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Using Star Jasmine for Groundcover?

16 years ago

Hi! I am in Zone 9b in Florida, and I am a complete gardening newbie. We have this area in our yard that no one uses - it doesn't get any foot traffic at all. What I'd like to do is cover it with star jasmine, to get a nice fragrance. 1. Is it possible to use star jasmine as a groundcover? 2. Is there a certain way I need to train the plant to grow along the ground, instead of up? 3. What is "pinching the vine"? I have read about doing this to make it grow faster, but I don't know what it is or how to do it.

Thank you for your help!

Heather W

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Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
Are you speaking of Trachelospermum jasminoides, commonly called Confederate Jasmine? I've not seen that successfully used as a ground cover, per se, but it's 'sister' plant, Trachelospermum asiaticum does wonderfully in that roll. But without the flowers.
houstonnewbie
16 years ago
I'm in Houston and also looking to plant Confederate Jasmine as a ground cover. Has anyone successfully planted it as a ground cover? If so - how many would you plant and how far apart in a 10x2ft area?
I would also appreciate your help!
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@sit_sat, would love to hear an answer to your question! I live in SoCal close to the coast and in a similar situation. A 50 ft long cinder block wall that is 6' high with 2' lattice on top.. Would like to plant 5 or 15 gallon Star Jasmine along the full 50' of length and see it fill the entire height & width! Not sure how long to expect until that happens based on either the 5 or 15 gallon plants? Like you, I would like to hear some pro advice on soil additives and watering schedule (can increase via sprinklers if it will help). My plants would be on North face of the wall so they would be shaded until they got up past the 6' cinder block fence. I also realize I will have to either string wire or place a trellis on the cinder block so they can cling to something. Any helpful advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: Star Jasmine for sale on wholesale site ($1k min)
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Is star jasmine the same as Arabian jasmine? I don't know exactly what star jasmine I have, though I guess I could go back to the nursery and ask. I'm not very happy with them right now, selling me something I didn't really want, but I guess that is my fault for trusting the nursery instead of doing my own research. I do know that one of the Florida universities had a plan to try to promote dwarf jasmine as a groundcover instead of grass, so I'm assuming that wouldn't be considered an undesirable plant. Cheers! Heather W
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Star jasmine can be like a ground cover, but it does have some height. Our plants are usually about 18" high but take clipping to keep them at that height and to keep their long vines from over taking the roses. Except for the need to keep it under control, it is trouble-free. Doesn't take too much water and keeps most weeds down. We have a lot of it. I'm thinking there must be other ground covers that would be easier to maintain as far as the trimming goes. Also, I'm not sure about a car door being able to open over star jasmine. If you have it like a little hedge, you'll need to leave a space to go inside the hedge to work on the roses? Is the area you are planting pretty wide? Remember roses do not like to be crowded by other plants so consider your plants' full-grown sizes when planting. My roses that are crowded have more disease, especially black spot. Also I'm not sure about the compatability of roses and lavender. I think lavender is a plant that does not like too much water or fertilizing, and roses like a bit more of each. I guess I've posed more questions here than answered questions, but no one else responded so I thought I'd put in my 2 cents. Why don't you pose your question over on California Gardening or the Groundcover forum? Especially on CA gardening I think you'd get lots of good suggestions. Don't be shy to post there even tho you think you are new to gardening. You could also drive around neighborhoods you like to see how others have planted their roses. Susan
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Many people plant Star Jasmine because some sellers tell them only what a gorgeous and fragrant plant this is and say nothing about how easy this becomes a rapant and invasive "weed'. A beginning to control would be mowing the area it does grow, but mostly digging the roots out is the best means of eliminating it. The vinegar will kill off the top growth, which over time will cause the roots to die as long as all of the leaves are kept dead so they cannot provide nutrients to those roots.
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saminsane
16 years ago
I have star jasmine in the beds at work and am considering clippings for my own garden. That's how I happened to find this forum and thought I would share what little knowledge I've found on better homes and gardens (bhg.com) I love that site though it only really has the most common plants - not many hard to find ones. good luck.

Trachelospermum
Star jasmine

Evergreen Groundcover , Perennial , Vine

USDA Zones: 8 - 9

Light: partial - full shade

Height: 6 feet

Width: 4 feet

Flower Colors: creamy white or yellow

Bloom Time: summer

Special Features:
Flowers
Fragrant

Grown for its legendary fragrance, this is an excellent, glossy evergreen vine or loose ground cover for the mild-climate garden. It climbs to a manageable 6 feet and is perfect for a small trellis. It produces the heavenly-scented star-like white or yellow flowers in early summer and sporadically thereafter.

Notable Varieties
Confederate or star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) blooms in white. Yellow star jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum or Rhynchospermum asiaticum) blooms in yellow.

Care
Prefers average to rich, well-drained soil with plenty of moisture.

Planting
Plant established plants in spring or fall, spacing 5 feet for vines and 3 feet for a ground cover.

Pests and Diseases
Whiteflies, scale, and mites can be a problem

Here is a link that might be useful: bhg.com - Trachelospermum
ankraras
16 years ago
If I may add a hobbyist opinion ;- I would not hesitate to use T. jasminoides or/and T. asiaticum. I really don't think you need to pinch, trim or train unless you want to confine it in a certain area. Both plants natural habit is creeping along where ever there is room available. If you do not wish for it to go upright just don't provide any thing near by for it to try to climb on. Good Luck!

Both are on my most favorite plants list!

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