Shrub · Apocynaceae
Asiatic Jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum
Tough, glossy, and happy in sun or deep shade, Asiatic jasmine carpets the ground and asks for almost nothing.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 7–11
6–24 in · 15–61 cm
Overview
Asiatic jasmine is a low, evergreen groundcover grown for its dense mat of small, glossy leaves rather than its flowers. It belongs to the dogbane family and, despite the name, is not a true jasmine at all. New growth often flushes a coppery bronze or red before settling to deep green, giving the planting a quiet shift of color through the year.
What sells most gardeners on it is how little it asks. It takes full sun to deep shade, shrugs off drought once established, and handles clay, loam, or sand. Hardy from zones 7 to 11, it survives down to about 10°F (-12°C) and copes with heat up to 100°F (38°C), which is why it shows up under trees and along curbs where little else thrives.
The trade-off is vigor. Those trailing stems root as they run, so the same plant that fills a bare slope will also climb a trunk or cross a sidewalk if you let it. Give it an edge to push against and a yearly shearing, and it stays a clean, even carpet for decades.
Care
The short version: plant it almost anywhere from full sun to full shade, keep it watered through the first season, then mostly leave it alone and shear it once a year in early spring to keep the mat dense and in bounds.
Light
Few groundcovers are this flexible about light. Asiatic jasmine grows in full sun all the way to full shade, though it stays densest and colors up best with at least some sun. Heavy shade slows it and thins the mat a little, but it still holds.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist through the first season while it roots in. After that it is genuinely drought tolerant and rarely needs extra water. Go easy, since too much water is one of the things that pushes it into aggressive, unruly growth.
Soil
It takes almost any well-drained soil, clay, loam, or sand alike, across a wide pH band of 6.0 to 8.0. The one catch is that strongly alkaline ground locks up iron and yellows the leaves, so aim for neutral to slightly acidic where you can.
Temperature
Hardy in zones 7 to 11, it handles a broad swing from about 10°F to 100°F (-12°C to 38°C). That cold hardiness and heat tolerance together are what let it carpet ground in climates that punish softer plants.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity suits it and there's no number to manage. It takes humid Southern summers and drier spells in stride.
Feeding
Feed it sparingly, if at all. A little balanced slow-release fertilizer in spring is plenty, and most established plantings need none. Pile on the fertilizer and you simply get faster, more unruly growth to cut back.
Pruning
The main job is a once-a-year mow or shear in early spring to renew the planting and keep it dense. Trim the edges now and then through the season to stop it creeping into lawns, beds, and walkways.
Repotting
Grown in the ground, it rarely needs repotting. In a container, move it up only when roots circle the pot, push out the drainage holes, or water starts running straight through.
Size & spacing
It stays low, just 6 to 24 inches (15 to 61 cm) tall, but each plant spreads wide, from 3 to 12 feet (91 cm to 3.7 m) across. Set plants 1.5 to 3 feet apart for groundcover and give it room away from trunks and structures it might climb.
When to plant
Asiatic jasmine goes in the ground in spring, once the last frost has passed and the soil is warming. Plant it then and water it through that first season so it roots in, and it will spend the next two years knitting into a solid evergreen carpet.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring after last frost
- Harvest: late spring to early summer (blooms sparsely)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 7–11
Temperature: down to -18°C
Troubleshooting
This is a low-trouble plant, and most of what goes wrong is either a spreading habit that needs reining in or a soil issue you can correct. Match what you see below, then act before a small problem spreads across the planting.
Stems running into the lawn and climbing nearby trees
Asiatic jasmine grows fast and trails as it goes, rooting wherever a stem touches moist soil. Too much water, sun, or fertilizer pushes it into overdrive and it starts climbing trunks and crossing walkways. Edge the bed, pull stems off shrubs and trees, and shear the whole planting once a year in early spring to bring it back to a tidy mat.
Fix:
- Trim and edge the perimeter regularly to keep it in bounds
- Pull or cut stems climbing trees and shrubs
- Mow or shear the whole planting once a year in early spring to renew it
- Reduce supplemental water and fertilizer to slow aggressive growth
Yellow leaves with the veins still green
When the leaf turns yellow but the veins stay green, you are looking at iron chlorosis, and the cause is almost always alkaline soil locking up the iron. It shows up first on the newest growth. A chelated iron supplement fixes it fast, and amending the soil to bring the pH down keeps it from coming back.
Fix:
- Apply a chelated iron supplement
- Acidify or amend the soil to lower pH
Bare gaps between plants through the first year
A new planting looks patchy and open all through its first season, and that is normal. Asiatic jasmine spends the first year putting down roots and takes about two growing seasons to knit together completely. Keep the soil evenly moist, set plants 1.5 to 3 feet apart for faster cover, and let the second season do the work.
Fix:
- Keep soil evenly moist while establishing
- Space plants closer (about 1.5 to 3 feet apart) for faster coverage
- Be patient; growth accelerates in the second season
Small bumps on the stems with sticky residue
Once in a while scale insects settle on the stems and leaf undersides, leaving little bumps and a sticky honeydew that draws sooty mold. Serious pest trouble is rare on this plant. Wipe it out with horticultural oil and prune away any stems that are badly covered.
Fix:
- Treat with horticultural oil
- Prune out heavily infested stems
Toxicity
Good news for households with pets and children: Asiatic jasmine is regarded as non-toxic, and the related star jasmine sits on the ASPCA non-toxic list. The one thing to know is that cut stems weep a milky latex that can irritate sensitive skin, so wear gloves when you prune.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe to grow around cats. The related star jasmine sits on the ASPCA non-toxic list, and a curious nibble here shouldn't bring on anything worse than a mild, passing stomach upset.
Dogs None
Dogs can share the garden with it without worry. It carries no known toxin for them, so the most you might see from a chewed stem is a brief tummy grumble.
Horses Safe
Considered safe around horses. There's no toxin to fear, though as with any rich new foliage it makes sense not to let a horse gorge on it.
Rabbits Safe
Not toxic to rabbits. The leaves are tough and milky rather than a favorite browse, so most rabbits leave it well enough alone.
Livestock Safe
Safe for cattle, goats, and sheep, with no poisoning on record. The bitter latex in the stems tends to keep grazing animals off it anyway.
Birds Safe
Poses no toxic risk to birds. They may shelter in the dense mat without any harm from the foliage.
People Safe
Safe to have around children and adults. The cut stems do weep a milky latex that can irritate sensitive skin, so pull on gloves before a big pruning job.
It is a member of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) and exudes a milky latex sap when cut that may cause mild skin irritation in sensitive people; wear gloves when pruning. Despite the name it is not a true jasmine.
Varieties
Beyond the plain green form, a handful of selections add color through variegated or brightly tinted new growth. These are the ones you'll run into most.
'Snow-N-Summer' ('HOSNS')
A variegated form whose new growth opens pink and white before settling into green and white as it ages.
'Variegatum'
Green leaves edged and marbled with creamy white give this one its bright, two-tone look.
'Bronze Beauty'
Chosen for new foliage that flushes a rich bronze to reddish before it greens up.
'Goshiki' / 'Ogon Nishiki'
Its new growth comes in a mix of yellow, orange, and red for a multicolored carpet.
'Elegant' / dwarf forms
These lower, more compact selections make a fine-textured dwarf groundcover where you want less height.
How to propagate
Asiatic jasmine is easy to multiply, and it practically does the work for you wherever a stem touches the ground.
LayeringEasy
Growing season · Several weeks to months
Layering is the easiest way to make more plants, because the trailing stems root on their own wherever they meet moist soil. Pin a stem down during the growing season and it will take hold over the next several weeks to months, ready to cut free as a new plant.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer · Several weeks to a couple of months
You can also root semi-hardwood stem cuttings taken in summer, though it asks a bit more care than layering. Give them several weeks to a couple of months to root before potting them on.
Myths
Asiatic jasmine is a true jasmine.
Despite the name, it is Trachelospermum asiaticum in the dogbane family, not a real jasmine, which belongs to the genus Jasminum in the olive family. The common name is misleading, and the two plants aren't even close relatives.
Asiatic jasmine is the same as star jasmine and is grown for its flowers.
It is a different plant from star or Confederate jasmine, staying lower, denser, and smaller-leaved with far fewer blooms. It rarely flowers and is grown as a foliage groundcover, not for show.