The Confederate Jasmine Also Known As Star Jasmine Is Prized For Its Fragrant Flowers

By: Steven charlie Habib

The central and coastal South Carolina landscape enjoys to the presence of the Confederate Jasmine. This plant boasts heavily scented clusters of flowers that are phlox like and is prized but both cultivators and homeowners. The coastal and central areas of the state enjoy the site of the twist and turns of the vine while the Piedmont, which has a shorter growing season, sees the plant intermittently. If the plant has the support of a tree, fence, or deck, the vine can grow up to twenty feet long. If the plant does not have support it usually will appear as ground cover or a spreading shrub.

When the Confederate Jasmine is in its shrub state, it grows to about two feet tall. It really bushes out and can be as wide as five feet. The leaves are beautiful and give off a lustrous dark green with the leaves are mature. The jasmine put out attractive white flowers that appear in moderate to small clusters and each individual flower is about an inch wide. These flowers are especially attractive to bees and small flowering insects and jasmine honey is coveted in the south, especially in the state of South Carolina. The jasmine is a fast growing plant the can grow quickly to cover bald spots in the yard or to draw flowering insects to your garden.

The Confederate Jasmine is great for covering outdoors. It is a great way to frame porches or to fill in hurricane fences or trellises. Ground cover is the most popular way to use the vine because it needs very little care in the South Carolina sun. So if you have a yard that is exposed to the sun or partial shade, this plant can make it green again as it snakes across the yard to cover the patches without grass or other plants. The plant likes water, but does not do well in soggy soil that has been water saturated. Leaf mold is a good addend to the soil as it as more prominence to its root structure.

If you want the plant to climb, you should tie the stems to a heavy support like as trellis or a fence. If you want the vine to grow latterly, just pinch off the stem and keep it from growing up. The plant won't grow on bricks or masonry, but can be used to climb walls if given support. If you want more plants, they can usually be grown from stem cuttings from shoots or stems. If you grow the plants indoors, make sure you have at least four hours of sunlight given to the plant a day. If outside, the night temperatures need to be in the mid-fifties and the day temps should range from the upper sixties to the low seventies.

No matter where you grow the plant it will provide shade and beautiful green foliage that will allow for years of enjoyment. The Confederate Jasmine is mostly problem free though you might get a few furry visitors. Rabbits love to graze on the vine and will destroy it if not watched.

Article Source: http://home2garden.co.za

About The Author
Steve Habib is a recognized authority on the subject of growing and caring for a variety of plants. STAR JASMINE: offers a wealth of information about the star jasmine and how to keep your plants healthy and growing all year round.