Brazilian jasmine

Brazilian jasmine: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Twining climber with slender stems that wind around a trellis or wire. In a pot usually 1.5–3 m tall and about 1 m wide.

Leaves

Oval, 4–6 cm, leathery and glossy dark green. Evergreen.

Flowers

Funnel-shaped, with five broad, slightly twisted lobes, 5–7 cm across. Pink with a yellow throat in the species; cultivars also in red and white.

Scent

Little or no scent.

Sap

Stems and leaves exude a white, milky sap when damaged.

Flowering: June–October · Plants: May–June · Pruning: March and September

Why grow it?

• Flowers non-stop from June to October, with no need to remove spent flowers.
• Glossy evergreen leaves that look neat even without flowers.
• A fast climber for a trellis, an obelisk or a balcony railing: after one summer you already have a green screen.
• Brings a tropical feel to a small patio or balcony, as it takes up little floor space.
• Easy to overwinter in a light, cool place, so you can enjoy the same plant for years.

Brazilian jasmine: where does it grow best?

• A sunny, warm spot on a patio or balcony: the more light, the more flowers.
• Humus-rich, free-draining potting compost, based on sand or loam, slightly acid to neutral.
• Evenly moist but never soggy: a pot with drainage holes is a must.
• Sheltered from cold wind and heavy rain. Allow a spread of about 1 m.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: overwinter indoors (above 7 °C)

Goes well with

• Bougainvillea: Another pot plant for the same sunny spot, with the same summer outdoors and winter indoors.
• Cape leadwort: Sky-blue flowers next to the pink or red of the mandevilla.
• African lily: Blue globes on long stems, in a pot alongside.
• Petunia: Flowers just as long and fills the base of the pot or a trough nearby, in white for example.

Brazilian jasmine: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Plant or repot in May–June, after mid-May, when the nights are no longer cold.
2. Choose a pot with drainage holes, one size larger than the root ball.
3. Put a layer of gravel or clay pebbles in the bottom and fill up with humus-rich compost, mixed with a little sand or perlite if you like.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as in its old pot and firm lightly.
5. Push a trellis or obelisk into the pot straight away and wind the stems loosely around it.
6. Water thoroughly, then again whenever the top layer feels dry.

Care

Water

Keep evenly moist in summer; on hot days, check daily. Do not leave water standing in the saucer. Little water in winter.

Feeding

From April to September, liquid feed for flowering plants every one to two weeks.

Training

Wind loose stems around the support; after that it climbs on its own. Long stems can be led back down for a fuller plant.

Spent flowers

They usually drop off by themselves, so there is little to do.

Repotting

Every one to two years in March–April, into a pot one size larger, with fresh compost.

Tip: Bring it in before the nights turn really cold and check it thoroughly for red spider mite and mealybug, so you do not carry pests indoors. Overwinter it light and cool, with little water.

Brazilian jasmine: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March and September.

When: In March, before new growth starts. In September, when you bring it in, you can shorten over-long stems.

How:

• It flowers on new shoots: in March, cut the stems back by a third to a half, just above a pair of leaves.
• Remove dead, bare and weak stems completely.
• Pinch out the tips of young plants in spring so they branch better and become bushier.
• In September, shorten over-long stems so that the plant fits indoors.

Caution: The cuts bleed a white, milky sap that can irritate the skin: wear gloves and wash your hands after pruning.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Tip cuttings

In April–June, take cuttings of 8–10 cm, cut just below a pair of leaves, and remove the lower leaves. Insert in moist cutting compost under a plastic cover, at 20–25 °C. Roots form after 4–6 weeks.

Layering

In summer, pin a long stem into a second pot of compost and keep it moist. Once it has rooted, cut it free from the parent plant.

Brazilian jasmine: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 7 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: it is already damaged below about 7 °C.
• Bring it in before the first cold nights, as soon as night temperatures drop below about 10 °C, usually in September.
• Overwinter in the light at 10–15 °C, for example in a cool greenhouse, a conservatory or a light, cool room. Water little and do not feed.
• A heated living room by a bright window will do, but it grows weak and leggy and gets red spider mite more easily. From March, water more; after mid-May it can go back outside.

Diseases and pests

• Red spider mite: Fine pale speckles on the leaves and sometimes webbing, especially indoors in warm, dry air. Move it somewhere cooler and rinse the leaves with lukewarm water now and then.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts in the leaf axils, often while overwintering. Wipe them off with a cotton bud or a cloth dipped in water with a little soft soap.
• Aphids: On young shoots in spring. Blast them off with a strong jet of water.
• Yellow leaves: Usually too wet or too cold, especially in winter. Water less and move it somewhere a little warmer, but still light.
• Few flowers: Too little light or too little feed. Give it more sun and feed regularly from April to September.

Through the year

• January: Overwintering: in the light at 10–15 °C. Little water.
• February: Overwintering. Check for red spider mite and mealybug.
• March: Prune. Repot if needed. Water a little more.
• April: Growth starts. Feed. Take tip cuttings.
• May: After mid-May, move outside. Put up a support. Plant or repot.
• June: Flowering begins. Train stems, water and feed.
• July: Full flower. Water regularly, checking daily in hot weather.
• August: Flowering. Water and feed. Layer stems.
• September: Flowering. Stop feeding. Bring in before cold nights and shorten over-long stems.
• October: Keeps flowering a little indoors in a light spot. Reduce watering.
• November: Overwintering, light and cool. Little water.
• December: Overwintering. Check the leaves for red spider mite now and then.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after Henry John Mandeville, a British diplomat in Buenos Aires who sent a related, fragrant species to England in the 19th century.
• The species name sanderi honours Frederick Sander, a 19th-century nurseryman best known for his orchids.
• It belongs to the same family as oleander and periwinkle. Like many plants in that family, it has white, milky sap in its stems.