it’s acidic and above it’s alkaline.
Rain water is supposed to be pH 7 or neutral although Northern European rain sometimes is slightly acidic due to falling through clouds laced with industrial pollution.
We need to establish the plant’s correct pH, which in the case of Jasmine it’s pH 6.5. This is slightly acidic, so watering it with rainwater is ideal.
If you don’t have the facility to catch any, don’t despair, the local aquatic shops sell for fish tanks specially filtered water known as RO, or reverse osmosis.
It’s pH neutral and cheaper than buying distilled water from car distributors.
A mixture of half rainwater and half tap water is a good solution if the plant needs more alkaline.
When watering a useful tip is to stand your plant on a draining board and soak with tepid water until it drains through. Lift the pot and try to gage its weight.
Try this every few days and you will notice it becoming lighter. If the pot gives a hollow sound when tapped it’s ready for watering again.
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Hi. I have a beautiful summer jasmine by my front door where it gets loads of sun (well, when it is not raining). Anyway, it has bloomed 3 times this year with the 3rd being the most, prolific, shall we say. I am concerned about what to do with her during winter. Can I bring her inside? UK weather can be rather cold at times so I do not wish to leave her outside. I’ve also read that I should be cutting her back a bit on a regular basis. Help
If a summer jasmine is flowering it is a shame to move it or change anything which might upset him. For it to flower and grow everything is right, so any change is likely to be for the worse.
The autumn frosts are still a way off. If the weather forecast predicts the temperature dropping below 4 c then it’s time to bring them indoors. This is best done gradually by bringing him in overnight then outside again during the day. The roots are the really vulnerable part so protect the pot in bubble wrap which keeps the frost at bay. With the first really cold snap bring move it permanently inside.
My jasmine has a long cane centered in the middle. The stems swiftly grew up so I trailed them around and place a loose fitting elastic band in order that all the shoots can to kept together, like a hair band. I will wait until the autumn before cutting back.
If your plant is in good health enjoy it while it lasts