The more than 200 species from the genus “Jasminum” are popular with gardeners for their beautiful, fragrant flowers. Most of the flowers that belong to it are either partially hardy or not hardy at all. In areas with a mild climate, they thrive outdoors without any problems. But jasmines can also grow well in regions with a harsh winter and permanent frost, as long as you take proper care of the plants. We explain how you can overwinter jasmine and what you need to consider.
Overwintering jasmine: the most important things summarized
As already mentioned, there are more than 200 species of jasmine. Most of them are not hardy or only partially hardy. We give you an overview of the most popular varieties:
- The real jasminebelongs to hardiness zone 8b. This means it can tolerate temperatures down to -6.7° Celsius.
- Alsothe shrub jasminebelongs to winter hardiness zone 8b and is not considered hardy in this country.
- Arabian jasminecangood in hardiness zones9 to 11 thrive. In practice it can rarely survive sub-zero temperatures and only survives the winter outdoors in the southern parts of Europe. In Germany it has to be overwintered.
- Among the popular jasmine species, only winter jasmine is hardy.
Care in autumn: First cut back, then overwinter the jasmine
The jasmine species are shaped after the flowering period has ended. For all non-hardy species, this ends in autumn, or at the latest in September. The rule of thumb applies: young plants are only thinned out a little - around a third of all old shoots are cut off close to the ground. Old plants are given a rejuvenation cut. Even jasmines that are out of shape can benefit from severe pruning.
Exception: Winter jasmine: The only hardy jasmine species blooms in winter. Therefore, the climbing plant is only cut in spring. In autumn you can cut off yellow leaves and bare shoots.
Non-hardy species overwinter in pots
Non-hardy jasmine species cannot thrive in winter frost. It is best to plant the plants in a pot one to two weeks after cutting (end of September to mid-October) before the first frost and bring them into their winter quarters.
The jasmines need a cool and bright place where they can spend the rest period in winter. The garage with a window, a garden shed or the basement are ideal for this purpose (as long as it has windows and you can ventilate there). Temperatures should not exceed 15 degrees during the day, and it can even get cooler in the evenings.
It is best to give the plant time after cutting so that it can recover. Then plant it in a sufficiently large pot and leave the pot in its old location for a few days. Then place the pot on a house wall, protected from the wind and, if possible, covered. After another week he is allowed to go to winter quarters. First, just bring him inside for several hours, then gradually let him outside for longer.
If the flower is still outside in October, you can wrap the pot with fleece and place it on a Styrofoam plate.
Water the potted plant properly in autumn and winter
The jasmine needs less water during the dormant period. The watering can be smaller, but you should water the plant at even intervals. So that you can orientate yourself, do the finger test in the first few weeks. When the soil is slightly dry, you can water the jasmine again.
Exception: Winter jasmine can stay outside
The only type of jasmine that can spend the winter outside in this country is winter jasmine. But it also needs some frost protection to survive the cold season outdoors. Proceed as follows:
- First, give the plant a pruning and remove yellow leaves and dried and dead shoots in September.
- Then check the plant for pests and diseases and take action if necessary.
- Then remove weeds from the bed to avoid root competition in winter.
- Then cover the bed with a 7 cm thick layer of mulch (preferably bark mulch). It is best to use bark mulch or chopped autumn leaves
Young plants are not particularly hardy andneed additional frost protection. As a rule, you should therefore plant them in a location protected from the wind. A thick layer of mulch will protect the sensitive roots from ground frost and prevent the irrigation water from evaporating. In addition, you can cover the plants with a translucent fleece if there is permanent frost.
Water the winter jasmine only when necessary
The winter jasmine can cope without watering. Conversely, it can tolerate waterlogging more poorly than drought. So when you plant young plants in the ground, you can first work coarse sand into the soil. How to improve drainage.
Overwintering jasmine: Stop fertilizing in autumn
The winter jasmine is only fertilized once in March - April with organic compost. The non-hardy varieties are supplied with nutrients during the flowering period. However, you can stop fertilizing in the fall.
