Hi I'm new here and hope someone will give some advice.
I would like to add this climber to my garden. The spot I would put it is a wooden planter approx 1m x .5 m and 1m deep on a south facing wall, (in central London) Recently I had a clematis in there which was suffering from wilt i think so I have removed it and most of the roots.

Is this planter is big enough for the star Jasmine ? And what should I condition the soil with if so, when to plant etc?

Thanks in advance
petty at

Hi,

The planter that you mention does sound like it is big enough, I would advise you to give the planter a thorough clean making sure that all the old roots are removed and any possible sign of disease from the clematis.

The position sounds great, just remember to keep an eye on whether your soil is too wet or too dry, does your planter have drainage holes?

It would be absolutely fine to plant it out now, this will get it established before we have any hard frosts, although, living in central London things tend to be a lot milder than elsewhere.

Hope this helps!

On 9/8/11 9:44 AM, Lettycat wrote:
Hi I'm new here and hope someone will give some advice.
I would like to add this climber to my garden. The spot I would put it
is a wooden planter approx 1m x .5 m and 1m deep on a south facing wall,
(in central London) Recently I had a clematis in there which was
suffering from wilt i think so I have removed it and most of the roots.


Is this planter is big enough for the star Jasmine ? And what should I
condition the soil with if so, when to plant etc?

Thanks in advance
petty at

The soil should be somewhat acidic. You can get the right acidity by
incorporating peat moss into the potting mix, about 1 part peat moss to
3 parts mix. Also stir some bone meal into the mix before planting.
Otherwise, do not feed it until next spring.

When you do feed it next year, use an acidic fertilizer. Since the
roots will be constrained, feed it lightly. Since the potting mix will
drain well and thus drain away nutrients, feed it frequently from early
March until about a month before any frost might be expected.

You will need to tie the vine to your wall. It does not have any kind
of hold-fasts on the stems or tendrils. Alternatively, hang some
poultry mesh (chicken wire) from the top of the wall, using small wood
blocks as spacers to get the mesh out about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the
wall. Star jasmine will readily climb the mesh.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary