Care guide
Madagascar Jasmine
Stephanotis floribunda / Marsdenia floribunda
Glossy dark leaves on twining stems, and waxy white trumpet flowers with a perfume that fills a room — the classic bridal bloom, growing at home.
At a glance
tap for detail ↓Just arrived?
Welcome home! A little settling-in is completely normal — here’s what to know in week one.
- Drooping or leaf drop can have several causes. Check the compost, drainage and growing conditions rather than assuming it is only travel stress.
- Keep a healthy plant in its nursery pot while it settles. If it keeps wilting, the compost stays waterlogged or roots look damaged, check the cause rather than waiting a fixed number of weeks.
- Follow the watering advice for this plant below. Check the compost first and let excess water drain before returning the nursery pot to its cover.
Light
Bright light with some gentle direct sun — an east or west window is ideal — powers flowering. Keep the roots shaded and cool even while the top basks; a light-coloured cover pot helps.
Watering
Check weekly and water when the top few centimetres have dried, using rainwater where you can. Keep it evenly watered while budding and flowering — drought at that moment costs you the blooms.
The dipstick check
Slide a wooden stick or skewer a few centimetres into the soil.
Pull it out and look: damp soil clinging on means hold off.
Use the watering advice for this plant to decide whether it is ready for a drink. When you water, let the excess drain.
Humidity & temperature
Warm and reasonably humid in the growing season — 18°C upwards. In winter it actually appreciates a cooler rest (around 13–15°C) which sets it up to flower again.
Feeding
Feed fortnightly with a balanced feed while in active growth and bloom, then stop entirely for the winter rest.
Repotting & size
Repot in spring only when roots fill the pot — it flowers best slightly snug — into free-draining peat-free mix, and give the twining stems a hoop or trellis. Crucially, don’t move or even rotate it while in bud.
Something wrong?
Most problems are fixable — find the symptom below.
Buds dropping before opening
Cause
The classic Stephanotis complaint — the plant was moved, turned, or dried out while budding.
Fix
Once buds show, keep position, watering and temperature absolutely steady until flowering finishes.
No flowers
Cause
No winter rest, or not enough light.
Fix
Give it a cooler, drier winter and a brighter spring — the rest period is what triggers the buds.
Yellowing leaves
Cause
Overwatering or cold roots.
Fix
Let the top dry between drinks and keep it clear of cold sills in winter.
Sticky leaves and white fluff
Cause
Mealybugs, which love its dense stems.
Fix
Separate the plant and inspect leaf joints and stems. Remove visible mealybugs gently with a damp cotton bud and monitor for new insects. If further treatment is needed, follow the directions on a product labelled for mealybugs on indoor ornamental plants; avoid improvised household-soap mixtures.
Long whippy shoots, few leaves
Cause
Normal exuberant growth.
Fix
Wind them round the support or trim after flowering — pruning then doesn’t cost blooms.
Leaves dulling
Cause
Dust on those glossy leaves.
Fix
A gentle monthly wipe keeps it shining and photosynthesising.
Meet the plant
Stephanotis
- It’s widely used in wedding floristry — its waxy white trumpets are a bouquet classic.
- The evening perfume is the point: one plant in bloom will scent a whole room.
- It is native to Madagascar, is not a true jasmine (Jasminum), and is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
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