Landscape maintenance and plant tips on the Confederate Jasmine vine

Landscape maintenance and plant tips: Confederate Jasmine vine

Trachelospermum jasminoides or, Star Jasmine is not a true jasmine because it belongs to a different plant family than jasmines. Apparently, it was given that name because the star shaped flowers and fragrance are similar to the true jasmines. It is, however, a vigorous evergreen vine that produces incredibly fragrant flowers in the spring.

Uses: This vine is happiest on a trellis with maybe a lattice or grid of boards it can wrap around. Star Jasmine does not have ‘feet’ that can attach a surface such as a fence or a wall. It must have an open ‘lattice’ in order to wrap itself around. Although I wouldn’t consider Star Jasmine to be a ground cover, it can also be used as a semi-low growing accent in the landscape, perhaps as an accent. It will be taller than the commonly used Asiatic Jasmine. You could expect it to reach 12-16” and it will need to be cut back regularly to keep it contained.

Conditions: While this vine will tolerate mixed lighting, it will flower best in full sun; which is kind of the point of having this vine. Otherwise, once it is established it needs nothing but pruning or cutting back to keep it in place. Make sure you wear gloves because the cut portions ooze a milky white substance. It does prefer well drained soils but otherwise has no special requirements. It is generally not troubled by pests or disease.

Care: You won’t need to worry about fertilizer or irrigation needs once this vine is established so it’s perfect to use on the fringes on a trellis where the irrigation might not get good coverage. A few weeks of hand watering will establish this vine and then you can forget about it.

Again, this vine will need frequent trimming and pruning to keep it contained to its trellis or specified area in your landscape. Either way, be very careful where you plant this vine because it is extremely aggressive and will grow up into anything nearby like trees, light poles, or anything it can wrap itself around. You don’t want to let this one get out of hand because it will turn into a maintenance issue.

Overwinter: This vine is evergreen and not troubled by the cold snaps we get in Central Florida.

University of Florida IFAS write up:

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/star-jasmine/

Gardening article with more interesting details:

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/this-is-not-real-star-jasmine-d4bd76735749