Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

We are no longer able to process pictures from our correspondents. You can go to our Plant Identification page, which will give you links to some forums that do accept pictures, and might be able to help you.

On your specific question, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Confederate Jasmine, is native to China and therefore not in our Native Plant Database. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the areas in which those plants grow natively. We found a Floridata article on this plant that details growing problems.

We do know that Confederate Jasmine can be invasive, climbing up trees to the point that the excess weight can bring down a tree in adverse circumstances. According to this USDA Plant Profile map, Confederate Jasmine does not grow in Texas at all, but in Louisiana and Florida. This might indicate that the plant has a problem with our alkaline soils, as the soils in the Southeast tend to be more acidic.

Other possibilities we can report are, if the plant is fairly recently planted, it could be at risk of winter death or summer drought injury, both of which has been a fact in the weather we have had in Central Texas over the last 12 months. It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 7 and Buda is in Zone 8b, so normally climactic conditions would seem to be okay for this plant. But how often do we have "normal" in Central Texas? Finally, the plant prefers shade, which we consider to be 2 hours or less of sun a day, and part shade, 2 to 6 hours of sun.

Beyond that, we really can't help you. The fact that it starts with one shoot and spreads to the whole plant indicates a systemic problem. Occasionally, we have seen plant problems similar to this occur when a "weed and feed" fertilizer has been spread on the lawn. The purpose of this product is to kill broad leaf plants, regarded as weeds in a lawn. However, if it has been put down carelessly, it could have affected the jasmine, which is also a broad leaf plant.