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Original poster

Trachelospermum jasminoides

27 replies

paintedpanda · 09/06/2021 18:18

I bought a star jasmine plant a few weeks ago. I've given it a lovely sunny spot in a container with John Innes no. 3 and watering it regularly when the soil is dry. I fertilised it with miracle gro push and feed pellets.

It's dying. I'm gutted. Its beautiful white flowers are now a rusty brown colour and it has ants all over it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Please, someone help me. I truly love this plant but I'm not green fingered at all. Treat me like I'm stupid and help me get my beautiful plant back to how it was when I bought it.

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Beebumble2 · 09/06/2021 19:28

You seem to have done everything right. How big is the container? I have one in a very large container, in a semi shaded position. Which might be too shaded. It has been tricky at times, but makes new growth.
The ants could be farming greenfly, or maybe you’ve used too much fertiliser.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 09/06/2021 19:36

The flowers don't last forever and it may have been forced at the garden centre to bring the flowers on earlier so they might just be over? Mine hasn't begin to open its flowers yet. Are the leaves also browning?

Spray it with the hose to wash off ants and any aphids they may be farming on there.

Perhaps you have overfertilised it - if it's been fertilised already at the garden centre it mightn't have needed it. Changing the potting soil could help if that's the issue.
You could have it in too small a pot?
Might you be overwatering it? Mine is admittedly in a huge pot, but I hardly ever water it. In last summers drought I watered once a week but this year so far I've watered it once.

Could you post a pic?

SmednotaSmoo · 09/06/2021 19:40

Snap! Planted one in the sunshine three weeks ago, and it’s starting to look sad. Covered in some black bug of some sort. Does not look happy at all :(

Original poster
paintedpanda · 10/06/2021 12:14

This is it, poor thing. Does it need a bigger pot?? More importantly, can it be saved?? I have a dianthus in a small pot nearby and it's flourishing. I've treated them exactly the same.

Trachelospermum jasminoides
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Silhillian · 10/06/2021 12:15

It actually doesn’t look too bad at all. The light green leaves are fresh growth. It’s likely been forced into flower at the garden centre and is now coming to an end.

Beebumble2 · 10/06/2021 12:34

As it grows you will need to repot it into a larger planter.

minipie · 10/06/2021 12:37

I have several of these and they are only just starting to come into flower now. Even though we have a sheltered London S facing garden. So I would say yours may well have been forced and the flowers are just ending naturally?

BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush · 10/06/2021 12:37

It'll need a much bigger pot as it grows, in fact probably quite soon. Climbers need to put their roots down. You can put a bigger pot in place and then pot on the jasmine in gradually increasing size of smaller pots inside the bigger pot so that it doesn't get lost in too much compost.

Better still, lever up the paving stone, improve the ground and pop it in the ground.

It might also be vine weevils, have a look at the roots for c shaped white grubs. Nematodes watered in will sort them out.

But it doesn't look too bad to be honest.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 10/06/2021 13:17

It's not the clearest pic but to me - the leaves look plump, green and perfectly healthy? Unless there's a visible issue with the leaves I don't think there's anything wrong with it, just the flowers are over - which is perfectly natural. Next year you will get them probably later but for much longer as it will be doing it's natural thing. Agree that in the ground is best in the long run.

Original poster
paintedpanda · 10/06/2021 18:04

This was it a few weeks ago, not long after I'd potted it into this container. Am I just comparing it to how it was then? It does still smell absolutely amazing, it just looks browner and droopy.
I can't lift the paving stone here as we are moving soon, but I'll see if there's a nice spot for it at our new house.
I will try and chill out and see how it does! Thank you for all your advice!

Trachelospermum jasminoides
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Original poster
paintedpanda · 10/06/2021 20:42

I've just had a good look at it and I've noticed that there are a lot of fresh new buds on it. I guess I've been focussed on the brown flowers and not much else Smile

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BewareTheBeardedDragon · 11/06/2021 07:10

Ooh, fingers crossed you'll get another flush of blooms!

TableSetting · 11/06/2021 07:18

Is there an easy way to gauge how much water is needed? I’ve read that leaves can turn yellow with ‘too much’ water and with ‘too little’ water. I’ve never been so stressed by a plant!
Good luck with yours OP.

Beebumble2 · 11/06/2021 07:24

We have a gadget, water meter, that you stick in the soil to see how damp it is. Good for pots and containers. Sometimes in hot weather the top of the soil is dry, but it’s really quite damp underneath.

WobblyLondoner · 11/06/2021 07:40

Good advice here. My thoughts:

The pot does look in the small side - worth moving it up a size soon (but not too big an increase as mentioned earlier).

Don't overwater. I nearly killed one of mine last year when I moved it to quite a dry spot and over compensated by drowning it! It has just about survived but most of the leaves were lost.

The flowers do go brown and drop off but the leaves should remain firm and shiny. If they aren't then it does suggest something isn't right.

Good luck. If only plants could talk eh?!

OhRosalind · 12/06/2021 12:00

I live in Tuscany and these are absolutely everywhere, as hedges, on pergolas and also very often in pots. I have grown huge ones as climbers on trellis in smallish pots. In my experience they cope very well with neglect, life in containers and minimal watering.

From your photos it looks good. The flowers brown as they die but you can just brush them off and new buds will form.

Purplewithred · 12/06/2021 12:04

As above

  • lower your expectations, it's been forced to lure people into buying it. It's got a lot more flowers than I'd expect from one that size, and much earlier than they do in the uk
  • it will need less water, no food if it's in fresh compost, and eventually a bigger pot
  • in my experience, jasmine sits and looks at you for a year or so then gets its feet down and rockets. As well as a bigger pot it's going to need a much bigger frame. I cut mine with a hedge trimmer now.
MustardRose · 13/06/2021 10:40

The flowers don't actually last all that long and will go brown before they drop off anyway.

minipie · 13/06/2021 12:16

Quick question re overwatering: we have a leaky hose type irrigation system which we have set to go on every evening for a couple of hours in dry weather. Is that likely to be too much for these plants? We have several around the garden.

Also wondering if this is why I can’t seem to keep a clematis alive…

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 13/06/2021 12:32

@minipie do you use it daily? I use the same system and it is max 3 times a week during very dry periods. I'd be surprised if daily use was actually needed. Less frequent deeper watering is better than more frequent lighter.

Although clematis generally need more water and shaded roots with the top in sun or part shade. I don't know if this is relevant to yours.

minipie · 13/06/2021 12:39

Thanks Beware. We do have it on daily, sounds like I need to cut that down. Some of the trachelospermum also have a few red leaves which I think means stress, so perhaps a sign of too much water.

Clematis is in shade most of the day (will get sun once it’s climbed up to the top of the fence but that will take a while). We’ve now had two die in the same spot so not sure whether it’s too little sun or too much water but clearly they’re not happy there. Suspect I need to try something tougher.

Sorry to hijack your thread OP!

OhRosalind · 13/06/2021 13:38

Daily watering seems an awful lot for star jasmine @minipie . In summer I water my potted climbing roses daily but the star jasmine in a pot every three days- this is in temps of almost 40 degrees. Star jasmine in the ground should need even less water if well established. It’s often used for municipal planting here as it’s pretty drought tolerant.

minipie · 13/06/2021 15:10

Thank you! It’s tricky as the beds with the trachelospermum also contain lots of other plants, including a couple of fairly new trees, though they’ve been in a few months now so hopefully ok with less watering.

I will go down to one hour every 2 days and see how it goes.

SirVixofVixHall · 13/06/2021 21:08

The brown flowers are just the flowers dying off, that is what all white flowers look like as they die, they go brown. The plant looks healthy and fine, so I don’t think you have any need to worry.

Original poster
paintedpanda · 14/06/2021 06:23

I've just bought one of those moisture monitor things that a PP mentioned. It says star jasmine should be in the 1-3 zone and mine is about 4-5 so I'm going to lay off watering it for a while and see how it goes.
Also looking at a new pot for it to go in.
Is it best to bring them inside during the winter or are they okay outside?

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