How to Plant Jasmine Minima

Jasmine Minima, a cultivar of Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum), is a woody, vining plant generally used as ground cover. It can be grown in the sun or shade, is extremely drought-tolerant and can be controlled by mowing, just as you would mow turf ground cover. Although Minima will spread to form a thick mat, it is a bit slow in becoming established and most gardeners don’t enjoy the sparseness during this period. To get around this, horticulturist Calvin R. Finch of Plantanswers.com suggests purchasing Minima in one-gallon containers, instead of small starts, and planting them 2 feet apart.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Gardening fork
• Rake
• Shovel
• Compost
• Lawn fertilizer

1. Dig up the planting area to a depth of 12 inches. Using the gardening fork, turn the soil and crush any clods larger than your fist.

2. Add a 4-inch layer of compost to the planting area and, again using the gardening fork, work it into the soil to a depth of 8 inches. Level the area with the rake.

3. Dig a hole the same depth and twice the width of the pots in which the Mimina are growing. Remove the Minima plants from the containers and place the roots into the hole. Back fill the hole with the soil and tamp down around the base of the plant.

4. Water the planting area until the soil is wet to a depth of 4 inches. How often you water will depend upon whether your Minima is planted in the sun or shade, and the air temperature. For the first year, treat the Minima much as you would a turf ground cover by keeping the soil moist but not soggy. After the first year you will not need to water the plants at all, unless the weather is unusually hot and dry.

5. Fertilize the Minima, with a slow-release lawn fertilizer, in April and again in September.