If you’ve given up on trying to identify plants by their scent, allow us to help. This aromatic flower smells like lemon, sometimes with a hint of orchid fragrance. Planted in the middle of your garden or in pots on your deck, it will bring an exotic touch that’s hard to find anywhere else.
The plant is quite low-maintenance as long as it has enough light and water during summer months; however, it can be susceptible to brown patches and leaf wilt depending on the temperature extremes.
The plant comes in several colors, too. The flowers can be a silvery-white or a soft shade of pink, and the leaves are green.
Not all species of jasmine are suitable for growing in containers, however. Take care to match the watering requirements for the plant with the container’s drainage capabilities—and be sure you handle it with care when harvesting its fragrant flower heads. Do not shake the container. If a flower head falls out, replace it with another.
Asiatic jasmine is generally considered to be an indoor plant because of its tendency to grow in clusters and its somewhat fragile nature, but it makes an attractive specimen to have out in the garden, too. It is a perennial shrub that grows 4 to 5 feet tall and wide, with lance-shaped leaves and fragrant white flowers that bloom in summer and early fall.
The woody stems of the jasmine are usually about a half to one inch in diameter, and branch out from the base. The leaves are several inches long and an inch wide, with 3-4 pointed lobes. The flowers are about two inches in diameter and can range from white to a deep pink in color.
Asiatic Jasmine is considered an aromatic plant as well as an ornamental one. It adds a very pleasant, strong lemon smell to your garden.
How to Care Asiatic Jasmine?
It is an elegant, yet hardy and easy to grow plant. However, there are some tips and tricks to ensure your Asiatic Jasmine not only survives but thrives for years to come.
Sunlight
While this plant does prefer at least partial shade, it does not do well in locations where the sun is directly shining on the plant all day. However, it can be grown successfully in locations that receive a lot of afternoon and evening sun.
Water
When used as a container plant, you should water your plant only when the soil has completely dried out. You can also allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again. If your asiatic jasmine pot is located indoors in an area that does not get wet, you may want to water it outdoors occasionally just to prevent root rot and keep the soil from drying out completely.
Planting and Care
When growing asiatic jasmine from seed, you should soak it overnight before planting and then cover it with 1/4th inch of soil. You can also start by cutting off the bottom two inches of the root ball to encourage new growth. Cover the remaining roots with soil and ensure that there are no gaps between the pot and its base.
Once planted, water your plant as needed during dry spells. As with any plant, water when dry. If you see that the soil is soaking wet, allow it time to drain.
To keep it healthy and prevent diseases, water regularly when growing and again 10-14 days after a rain. This can also help control insects such as aphids. If you notice yellow spots or brown spots on leaves, remove them immediately – it’s sure to be root rot.
Fertilize
When planting your asiatic jasmine, you can use a slow-release fertilizer to get the best results. You should also fertilize the plant every six weeks.
Common Asiatic Jasmine Diseases & Pests
As with many plants, asiatic jasmine can become infested with diseases and pests. Here are a few of the most common problems:
Fungal Diseases – The most common fungal disease is known as “Botrytis.” This is a fungal disease that can cause brown spots on leaves, flowers and young stems.
Types of Asiatic Jasmine
Asiatic Jasmine is a shrub that can grow as high as 8 feet in height. The shrub produces white flowers in the summer and fall that are three inches in diameter.
- White / Yellow Asiatic Jasmine – This is the most common asiatic jasmine. It has fragrant white flowers and yellow bracts.
- White / Red Asiatic Jasmine – This plant has fragrant white flowers and red bracts that appear in the early spring.
- Hybrid Asiatic Jasmine – While this variety is usually grown from seed, you can also buy potted plants online or make your own by growing one of the two species together in a container.
- Orange / Yellow Asiatic Jasmine – This is a hybridized variety that doesn’t have a single parent species. It has fragrant white flowers with yellow bracts.
- White / Purple Asiatic Jasmine – This variety does well in containers, especially when grown indoors. The flowers are white and the bracts yellow or bronze colored.
- Rose Asiatic Jasmine – This hybrid variety is one of the newest varieties of asiatic jasmine being sold today. It has fragrant white flowers with a red tint.
- Cherry Red Asiatic Jasmine – This hybrid variety is believed to have been bred from the “flowering cabbage” plant. The flowers are pink-hued and have red bracts.
- Brown Asiatic Jasmine – This variety has to be the most unusual looking. The flowers have brown bracts and are barely visible among the leaves of the plant.
- Pink / Purple Asiatic Jasmine – This hybrid variety has a mixture of pink and purple flowers, with white bracts that border it. This variety does well indoors or outdoors in a container.
- Gold Asiatic Jasmine – This variety is a cross between the hybrid “Painted Lady” and the white asiatics. The flowers have yellow and gold bracts.
Propagating Asiatic Jasmine
Asiatic jasmine can be propagated by seeds or cuttings. You can also grow asiatic jasmine in containers indoors, provided the plant is watered and fed frequently, and the container has adequate drainage.
The best time for propagating asiatic jasmine from seeds is winter. However, you can also direct sow the seeds at any time during the spring and summer months. Fill a small container with damp soil and place a few seeds on top of it. Water the seeds until they are completely covered in water.
Asiatic jasmine seeds should be allowed to dry out completely before planting them in the garden. However, it is best to soak them overnight first and then thoroughly dry them before planting. You can also scratch a shallow hole in the soil and place a few seedlings into it.
Sit the container on a layer of pebbles or something similar to keep the roots from breaking through the pot’s drainage holes. Before planting your seeds, keep them moist until they have germinated. Once the young plants break through the soil, you can carefully remove the pebbles or whatever it is sitting on and increase the amount of soil around each of your seedlings so that it has an even surface.
When you begin to see new leaves sprouting out from the root ball of your asiatic jasmine, you can remove your new plant from its container and place it in a larger pot for transplanting in the garden.