Chilean Jasmine (Mandevilla laxa) is a summer-flowering blossom that will enliven your garden lounging with its merry white blossoms and sweet, gardenia-like odor. Train the vine up a wall or trellis to enjoy and nurture each square foot of your own garden.
Botanical name: Mandevilla laxa (syn. Mandevilla suaveolens)
Common title: Chilean Jasmine
USDA zones: 8 to 11
Water requirement: Regular
moderate requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 15 feet, dispersing
Advantages and tolerances: Attracts bees, butterflies and birds
Seasonal attention: Blooms summer through fall
When to plant: Spring
Caution: Portions of the plant are toxic if ingested
Inga Munsinger Cotton
Distinguishing attributes. Heavenly white blossoms create wrought Jasmine a garden knockout throughout the summer and fall. Clustered 2-inch blossoms seem amongst glistening, green leaves. The real kicker is that these blooms are sweetly scented — unusual for Mandevilla. Landscape architect Christopher Yates notes the odor — considered unbeatable in the world — always reminds him of Hawaii.
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How to use it. As with most vines and climbers, Chilean Jasmine’s foliage is great for hiding unsightly walls or other surfaces. In case trellised, Chilean Jasmine can disperse around 15 feet, and the reflective heat will be beneficial to flowering. In colder climates, a few gardeners prefer to plant it into containers so that it can be moved indoors for winter.
As a twining vine, Chilean Jasmine requires extra support in order to grow. Contrary to wisteria, another twining vine, Chilean Jasmine will not disperse as aggressively or do damage to structures.
Read More about garden climbers
Planting notes. Plant the blossom at a warm and bright place — consider west- or south-facing walls to get extra reflected light and heat to promote flowering. Provide abundant soil and water and fertilize regularly when it’s flowering — no demand when dormant. If the plant becomes too tangled or cluttered, thin it or cut it back in late winter. It will resprout in spring.
Chilean Jasmine’s tolerance of and capacity to flower under warmer weather conditions make it a wise choice for temperate garden environments. Hardy to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, Chilean Jasmine can endure outside all year in moderate weather. In colder areas, see to the plant as a yearly or bring it indoors over the winter.
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