Characteristics
| Hardiness zone | |
|---|---|
| Flower color | white |
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | spreading |
| Mature height | 12 feet |
| Spread | 3 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun to partial shade |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | import |
Madagascar Jasmine
Botanical name: Stephanotis floribunda
This vigorous climber bears dark green leathery leaves to contrast clusters of pure white tubular blooms that are highly fragrant; largely used for wedding arrangements; grows best in sunny, tropical conditions or indoors.
Other names: Waxflower, Bridal Wreath
Ornamental Features
Madagascar Jasmine features showy clusters of fragrant white tubular flowers along the branches from early spring to late winter. Its attractive glossy oval leaves remain dark green in color with distinctive light green veins throughout the year. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Landscape Attributes
Madagascar Jasmine is a multi-stemmed annual with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Madagascar Jasmine is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Hedges/Screening, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Planting and Growing
Madagascar Jasmine will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. As a climbing vine, it should either be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.
Madagascar Jasmine is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
