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Mock orange Dame Blanche is a hybrid bred by the French breeder Lemoine. This is a gorgeous, versatile plant when in bloom, capable of covering unsightly corners of the garden or becoming the main highlight of a flowering arrangement. This variety of jasmine is perfect for creating spectacular hedges.
Description of mock orange Dame Blanche
It’s worth mentioning right away that mock orange is not jasmine - these are different cultures. However, they are similar in the abundance of lush flowering and the sweetish-sticky fragrance of strawberry aroma. Therefore, mock orange is popularly called garden (false) jasmine.
Mock orange Dame Blanche, as is clear from the description and the photo below, belongs to dwarf shrubs. It is a neat, compact bush with a maximum height of 1.5 m and a crown diameter of 1 m.The dark green leaves are narrow, ovoid in shape and small in size and become yellow in autumn, which enhances the decorative value of the shrub.
How Jasmine Dame Blanche blooms
Garden jasmine of the Dame Blanche variety blooms in July with white, semi-double flowers, the diameter of which does not exceed 4 cm. The flowers of the shrub are collected in inflorescences of 6 - 7 pieces. When the mock orange blossoms, the garden is filled with the sweet, pleasant aroma of fragrant flowers.
Main characteristics
Hybrid mock orange Dame Blanche is a fairly easy to grow, unpretentious variety. Light-loving, it can, however, grow in slight shade; it prefers moist, but without stagnant water, non-saline soils. The shrub tolerates somewhat depleted soil, but it fully reveals all its wonderful qualities on fertile, loose soil. Garden jasmine Dame Blanche is frost-resistant and can tolerate frosts down to 27 - 28 degrees. However, young plants may freeze in severe winters, but subsequently quickly recover. The mock orange variety Dame Blanche is resistant to pests and diseases, and also easily adapts to various growing conditions and, thanks to its unpretentiousness, has occupied a special place in urban landscaping.
A useful video about the description and characteristics of Dame Blanche jasmine with visual photos will allow you to learn more about this culture:
Features of reproduction
To propagate garden jasmine, one of the following methods is used:
- seeds;
- cuttings or layering;
- dividing the bush.
Dame Blanche mock orange cuttings are harvested at the beginning or end of the growing season.They are rooted in greenhouse conditions and after the formation of a developed root system, they are planted in a permanent place. For propagation by layering, a trench is formed around the bush and strong, developed shoots are bent down, fixing them. Layerings require regular watering and loosening of the soil. After the roots have formed, they are planted in temporary ridges, and after two years - in a permanent place. A quick way to plant Dame Blanche mock orange is the method of dividing the bush. First, the plant is well watered, dug up and its root system is divided into parts with a sharp knife. Seedlings with roots and developed buds are planted immediately after division.
Planting and caring for garden jasmine Dame Blanche
The unpretentious mock orange Philadelphus Dame Blanche is undemanding to growing conditions. However, some agrotechnical features must be observed when growing. So, when planted in partial shade or shade, jasmine will not please with abundant flowering: its flowers will be small, sparse and sparse. Lack of moisture will affect the leaves, which will lose their elasticity and sag. Mock orange will not be able to fully demonstrate its decorative qualities on acidic, saline soils. The plant also needs regular pruning, fertilizing, loosening and mulching.
Recommended timing
Jasmine Dame Blanche is planted in early spring - in April. In exceptional cases, seedlings can be planted in the fall - at the end of September or beginning of October, but here there is a high probability of young, immature plants freezing. This is especially true for climatic regions with harsh winters.
Site selection and soil preparation
The place for Dame Blanche mock orange should be sunny, well-lit and protected from cold winds and drafts. Ideally, you can place it on the south side of the wall of a house or building, or a fence. In the shade and even partial shade, jasmine shoots stretch, become weak and may die. Flowering without sufficient lighting will be poor and rare. Fertile soil for mock orange is prepared from a mixture of sand, humus and leaf soil (1:2:3).
Landing algorithm
For planting, pits measuring 60x60 are prepared at a distance of 0.7 m from each other for hedges and 1.5 m for group plantings. Be sure to pour at least 15 cm of drainage layer of expanded clay or gravel at the bottom of the holes. Pre-prepared fertile soil is poured onto the drainage and the seedling is installed vertically so that the root collar of the mock orange is at soil level. In exceptional cases, it can be deepened a little, but not more than 2 cm, otherwise the root system of the plant will rot.
Growing rules
In order for garden jasmine to delight with its abundant flowering and decorativeness, it must be provided with:
- good lighting, protection from the wind and fertile soil, the composition of which is described above;
- correct application of fertilizers in terms of timing and composition;
- sufficient moisture;
- mandatory drainage during planting;
- regular pruning;
- winter shelter for young plants less than 1 year old;
- covering the root collar in winter.
Watering schedule
Mock orange variety Dame Blanche needs regular, abundant watering, without waterlogging the soil. Immediately after planting, 20 - 30 liters of warm, settled water are poured onto 1 seedling. In summer, jasmine needs to be watered once a week in a volume of 30 liters per bush. If the drought is severe, then the number of waterings is increased to 3-4 times a week.
Weeding, loosening, mulching
Regular weeding and loosening 5-6 times per season will keep the soil clean and saturate the root system of the Dame Blanche garden jasmine with oxygen. Mulching with fallen leaves or humus ensures an optimal level of soil moisture, preventing moisture from evaporating rapidly. Seedlings are mulched immediately after planting, during the summer and during preparatory activities before winter.
Feeding schedule
In order for the Dame Blanche mock orange to delight with its decorative effect, as can be seen in the photo, regular feeding is a prerequisite for its cultivation. The main thing is to apply them correctly and ensure a good composition of fertilizers:
- Every year, mock orange is fed with slurry diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 in the amount of 1 bucket per bush.
- From the second year of growth, plants are given mineral fertilizers from superphosphate (30 g), urea and potassium sulfate (15 g each). This amount of feeding is enough for 2 bushes. They bring it in in the spring.
- After flowering, from the 2-3rd year of life, superphosphate (20g) mixed with potassium sulfate (15g) and wood ash (150g) is added directly to the soil.
Trimming
Mock orange Dame Blanche lays flower buds on annual shoots, which must be taken into account when pruning. In the spring, before the leaves bloom, sanitary pruning is carried out with the removal of frozen, dry branches. After flowering, shoots with dry inflorescences are cut out, which will enable the plant to actively develop the current year's growth, which will delight the flowering next year. In the fall, corrective pruning of garden jasmine is carried out, removing branches that thicken the crown. At the same time, a formative haircut is performed to give the bush a beautiful, neat shape.
Preparing for winter
Mock orange Dame Blanche is able to withstand frost; its winter hardiness zone is 5B, which allows it to be grown almost throughout the country, except for the northern regions. Preparing for winter is as follows:
- young seedlings are wrapped in light, dense material - agrofibre or burlap, secured on top with ropes;
- fallen leaves are used to cover the root system;
- in winter, they monitor the amount of snow cover on the bushes, and if there is a lot of it, then remove excess snow to prevent damage;
- With the onset of spring and the melting of the snow, the mock orange is freed from the heavy cover of snow.
Pests and diseases
The plant is resistant to diseases and pests, however, improper planting and care of Dame Blanche jasmine can cause the occurrence of:
- aphids;
- green leaf weevil;
- spider mite.
Mock orange is treated with insecticides against pests in spring and summer. Karbofos has proven itself to be an excellent preparation for mock orange.
Conclusion
It will not be difficult to grow Dame Blanche mock orange on your own plot if you use all the above recommendations. The shrub is not capricious in growing conditions and annually pleases with its amazing beauty of flowering, decorative leaves, and crown in both the southern and central regions of Russia.The hardiness and resilience of garden jasmine have made it a favorite and one of the most popular plants among landscape designers.
