The Jasmine Asian Snow Plant – A Comprehensive Guide
Jasmine Asian Snow, with extremely beautiful white flowers and luscious green leaves, is a creeping deciduous delightful ornamental plant for gardeners. It is popular for no reason because it is very low requires less maintenance for garden care, but eventually adds more beauty as visual garden ornament. This delightful creeping vines, considered evergreen in warmer climates, with wonderful fragrance of sweet-smelling bloom becomes a favorite plants in garden as well as pot where the vines can climb up.
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In this article, will learn something about Jasmine Asian Snow Italian Creeper brings rich luscious shade to gardens, extra-long blooms and small scented white flowers add more pleasure among plants lovers and even casual gardeners are also fond of it. This climber and vigorous Creeper plant is native to the tropical western Pacific region whilebecome more fast-growing vine that climbs on the trees or mountainside for covering rocky outcrops and helps it to become popular for climbers’ fans where they like to see climbing plants on their secret garden.
Origins and Characteristics of the Jasmine Asian Snow Plant
The Jasmine Asian Snow plant (Vibrunum mesnyi) commonly referred to as simply Asian Snow or Primrose Jasmine is native to china in the provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan. It is, like many other jasmines, a part of the Oleaceae family – the plant family which includes a myriad of various species of jasmine plants, all bearing fragrant flowers except, it would seem, this one. If you happen to be in the company of a jasmine-scented array of flowers and not partial to the sensation, this makes a wonderful addition to your domestic environment.
Physical Characteristics
The Jasmine Asian Snow plant is a semi-evergreen shrub that grows to a large stature of 6-10 feet tall and 6-10 feet wide depending on the growing conditions. The stems are arching with dark green, glossy leaves that provide a lush back drop to the plants show-stopping attraction… the flowers!
The small flowers of the Jasmine Asian Snow, about 1-1.5 inches in diameter, are pure white and stand out against the green foliage. They bloom in clusters and are most intense in late winter to early spring. However, random flowers may appear at any time of the year in mild climates. The entire plant appears slim and diaphanous; when in full bloom, this plant gives an effect of snowfalls, which is how it got its name – Asian Snow.
Growth Habit
Image courtesy of Proven WinnersOur Jasmine Asian Snow plant has a vigorous growth habit. If not regularly maintained by pruning, you can find yourself with, quite literally, all the jasmine you can handle. It lends itself to both formal and informal landscaping applications. It does just splendidly as a shrub, but it can also excel as a hedge as it makes a handsome hedge, or as a vine with support. Given its vigorous growth, it is an excellent selection for multiple landscaping applications, especially if you are desiring a screening element, a flowering waterfall, or a ground cover in the larger garden.
Cultivation and Planting
The Jasmine Asian Snow is not difficult to grow and requires only basic care but, to get the best out of this plant, you still need to know a few essential basics.
Ideal Growing Conditions
Climate: Jasmine Asian Snow flourishes in USDA zones 7-10 ( warmer temperate, subtropical). It likes warm temperatures, enduring mild frosts although the flowers might be damaged in prolonged cold spells, so in cold climates it’s best grown in pots and brought inside in winter.
LIGHTing:
Light: This plant does well in full sun, partial shade.It should be planted in a place where it can get at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight a day.If you live in areas of extreme heat, protect your plant from burning by giving it some afternoon shade during the heat of the day.
Soil: This is not particularly picky about soil type but needs well-draining soil filled with organic matter with a slight acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0). If your soil is loam or clay, mix in some compost or sand to enhance drainage.
Planting Tips
Site Preparation: Pick a location with good sun exposure and loosen the soil to a depth of 12-15 inches, incorporating organic matter such as compost or well to improve soil fertility
Planting: Create a hole that is twice the width and slightly deeper than the root ball of the plant. Put the plant in the planting hole so that the top of the root ball is level with or slightly below the surface of the soil. Fill the planting hole half way up with soil and pat gently around the root ball to settle it. Fill the hole the remainder of the way and pat the soil well around the base of the plant to remove any air pockets.
Watering: After planting, water thoroughly to settle soil and reduce air pockets. For the first few months after planting (the establishment period), keep soil consistently moist but not soggy (waterlogging predisposes to root rot).
Mulching: Twice a year, apply 2-3 inches of mulch around the base of the plant. Mulching will retains moisture and eliminate weeds and keeps, keeps the soil cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Keep the mulch a few inches away from the stem to prevent stem rot.
Care and Maintenance
This plant needs little maintenance, but will look better if pruned regularly.
Watering
The Jasmineant of drought oncefers consistently moist soil, especially while it is getting deeply and regularly, allowing the top inch or so of soil to dry out can even water more often than this if the climate dry period is more prolonged than normal, and given the extra attention to keep it from becoming stressed
Fertilizing
Give Jasmine Asian Snow a balanced fertiliser, preferably slow-release, in early spring before new growth starts. Use a fertiliser with the ratios of one part nitrogen, one part phosphorus, and one part potassium, such as 10-10-10, or use an organic fertiliser such as compost or well-rotted cow manure. Don’t over-fertilise, or you might end up with a big bush of foliage instead of flowers.
Pruning
Skilled pruning is the key for a Jasmine Asian Snow to not only retain its shape but also to be fuller and flower more prolificly.
Timing: Ideally, you should prune after the main flowering period in late spring or early summer, so the plant can get back on its feet and hardy new growth can occur before the next flowering period.
How: Cut off dead, damaged or diseased limbs to keep the plant healthy. Prune back crowded areas to improve air circulation and let more light filter through. If you want to keep the plant down to a smaller size or shape, cut back longer limbs by a third.
Training: If growing in as a vine or hedge, train the plant by selectively pruning to force it to grow in your desired direction. Tie or secure the branches to a support or structure.
Pest and Disease Management
Photo courtesy the New York Botanical GardenThe Jasmine Asian Snow is not immune to all pests and diseases, but on the whole performs quite well.
Pests: Aphids, spider mites and whitefly are all common pests; for infestations where spraying is necessary, or if the plantll need a broad-spectrum organic insecticide – I prefer insecticidal soap or neem oil – but you should also keep a close watch for any insect damage, especially yellowed leaves or an unusual shape to the plant’s shoots.
Common problems: There are three main diseases that can affect the Jasmine Asian Snow, and that is fungal infections. Some frequent ones are powdery mildew and root rot. You can easily avoid any fungi by making sure there is a good airflow, by not watering them from above, and by checking the potting mix is well-draining. If anything suspicious starts to show, be it a white powdery mildew, a change in the colour of the leaves, Wilting, or any other symptom, treat the plant with a fungicide and get into an appropriate care schedule to avoid further problems.
Landscaping with Jasmine Asian Snow Plant
Jasmine’s Asian Snow plant is an excellent plant for the landscape because its branches can cover arbors, trellises or even provide interesting effects planting them over large rocks. Jasmine’s profusion of white flowers adds beauty to the landscape.
Garden Borders and Hedges
Due to its more open, informal habit, it’s a great plant for informal hedging or garden borders. Plant it along walks or at property lines for a fragrant, but still open, screen. Like other Jasmines, this plant can quickly grow into an unruly, tangled dense mass if left untrimmed, so regular pruning will help the plant stay upright and to the height you desire and help keep its shape rounded and open.
Ground Cover and Erosion Control
As it tends to creep and spread, it is most suitable for use as a ground cover in larger garden spaces. Before long, the bare earth is covered with a thick green carpet splattered with white blooms. A very large shrub, its sloping branches are often put to use to help control erosion on slopes or embankments.
Containers and Trellises
Cultivation of the Jasmine Asian Snow plant, which grows easily in containers, lends itself to use on a patio, balcony or in an average-sized garden. The flexibility of a containerised plant can enable it to climb on a trellis or obelisk, cascading to the ground for a delightful ornamental effect and enabling one to bring it indoors before climbing it outside in late spring, an effective winter-over strategy to protect it from deep-freeze conditions in cold regions.