Madagascar jasmine

Sun

Bright filtered light or morning sun with afternoon shade; protect from intense midday sun, especially behind glass.

Water

Keep evenly moist while growing, allowing the surface to dry slightly between waterings. Water less in winter, but do not let the root ball dry out completely.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil or a free-draining, loam-based container mix; avoid waterlogged roots.

Height

10-20 ft (3-6 m) with support in warm conditions; usually smaller in containers

Spread

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), depending on training

Flowers

Clusters of fragrant, waxy white tubular flowers from late spring through summer, sometimes continuing into autumn in warm conditions.

Foliage

Evergreen. Glossy, leathery, dark green oval leaves in opposite pairs.

Growth

Moderate in warm, bright conditions; slow in cool rooms

Care needed

Medium

• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   2 ft (0.6 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.7 ft (0.83 m)

3. After 2 years

   3 ft (1.1 m)

4. After 3 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

5. After 5 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Provide a trellis, wire frame or hoop, and loosely tie in young stems.
• Water thoroughly during active growth, then empty any saucer or outer pot.
• Apply a flowering-houseplant fertiliser at the labelled rate every two to four weeks in spring and summer.
• Keep winter conditions bright and preferably above 55°F (13°C), away from cold draughts and heating vents.
• Move plants outdoors only after nights are consistently above 55°F (13°C), gradually acclimatising them to brighter light.
• Repot in spring when roots fill the container, using a pot only slightly larger.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, remove dead or weak stems and shorten overlong shoots to fit the support. Avoid heavy pruning once spring growth is underway, as this can remove potential flowering growth.

Late winter

Remove weak growth and shorten stems that have outgrown their support.

Spring

Repot if root-bound, increase watering as growth resumes and begin feeding.

Late spring

If summering outdoors, wait for reliably warm nights and acclimatise the plant in a sheltered, shaded spot.

Summer

Tie in new shoots, maintain even moisture and inspect leaf undersides for pests.

Early autumn

Bring container plants under cover before nights become cool; check for pests first.

Winter

Provide bright light, stop feeding and reduce watering without allowing complete drying.

• Train over a small trellis beside a sheltered seating area where the fragrance can be enjoyed.
• Grow on a hoop or narrow frame as a conservatory focal point.
• Clothe a sheltered courtyard wall in frost-free climates, with the roots shaded and the stems in bright light.
• Combine with glossy foliage plants and white flowers for a restrained tropical container display.

Garden styles it suits: Tropical, Modern courtyard, Sensory garden, White garden, Romantic rose garden and Victorian.

Plant it with: Gardenia, Camellia, Clivia, Cast-iron plant and Bird's nest fern.

Wildlife: The fragrant flowers can attract moths where the plant is grown outdoors, but it is not a major wildlife plant in most temperate gardens.

• Mealybugs and scale: inspect stems and leaf joints, isolate affected plants and remove small infestations by hand; use a labelled insecticidal soap or horticultural oil if needed.
• Red spider mites in hot, dry rooms: look for pale stippling and fine webbing; rinse leaf undersides and use a labelled mite treatment if the infestation persists.
• Yellowing leaves and root rot: check drainage, empty standing water and let the surface dry slightly before watering again.
• Bud drop or failure to flower: provide brighter light, steady warmth and even moisture; avoid abrupt changes in temperature or growing conditions.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs or horses. It is not generally regarded as poisonous to people, but leaves, flowers, pods and seeds are not food; avoid ingestion and wash off sap if it irritates the skin.

• Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

  Its flowers have narrow, twisted, pinwheel-like lobes rather than the thicker, waxy trumpet flowers of Madagascar jasmine; it is also much more cold-hardy.

• Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac)

  Usually a shrub or scrambling climber with thinner leaves and flatter flowers, sometimes double, rather than long, waxy flower tubes.

• Wax plant (Hoya carnosa)

  Has small star-shaped flowers with a distinct central crown, packed into rounded clusters, rather than elongated white trumpets.

Madagascar jasmine is named for its native Madagascar and jasmine-like fragrance, while floribunda means abundantly flowering.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe stem cuttings in summer and root them in a free-draining propagation mix with warmth and high humidity. Seed can be sown fresh if mature pods develop, but seedlings take longer to flower.

Accepted botanical name

Marsdenia floribunda

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.