If you like jasmine, we'll love snowstorm jasmine. It is perfect for ornamental hedges and also makes a good impression in the background of perennial and rose borders.
This plant belongs to the hydrangea family and is native to Italy and south-eastern Europe. There the garden jasmine 'Schneesturm' can be found mainly in parks and gardens. The garden jasmine is particularly popular because of its bright white flowers, which are visually reminiscent of a snowstorm in the garden. The popular ornamental plant is not only known as garden jasmine (Philadelphus), but also under the following names:
- Mockingbird
- False Jasmine
- Pale Magnolia Tree
- European chanterelle
- Summer Jasmine
- Peasant Jasmine
A garden jasmine shrub is particularly good for small gardens if you want to create a pleasantly fragrant and blooming hedge. In comparison, the real jasmine in our region is only planted in tubs and not as a hedge.
Detailed Description of Garden Jasmine 'Snowstorm'
The ornamental shrub is a deciduous shrub that can even reach a height of between four and nine meters in some varieties. The branches have a rough, light brown bark, while the shrub's leaves are characterized by the following characteristics:
- light green
- opposed
- stalked
- elliptical
- slightly perforated
- Length: six to twelve centimetres
- Width: about five centimetres
Each short shoot has about five to ten flowers, all of which exude an intense fragrance - especially in the evening hours. The flowers of the garden jasmine have a diameter of around three centimeters and have four green sepals. There are also four white petals, each of which can have a length between twelve and 18 millimeters. The yellow stamens also add to the attractive appearance of garden jasmine flowers. From mid-May to around the end of Julyflowering time may be extended depending on garden jasmine variety.
Introducing various garden jasmine species
There are different varieties of garden jasmine, which differ slightly in terms of their appearance and flowering time. In this context, the following varieties should be mentioned in particular, with many more garden jasmine varieties being known:
❍ Garden Jasmine Virginal:
The garden jasmine virginal is characterized by a broad, bushy growth. In addition, the growth is particularly upright and the plant is covered with overhanging shoots. The shrub, which is ideal for almost any garden, reaches a height of around two meters and has double white flowers that are at their most beautiful from May to July. This is one of the large and strongly scented garden jasmine varieties.
❍ Garden Jasmine Girandole:
The garden jasmine Girandole also grows upright and bushy. However, this shrub reaches a height of just over a meter, which makes this plant so ideal for smaller hobby gardens. Even on the terrace or in the bucket, this garden jasmine variety cuts a very good figure. It has creamy white flowers in June and July.
❍ Peasant jasmine (Philadelphus coronarius):
Peasant jasmine is characterized by a very upright, bushy habit. Here, too, creamy-white flowers and a growth height of a good two meters can be expected. From May to June, the flowers unfold their wonderful fragrance and attractive appearance.
❍ Medium Tall Garden Jasmine (Philadelphus Belle Etoile):
The half-tall garden jasmine, on the other hand, is a medium-sized shrub with a maximum height of 1.5 meters with clusters of white flowers, which all hobby gardeners can enjoy from June to July.
The ideal location for the garden jasmine 'Snowstorm'
The garden jasmine appreciates cultivated garden soil very much. It should also be in a partially shaded or sunny location so that the shrub can thrive. The soil around the garden jasmine can be either slightly dry or moist. A clay soil can also be suitable for planting the garden jasmine. However, it is then important that you create a special drainage layer so that no harmful waterlogging can occur, which could otherwise cause the shrub to die.
Plant garden jasmine 'Snowstorm' in your own garden - That's how it's done
When planting garden jasmine, you should keep sufficient planting distance.After all, the shrub can reach a growth width of 150 to 200 centimeters and needs a lot of space in the garden. The shrub also grows between 30 and 40 centimeters every year. If necessary, however, the growth width and height can be limited by pruning. Even if the shrub is to serve as a hedge, no more than two plants should be planted per meter. You can also plant the plant in a large bucket. It is best to use the smaller varieties.
How to properly care for the garden jasmine 'Snowstorm'
❍ casting:
On hot summer days it makes sense to water the garden jasmine every two to five days - preferably in the morning or evening and not during the blazing midday sun. Otherwise, the need for care for the garden jasmine is comparatively low.
❍ Fertilize:
In order for the chanterelle tree to develop its full beauty, the plant needs to be fertilized properly. This means that you should mulch the garden jasmine between April and May. It is best to use peat for this. Above all, the strong growth and the high growth height are responsible for the fact that the garden jasmine has such a high nutrient requirement. During the vegetation phase, it is therefore important that the plant is fertilized at intervals of no more than two weeks. Compared to other hedges, however, the garden jasmine is quite frugal and can therefore also be planted by garden novices.
❍ Cut:
You should also always remove old, withered and dried up inflorescences at regular intervals, as this stimulates the formation of new bud shoots. Once a year, from around the beginning of February to March, it also makes sense to thin out the plant. This can help ensure that the flowers do not only form at the ends of the shoots.
This type of jasmine presents itself as very unproblematic in terms of pruning, as it does not mind the most diverse types of pruning. Even if you make a strong pruning, this does not prevent the plant from sprouting again just as vigorously afterwards. A climbing aid also ensures that the garden jasmine can demonstrate its ability to climb. You can also use a trellis or a classic rose arch.
➥ Useful tips for pruning garden jasmine
When pruning the chanterelle tree, the main question is to what extent the garden jasmine should be reduced in size or whether the aim is to stimulate the plant to produce more flowers. To theTo maintain the size of the garden jasmine, you should proceed as follows when pruning:
- Cut all side shoots of the main shoot radically
- this contributes to the formation of new flowering shoots
- make the cut as early as possible
If cut back completely, the garden jasmine should not be cut back by more than two thirds. If the plant is shortened close to the ground, it will take much longer for the cut shrub to grow back into a strong, handsome bush. However, a pruning is definitely recommended. Because if you completely neglect the pruning of the plant, you have to reckon with the fact that the chanterelle tree will not flower at some point, since the old shoots will no longer have flowers over time. Therefore, it is so important that the shrub is stimulated to form new shoots. If the garden jasmine is thinned out, young shoots also have enough space to regenerate. A circular cut is recommended. Because this resembles the natural look of the bush.
Important:
If you want to cut back or prune your garden jasmine, you should definitely wear gardening gloves. This is particularly important, as your skin can otherwise quickly become irritated when it comes into contact with the milky sap of the plant. A ladder may also be required to trim the jasmine at the top. This is especially true for the taller varieties.
❍ Overwintering:
There are both hardy and frost-sensitive varieties. You should therefore make sure when you buy it that you choose the hardy variant, if possible, which will then bloom again next summer without the need for special winter protection measures. In fact, these varieties are so robust that temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius do not bother them. Accordingly, the garden jasmine is perfectly suited for the local climate.
Propagating garden jasmine 'Snowstorm' - Here's how
The garden jasmine can be propagated by lowering or cuttings. The cuttings sprout quite quickly in water or potting soil. However, this requires an ambient temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius.
If you want to propagate the jasmine using a sinker, simply cover a shoot near the ground with enough soil. Then you have to wait until it has formed enough roots. Now the new shoot can be separated from the garden jasmine plant and transplanted to a new location.
Diseases and possible pestsat the garden jasmine
There are a number of diseases and pests that can affect garden jasmine. Aphids in particular can give the garden jasmine 'Snowstorm' a hard time. If the garden jasmine is heavily infested with aphids, this can be seen from the stunted leaves and crooked shoots.
What to do in case of an infestation?
It is best if you act immediately at the first sign of an infestation. Because then you can declare war on the aphids with a jet of water, which strong garden jasmine shoots can tolerate without any problems. If it is only a small amount of lice, you can also remove the small animals with your fingers or with a brush. Otherwise, cigarette ash also helps against aphids. And you can also fight aphids with garlic stock (recipe for garlic stock).
If the garden jasmine suffers from a lack of water, the chances that the plant could be attacked by aphids are significantly higher because the shoots become soft. Even if the garden jasmine is fertilized with too much nitrogen, this is good food for aphids. This type of fertilization should therefore be avoided in the interests of plant he alth.
Our tip:
A species-rich hobby garden, in which many beneficial insects such as ladybugs settle, is considered the best protection against aphids and other pests. For example, the garden jasmine can be planted as an attractive element of a pretty mixed hedge. The combination with the following plants, for example, is an eye-catcher:
- Forsythia
- Bamboo
- Cherry Laurel
- Garden Eibich
- Bellbush
This combination ensures a magical splendor of color in your own garden. The combination with cherry laurel is particularly useful because this plant is evergreen, so that your own hedge does not look so bare even in winter. Due to the strongly scented garden jasmine, which smells particularly intensively in the evening, the hedge also provides an incomparable charm in the garden.