How to Grow and Care for Jasmine

Jasmine (Jasminum), is a well-known fragrant flower from the Oleaceae family, which consists of 200+ species of perennial plants in the olive family. This white, vining flower is best known and highly regarded for the fragrance of its flowers, often replicated in perfumes, but a gorgeous addition to any yard or garden.

Various species of jasmine grow as shrubs or vines and are found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Plants may be evergreen or deciduous with variations in foliage according to species.

Leaves often appear dark green and waxy or glossy. Delicate yellow, gold, white, or pink flowers are prolific, highly aromatic, and form singly or in groups of three blossoms.

Learn more about jasmine and how to grow it at home.

Jasmine Care

• Adapts well to container growing with proper maintenance.
• Can be kept as a houseplant year-round.
• Requires warm temperatures and winter protection in colder zones.
• Provide support and shelter for vines.
• Shrubs require regular pruning.

Plants in the jasmine genus can be grown in the garden, in containers, and as houseplants. Outdoor vining species need support. Vines and shrubs are grown in containers and houseplants are pruned to stay more compact than those in the garden.

Light

One challenge for growing jasmine as a houseplant is providing enough light to induce flowering. Most need a minimum of 6 hours of bright, direct light daily.

Summer blooming species thrive best in full sun, while winter blooming varieties fare better with some shade. As expected, jasmine grown in low light produces fewer flowers than those grown in full sun.

Soil

Plant jasmine in organically rich, sandy loam that drains well. Container plants benefit by adding bark and peat moss to the potting medium. Check soil pH for a level between 6.5 and 7.5, neutral to slightly alkaline.

Water

Jasmine, both shrubs and vines, prefer soil that is not too wet but not too dry. The goal is to keep roots evenly moist.

Water garden-grown varieties once weekly and more often during hot weather as needed. Irrigate potted plants twice to three times weekly when the top inch of soil gets dry. Reduce the frequency of watering for houseplants during the cold season.

Temperature and Humidity

Maintaining a temperature between 60 and 75 °F. is key to growing a healthy jasmine plant. These are mostly tropical plants that thrive in warm temperatures, and unfortunately, they will succumb to frost. But, some varieties like winter jasmine are more cold-tolerant.

Fertilizer

Garden-grown jasmine seldom needs fertilization unless the soil lacks nutrients. A quality mulch spread across the root zone is often sufficient. Alternatively, compost can be worked into the soil in spring to replace nutrients or feed with a slow-release granular fertilizer.

Feed container-grown plants every two weeks during spring and summer with a quality liquid fertilizer or work a slow-release granular formula into the top two inches of soil in early spring.

If your plant flowers poorly, try adding fertilizer with higher phosphorous content such as an NPK 7-9-5.

Types of Jasmine

• Jasminum officinale: Commonly called True or Poet's jasmine, this is a large evergreen or deciduous vining shrub hardy in USDA growing zones 7 to 10. Large clusters of white flowers bloom from late spring into early autumn.
• Jasminum nudiflorum: This Winter jasmine is a medium-sized deciduous shrub with long arching branches. Bright yellow flowers appear in spring. Species is hardy in USDA growing zones 6 to 10.
• Jasminum rex: Royal jasmine is a rapidly growing compact vine hardy in USDA growing zones 10 and 11. Vines to 9 feet long quickly cover supports and produce pure white flowers almost all year.
• Jasminum polyanthum: Pink jasmine is a fast-growing evergreen vine producing an abundance of pinkish-white flowers in late winter or early spring. This species is hardy in USDA growing zones 8 to 11.

Pruning

Many jasmine shrubs and vines grow rapidly and require regular pruning to keep them neat and manageable. Pruning is best done after flowering. Prune trellised vines all the way back to the support. Shrubs can be pruned back by up to two-thirds of the plant. Damaged or diseased branches can be removed anytime.

Propagating Jasmine

Jasmine is propagated using several methods, but taking cuttings is the easiest method for home gardeners. This is done in spring and early summer when new green growth is present on the plant. Take several cuttings to increase chances for success.

Gather a sterile cutting tool, pot, light potting mix, rooting hormone, and plastic covering, and follow these steps:

1. Choose a healthy jasmine plant and take new growth stem cuttings 6 to 8 inches long.
2. Remove all but the top 2 or 3 sets of leaves.
3. Fill a pot with moistened planting medium. A light mix with perlite or vermiculite is adequate for rooting jasmine. Choose a container, such as a 10-inch pot, to accommodate developing roots.
4. Use your index finger or a pencil to create deep, narrow holes in the potting medium.
5. Moisten the bottoms of the cuttings and dip in rooting hormone. This step is optional and may encourage root growth but is not necessary for roots to develop.
6. Shake off excess and carefully place cuttings in planting holes.
7. Firm potting medium around cuttings to keep them upright.
8. Cover with plastic and place in a location to receive bright, indirect light.
9. Keep potting mix evenly moist.
10. Be patient. Root development may take 4 to 6 weeks. Check by gently tugging on the cutting. Resistance indicates roots have formed.
11. Allow new plants to develop to 3 to 4 inches tall before potting up into permanent containers or moving into the garden.

Potting and Repotting Jasmine

Jasmine plants produce prolific blooms when slightly rootbound. However, if the roots of your plant are growing through drainage holes in the pot, it's time to transfer it into a container 1 to 2 inches larger.

On average, repotting is necessary about every three years and is done in early spring before new growth begins. When potting a new nursery plant, choose a container three times the size of its current pot.

Choose a container with good drainage and one large enough to accommodate support for vining varieties. A pot with some weight to it, such as ceramic or clay, helps balance plants that become top-heavy.

Add bark and moss to the planting mix to help lighten potting soil and increase nutrient uptake. Choose a potting mix with perlite or vermiculite to ensure adequate drainage.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Ornamentals with highly fragrant flowers like jasmine are attractive to a number of pests and vulnerable to several fungal infections.

Pests

Garden-grown jasmine is vulnerable to leaf-chewing caterpillars including budworms, leaf rollers, and webworms. Budworms are the larval form of a small white moth that eats flower buds. A curled leaf indicates the presence of leaf rollers and webworms build spidery web-type nets. Be sure to apply horticultural oil at the first sign of pests.

Houseplants are more likely to attract sapsucking insects including aphids and spider mites, whiteflies, scale, and thrips, although these pests can also damage outdoor plants. These are mostly tiny insects and are difficult to spot.

Yellowing, wilted or spotted leaves and webbing are signs pests are present. Try applying insecticidal soap. In cases of severe infestation a targeted pesticide may be required.

Diseases

Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungus difficult to eradicate. Roots of affected plants turn black and succumb to rot and, in most cases, plants must be disposed of. Try repeated applications of targeted fungicide, or if caught early, try moving the plant to a new location. Remove damaged roots and treat remaining roots before replanting. Fusarium wilt usually appears during warm temperatures.

Rust appears as red discoloration on all parts of the plant. Copper-based fungicides may control this infection.

Brownish, circular spots on the leaves's upper surfaces indicate a leaf blight fungus. Leaves may curl and start to dry up. Blight is most likely to occur in wet conditions. Treat with a targeted fungicide.

How to Get Jasmine to Bloom

Jasmine blooms profusely and reliably as long as long as plants are kept warm, evenly moist and given enough bright sun exposure.

Bloom Months

Different jasmine species bloom at different times of year according to their USDA growing zones. For example, Pink jasmine is strictly a late winter/early spring bloomer while Royal jasmine can flower almost all year long in its hardiness zone.

How Long Does Jasmine Bloom?

Bloom periods vary according to species and may be as brief as one or two months. Other species grown in warmer hardiness zones may produce flowers repeatedly all year.

What to Jasmine Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Flowers may be single or double with single blooms usually tubular and star-shaped with five petals. They appear singly or in clusters of three blooms that each have 4 to 9 petals. Colors include shades of yellow, white and pinkish white. Flowers are generally small, about 1 inch across, but numerous.

The scent of jasmine flowers is highly valued in aromatherapy and the perfume trade. Fragrance is light but complex, described as rich, sweet and fruity with a slight muskiness.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Work compost into soil annually for garden-grown plants or fertilize in early spring with a slow-release granular formula and apply mulch.

Fertilize container-grown plants and houseplants every two weeks during the growing seasons with a half dilution of a quality plant food or formula with a greater amount of phosphorous. Alternatively, slow-release granular fertilizer can be raked into the top 1 to 2 inches of potting medium.

Caring for Jasmine After It Blooms

Hard pruning after bloom keeps jasmine plants compact and manageable and encourages more blooms the following season. For houseplants, eliminate feeding and reduce watering frequency after bloom during the off-season.

Deadheading Jasmine Flowers

Use a sharp scissor or hand pruner to remove flowers when they start to fade. Cut flower stems as close to the main stem as possible but avoid damage to foliage. Deadheading encourages more flowers and keeps leaves and stems healthy and green.