Jasmine
Common jasmineSummer jasmine
Common jasmine
Provide support and tie in new growth from the start — it doesn't cling on its own and needs training onto trellis or wires.
Care
Sheltered.
Standard climber watering.
Fertile, well-drained soil.
Prune after flowering, thinning congested growth and cutting back flowered shoots; tolerates fairly hard renovation if needed.
A general feed with a mulch in spring. The winter jasmine in particular needs nothing more — it flowers freely on poor soil and on cold walls where little else will.
Layering is simplest: the long arching shoots root where they touch the soil, and a rooted piece can be cut away and moved. Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer are the alternative.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- JulyEnjoy strongly scented summer flowers. how ›
- AugustThin congested growth and cut back flowered shoots after flowering. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchFeed as growth resumes. how ›
- JulyEnjoy strongly scented summer flowers. how ›
- AugustThin congested growth and cut back flowered shoots after flowering. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. To young growth in a late cold snap.
What to do. Site in a sheltered spot.
Pink jasmine
Pink jasmine
Never treat this as a garden plant even for a mild summer outdoors — it needs frost-free conditions year-round, unlike the hardy officinale.
Care
Some direct sun — needs good light to flower well indoors.
Keep compost moist but not waterlogged.
Peat-free, well-drained houseplant compost.
Trim after flowering to control size and encourage bushiness; provide a small support or hoop for the twining stems.
A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks through the growing season, which is what keeps a pot-grown jasmine flowering. Stop for the cool winter rest — that cool spell is what sets the following year's buds.
Semi-ripe cuttings in summer with gentle bottom heat, in a covered pot. Layering a trailing shoot into a second pot also works and leaves the parent undisturbed.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- FebruaryEnjoy strongly scented winter/early spring flowers indoors.
- MarchTrim after flowering to control size. how ›
- AprilFeed as growth resumes. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryEnjoy strongly scented winter/early spring flowers indoors.
- MarchTrim after flowering to control size. how ›
- AprilFeed as growth resumes. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. If placed outside.
What to do. Not hardy in the UK reference climate — keep indoors or in a frost-free conservatory year-round.
How to spot it. From very dry, centrally-heated air.
What to do. Increase humidity.
Questions
Jasmine: is it hardy?
Common jasmine: H5: Hardy in most of the UK, but can struggle in the coldest inland or upland spots. It survives down to −15 °C. Pink jasmine: H2: Tender. It survives down to 1 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Common jasmine: For a few years while young, though it prefers open ground with permanent support long-term. Pink jasmine: Grown exclusively as a houseplant/conservatory plant in the UK climate.
Jasmine: when do you prune it?
Common jasmine: Prune after flowering, thinning congested growth and cutting back flowered shoots; tolerates fairly hard renovation if needed. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in August. Pink jasmine: Trim after flowering to control size and encourage bushiness; provide a small support or hoop for the twining stems. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March.
Jasmine: when does it flower?
Common jasmine: In the climate of UK it flowers in July–August. Pink jasmine: In the climate of UK it flowers in January–March.
When do you feed it?
Common jasmine: A general feed with a mulch in spring. The winter jasmine in particular needs nothing more — it flowers freely on poor soil and on cold walls where little else will. Feeding months, UK: April. Pink jasmine: A high-potash liquid feed every two weeks through the growing season, which is what keeps a pot-grown jasmine flowering. Stop for the cool winter rest — that cool spell is what sets the following year's buds. Feeding months, UK: April–August.