star jasmine

honey06

hi all,

i planted 2 of these (Trachelospermum jasminoides) in my front south facing garden last year and they seemed to take quite well.

After the winter they arent looking too well- some of the leaves have died and others have brown (dead) spots with reddish rings around them.
is it just due to the severe winter or have they got something wrong?
what should i do with them?

paddy's_mum

Mine are exactly the same and they do this every winter, so don't panic just yet. Most trachelospermums will have a large percentage of their leaves turn red during colder weather but they soon drop off and grow new foliage when the winter is past and it doesn't seem to slow their upward/outward growth.

I have assumed for years that this is their natural reaction to being grown somewhere cooler than their native home of south-east Asia. I'm told that in warmer places such as Texas and Lousiana, they're regarded as a weed because they grow so well. Amazing, when all we get are scratchy brambles and stinging nettles!

I am assuming that your jasmines are not in pots which I understand don't always suit this plant. Mine are in a deep, rich and moist bed at the foot of south facing house wall and seem to thrive since I have to trim them back to their trellis support and to below the gutter every couple of years ... but the scent that drifts into the rooms on a warm summer evening is heavenly.

In your shoes, I would just check that there is moisture around the roots and that there are no obvious insect nasties on the undersides of the leaves. Hope they look flourishing again very soon as in my opinion, they are a vastly under-rated plant and well worth every effort to get established ... deckchair, parasol, wonderful drifts of perfume and a gin and tonic anyone?

honey06

ahh thanks Paddys mum :):)

that's reassuring! I would be gutted to lose them. No they arent in pots.
they are still quite small, so fingers crossed they settle in and get properly established this year, G&T sounds delish