Oh JB & Cinta, You guys are at least right about one thing: I am confused. Let me clarify the followings: I bought an 1-gal pot of Jasmine Confederate; I re-potted it and placed in patio in front of a sliding door/window; I moved it inside behind the same sliding door/window when 1st autumn rain came; and then I moved it to a spot (inside) for receiving max sunlight possible. I don't see the situation can/will make any significant difference from Cinta's scenario (quote): "..So it came inside and was put in a cool room 50-60. It lost most of the leaves and I gave it enough water so the soil was not bone dry. Which was usually every 4-6 weeks... " Maybe it's not winter yet, but due to the recent cooling down (and insufficient sunlight?) some of the new shoots have stopped growing and some leaves fell. How is this not "pre-dormancy"? My area is not tropical, but desert-like (it can go under 40F in winter outside). I wonder how do JB's indoor jasmines not go dormant (sleep) in winter in NJ? Do they keep growing in winter and not shed leaves? What indoor conditions you provide: temp, light, water, food? Thanks

Fiat, I do not grow jasmine, but I have a bougainvillea that I bought 2013 summer from Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay is about 10 degrees cooler than my area. When I got it home, it promptly dropped the colorful bracts within a week, then in winter got deciduous. I still left it outdoors. During early Spring I gave it a trim. During the rest of Spring all through summer it grew back its leaves and this early Fall, got its first taste of rain and continued growing back all the colorful bracts and is now showing its little blooms.

I am thinking similar thing is happening to your jasmine. It is trying to acclimate and adjust to your area. Constantly moving it will take the adjustment longer. Temps in my area and your area are not that far apart. I would be more worried about your plant if we have a forecast of a deep freeze, temps in the 20-21F range, which happens sometimes in late Fall to early winter..but right now, nothing at all is in our forecasts. So give your plant some time to adjust, leave it alone in one warm and bright spot. If and when we do finally have that deep freeze forecast, then hide your plant indoors by a sunny window, and keep it there all winter if you want. That should protect it.

I have a white flowering bougainvillea that was given to me. I will gladly send it bare root to anyone who lives zone 9 or warmer, for postage. The poor thing is not happy in Maine and I end up with a big pot on my office floor all winter..

Thanks, Tarev. Mostly your words match my (rookie year) gut feeling and give me comfort. I'll be patient and hopeful for my jasmine.

Linnea: Thank you for your kind offer. Let other lucky ones receive your B. All my rookie year projects are all filled (more than I have planned initially due to joining ATP ) including two Amaryllis bulbs to be received end of this month which will be my final project. (By no means this says I don't need any of your help and advice no more. Please everybody rush to help/rescue anytime in the forever future. Thanks )

I haven't had any takers and pretty soon it will be too cold to ship from Maine. Please, 9b+ take this poor tree!

Oh, need help from jasmine growers. Look at the pic of my now indoor jasmine's 'sick part':

Is this normal or need to do something? Thanks for help.

Nope that is what I meant that it is not a plant that would look good when you bring it in for the winter which is why it is not good to use as a houseplant. The summer leaves are going to turn brown and drop off.

I would give it a sip of water by sip I mean enough that the soil did not go bone dry. When I put it outside for the summer it would grow green leaves on the stem again. By the end of winter I would only have maybe 4 or 5 green leaves. You have this ugly stem all winter.

The plants I use as good looking evergreen houseplants with fragrant flowers is Gardenia, and Sansevieria.

Ok, got it and thanks, Cinta. Now I have 3 Sans inside but couldn't dream they would bloom at near or far future. The Gardenia looks really have good potential, especially Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides 'August Beauty'). It seems to be a outdoor plant too! Do you suggest to grow it indoor?

The gardenia I had I grew it indoors through the winter and outdoors in the summer. It was a nice looking indoor plant with healthy green leaves. In early Spring and most of the summer I had the fragrant flowers, I do not know which gardinea it is because some one sent it to me as a cutting from their garden in from Florida. I think I posted this pic before. I liked the plant even when it was not in flower.




The Sans bloomed in the winter.

Cinta said:Nope that is what I meant that it is not a plant that would look good when you bring it in for the winter which is why it is not good to use as a houseplant. The summer leaves are going to turn brown and drop off.

I would give it a sip of water by sip I mean enough that the soil did not go bone dry. When I put it outside for the summer it would grow green leaves on the stem again. By the end of winter I would only have maybe 4 or 5 green leaves. You have this ugly stem all winter.

The plants I use as good looking evergreen houseplants with fragrant flowers is Gardenia, and Sansevieria.

I brought in all my jasmine, both the Maids of Orleans and the Royal and Star and not one lost any leaves yet. Cinta, I just must disagree with you when you say it is not a good houseplant. Do you mean all Jasmine or just this one she has? I may have missed some of the posts and if I did I am sorry for butting in. I just read yours and I felt I had to defend my favorite fragrant houseplant.... The one she has looks to me to have shiny leaves...the ones that are not brown. I do not know of any I have with shiny leaves. They look almost like camellia leaves the way they seem shiny to me.

Oh, Cinta, that's lovely. Is it grown in a pot (hard to see)? What's the also lovely plant with violet flowers growing under the gardenia?

JB: Thanks for chiming in. I am pretty, very sure that mine is a Jasmine Confed (see pic when bought on mid sept) and not a camellia.

When you said: "I had to defend my favorite fragrant houseplant" I was encouraged again. But not sure I can be happy when you say: "I brought in all my jasmine, both the Maids of Orleans and the Royal and Star and not one lost any leaves yet." Maybe it's a hint that I did not do everything right for my jasmine. Would you be kind to share your experience, point out my fault and offer some remedies? Thanks

You are good Fiat because Confederate and Star Jasmine are not true Jasmines which is why they react different when they come inside. Even all jasmines are not evergreen. What you have to look for if you want to bring a plant inside and keep it growing as a pretty plant all year it has to be evergreen.

Confused? I guess you have to blame the people that name plants. Confederate and
Star I guess they put Jasmine name on it because it smells like Jasmine. I posted a link for you read that again because it says Confederate and Star Jasimine are not true Jasmine plant.
What I tell you is my experience with the plant you said you purchased. If the plant is.one of the plants that JB named then her experience is what you should expect and follow. We just have to be sure which plant you purchased.

Ok, I think I got it now thanks to Cinta's persistent explanation and clarification. I will rest in peace with my jasmine confed through this winter.. Thanks

I have no outside jasmine plants..........the Royal or Star are both inside plants in my zone for sure. I honestly think you have a variety that is not a true jasmine and that is more or less an outside tropical that just will not adjust to the house.
You may find some leaf dropping but nothing like that. The Maid of Orleans Jasmine sometimes drops leaves when it needs water. Otherwise, it just sheds one or two here and there normally, like all plants. I think Cinta hit the nail on the head. If you go by the names of these plants, especially since to many hybrids are showing up, you will drive yourself crazy.
They call so many plants jasmine now because as she said, the smell. Who knows????
I certainly would never say anyone giving advice is wrong. The best we can do is tell you what works for us. Then you need to try it and see what works for you. I agree identifying your plant is the question that needs to be answered. I don't care what they called it....it may be something else. That happens sometimes. I have no Confederates so I can not compare plants. I wish I could be more helpful.

Thanks, JB. I have checked up your Royal or Star and the Maid of Orleans Jasmine and affirmed my confed is NOT either of them. So maybe case closed? Anyway, thank you all.

Yes JB the plant is as they said not a true Jasmine. It takes a break and shed leaves in the winter inside or outside. It replaces its previous summer foliage in the winter and grow new ones in the Spring and then it flowers. It grows like a clematis, or honeysuckle outside in our climate.

It kept a couple of leaves through the winter. I kept it in my powder room because it is only used if I have guest. I would take it out and put it in my bathroom through the holidays because that is the only time I really have any guest I did not want to see it looking ugly in the guest powder room. The rest of the winter I only have close friends over and do not care if they a see what looks like a dead plant in the powder room.

My Jasminum sambac 'Maid of Orleans' is an old friend that woke me up the day before yesterday with a wave of fragrance, which is probably why I just noticed this thread... I whack it back when it gets out of line and usually pot up some of the cuttings. I don't think I have the original plant anymore -- the pots came in from "summer vacation" last month and are just starting their first round of in-house blooms... I'm not sure how the "fragrance waves" work, but they do. Of course you can go right up and sniff the blossoms, but then there are the times like day before yesterday when it practically shouts that it is there, and in bloom!

Mother Raphaela

Oh..all this talk of Jasmine...makes me long for our Sampaguita..that is what we call Jasminum sambac in the Philippines, which happens to be our national flower. I remember always buying Sampaguita after hearing mass..we always have street vendors outside the church selling them. It is an evergreen plant grown outdoors year round with lots of the intense humidity and rains there.
Lovely sweet scent! Sold often in a garland. So Hawaii has their plumeria leis...in the Phils. we have the Sampaguita garland.

Don't mind me folks..just reminiscing..

tarev, my dream of smelling plumeria from the smell when we vacationed in Hawaii was why I tried to grow a plumeria tree. I grew it for 5 yrs and never saw a flower. Last winter I left it outside and let old man winter have his way with them. I had two trees that grew beautiful tall full of leaves and never saw a flower.

I just have to enjoy the normal cents for my climate.....Lilac bushes, Mock orange. I do grow Tuberose which have a gorgeous fragrance but they are part of my tropical garden plants that have to come inside for the winter.