Stephanotis

[Floriana]

Has anyone got experience of growing these in the garden in Southern Spain please?

Mine are very straggly and I would like them to bush out - do they respond to having te growing tips snipped off?

They look like good plants when you buy them but when you go to plant them out, you find its just one long shoot which has been craftily wrapped around to make it look good!

[Kamila]

Hi Floriana, because I didn't know what kind of plant was stephanotis I googled for it and found out about pruning it. Here is what I found:

Pruning
Prune back soft wood in spring to encourage flowering. This is also a good time to remove dead or damaged stems, straighten up any tangles in the branches and give them a helping hand to twine the right way. Stephanotis always needs a support to grow on. Eventually, you might need to replace the one we send with the plant with a larger one – never do this in the flowering season as it’s very easy to knock buds off.

[Floriana]

Hi Kamila

Thank you for that - I did try Googling but didn't come up with anything useful.....

What you found was what I was trying to avoid, I need the length to tie in to supports but guess I will have to bite the bullet and chop off those tender ends and hope it encourages new shoots along the length....

It can get pretty windy here so have to make sure everything is secured when we return to UK each time.


I'm a rather impatient gardener I'm afraid - which is why my Spanish garden is so rewarding - everything grows so quickly in the sun! But still not quickly enough......

Cheers

[keddyboy]

We have one and we find it grows better and more vigarously if kept in a large pot or container in a semi shady spot It is a very thirsty plant and ours blooms nearly all year.

[Floriana]

Well Keddy Boy, your comments are very encouraging.

I will have to be patient for my reward. Its planted outside the kitchen door so I get full benefit when I do eventaully get flowers....

Ive planted it against a shady wall so should be fine, probably needs this summer to get it all growing away, only planted over the winter months, so still putting roots down.

[keddyboy]

If you get any problems regarding name etc, it is also known as the Madagascar Jasmine.

[oliveview01]

I bought a plant today for my neighbour as a present, the man at the garden center said to keep it in semi shade as it does not like the full sun. I was going to buy a BIG pot to put it into and he said to just buy one a little bigger than the pot it was already in.

[ron]

Always repot a plant in a pot slightly bigger otherwise it will try to fill the pot with roots not shoots.

Gradually build up to a big pot.

[oliveview01]

MY neighbour asked me what her stephanotis is called in Spanish, and I couldn´t remember what the man at the garden center said it was called anyone know here?

[fearless nige]

Ours has produced fruit twice - apparently you can't eat it - but it's interesting to see all the same!

[Floriana]

Oliveview01,

I think it is know as Jazmin de Madagascar in Spain, rather than Stephanotis.

[DecorDiva]

Where is the best place to buy this and can I buy it this time of year, anyone seen any nice ones recently?

[Mariacristina]

Just to add to the debate on this question - my local nursery sells Stephanotis and they call them....Stephanotis!They say they are house plants and not for the garden!

[DecorDiva]

That does not help at all!!!! I need to buy some plants for a wedding so if anyone can let me know where there are some nice ones at the moment please let me know !

[fearless nige]

I would think that most half decent nurseries would have them - certainly all those I have been to at this end of the costa have them in stock all of the time. Good luck!