Shrub · Oleaceae
Common Jasmine
Jasminum officinale
Give it sun, warmth, and a sturdy support, and common jasmine fills the summer air with scent.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 7–10
20–40 ft · 6.1–12.2 m
Overview
Common jasmine is a fast, twining shrub grown for the sweet white flowers it throws out from summer into fall. It belongs to the olive family and climbs hard once established, reaching well over head height where the winters stay mild. Trained on a wall or trellis, it turns a plain support into a curtain of fragrant bloom.
This is the true jasmine, the one whose scent perfumers and tea makers prize, and it should not be confused with the toxic plants that borrow the name. Out in the garden it suits zones 7 to 10, and in colder spots it makes a fine container plant brought indoors for winter. Either way it wants bright light and something to climb.
It asks for a little patience rather than constant fuss. Give it steady moisture through the growing season, prune at the right moment, and feed it through spring and summer, and it rewards you with months of evening fragrance. Skip the support or starve it of light and you get a tangle of leaves with few flowers.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade with something to climb, soil kept moist through the growing season, a monthly feed in spring and summer, and pruning done right after the flowers fade.
Light
Common jasmine flowers best in full sun, though it takes partial shade and gets by on bright indirect light indoors. The more direct light it gets, the heavier the bloom, so give it the sunniest spot you can.
Water
Keep the soil moist through the growing season, watering every 5 to 10 days as it dries. Established plants shrug off a little drought, but steady moisture gives the best flowering. Ease off through the winter rest from October to March.
Soil
Plant it in moist, fertile, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter worked in. It's easygoing about acidity, taking a pH anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5.
Temperature
It handles a wide range, from a hard 5°F (-15°C) at the cold end up to 100°F (38°C) in summer heat. That cold tolerance is what lets it grow outdoors through zones 7 to 10.
Humidity
Outdoors it isn't fussy, but indoors it wants high humidity, ideally 50% or more. Dry household air is what invites spider mites, so a humid spot keeps the plant happier.
Feeding
Feed monthly through spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Switch to one higher in phosphorus if you want to push more flowers, and stop feeding once growth slows for winter.
Pruning
Prune right after flowering, never before, because jasmine blooms on old wood and early cuts take the buds with them. It tolerates hard pruning well, so cut it back firmly to hold its size and shape. Indoor plants need that hard pruning plus a trellis to climb.
Repotting
For container plants, repot every 1 to 2 years in spring. Watch for roots circling the pot or poking through the drainage holes, water running straight through, and slowing growth, all signs it's ready for a bigger home.
Size & spacing
Given room and time, it reaches 20 to 40 feet (6 to 12 m) tall and spreads 7 to 15 feet (2.1 to 4.6 m) wide. Plan for a strong support and enough space, since this is a vigorous climber, not a tidy little shrub.
When to plant
Common jasmine runs on the warm half of the year. Set young plants out in spring once the last frost has passed, let them climb and fill out through the warm months, and the fragrant flowers arrive from summer into fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring, after the last frost
- Harvest: summer into fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 7–10
Temperature: down to -18°C
Troubleshooting
Most jasmine trouble is either a pest moving in or a plant that won't flower. Both show up clearly once you know what to look for, and both are fixable. Match what you see below, then act before it sets the plant back.
Sticky shoots and curled new growth crawling with soft insects
This is sap-feeding by aphids or mealybugs, which cluster on tender tips and leave behind the sticky honeydew that draws sooty mold. Blast light infestations off with a strong jet of water, then coat what remains in insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. For mealybugs hiding in the leaf joints, a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol does the trick, and repeating weekly clears them.
Fix:
- Spray off light infestations with a strong stream of water
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to coat the pests
- Dab mealybugs with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol
- Repeat treatment weekly until controlled
Speckled yellow leaves with fine webbing or waxy bumps
Warm, dry indoor air invites spider mites, while scale and whitefly show up as crusty bumps or clouds of tiny fliers. Raise the humidity and rinse the foliage to knock the mites back, then treat the leaf undersides with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Scale comes off with an alcohol-dipped swab, and a few repeat rounds finish the job.
Fix:
- Raise humidity and rinse foliage to discourage spider mites
- Apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, coating leaf undersides
- Scrape or wipe off scale with alcohol-dipped swabs
- Repeat applications as directed until pests are gone
Lush leaves but barely a flower in sight
When the foliage looks great but the blooms never come, the cause is usually too little light, badly timed pruning, or too much nitrogen. Jasmine flowers on old wood, so cutting before bloom strips off the very growth that carries the buds. Move it somewhere brighter and warmer, hold the pruning until after it flowers, and switch to a feed higher in phosphorus to bring the flowers back.
Fix:
- Move the plant to a brighter, warmer location with plenty of direct light
- Prune only after flowering to preserve old growth that carries blooms
- Switch to a fertilizer higher in phosphorus and lower in nitrogen
Toxicity
Good news here: true jasmine is safe. The ASPCA lists Jasminum species as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, so you can plant it where pets and children roam. The one real caution is identity, since toxic look-alikes such as Carolina jessamine borrow the jasmine name, so confirm the botanical name before you buy.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
True jasmine is on the ASPCA's safe list, so a curious cat that nibbles a leaf or bats at the flowers has nothing to fear.
Dogs None
Dogs can brush past it or chew a stray vine without harm, since no part of true jasmine is poisonous to them.
Horses None
Horses come to no harm from this plant. The ASPCA clears true jasmine for them alongside cats and dogs.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit that samples the foliage faces no toxic risk from true jasmine, though rich greens are always best fed in moderation.
Livestock Safe
Grazing animals such as goats, sheep, and cattle won't be poisoned by true jasmine if they reach the vine.
Birds Safe
The plant poses no chemical danger to birds, whether they perch in the climbing stems or pick at the blooms.
People Safe
There's nothing toxic here for people. The fragrant flowers are even used to scent tea, so a household with children can relax around it.
Safe around pets and children. Be sure the plant is a true Jasminum and not a toxic look-alike such as Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), which is highly poisonous.
Varieties
Common jasmine comes in a few named forms, and several of its relatives are sold under the jasmine name too. These are the ones worth knowing apart.
'Affine' (also sold as 'Grandiflorum')
It carries larger flowers that are often pink-flushed in bud and gives off an especially strong fragrance.
'Fiona Sunrise' ('Frojas')
Its golden-chartreuse leaves set off the fragrant white flowers for a brighter look than the plain species.
'Inverleith'
Both the buds and the open flowers are strongly flushed with red, giving it more color than the white-flowered forms.
Jasminum sambac (Arabian jasmine)
This tender relative has rounded leaves and supplies the flowers for jasmine tea, but it isn't cold hardy.
Jasminum nudiflorum (winter jasmine)
It opens yellow flowers on bare green stems in late winter, though it brings no scent.
Jasminum polyanthum (pink jasmine)
A favorite houseplant jasmine with pink buds that open to very fragrant white flowers.
How to propagate
Common jasmine is straightforward to multiply, whether you root a summer cutting or peg a low stem down to the soil and let it root on its own.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer, from semi-ripe current-season growth · 4-8 weeks to root
Take semi-ripe cuttings from this season's growth in summer, dip the ends in rooting hormone, and keep them warm and humid. Roots form in about 4 to 8 weeks, though it takes a steady hand to bring them along.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · A few months to one season
Layering is the easy route. Pin a low, flexible stem down to the soil in spring or summer so it roots while still fed by the parent, then cut it free once it has taken hold, usually within a few months to a full season.
Myths
Any plant called jasmine is the same safe, fragrant true jasmine.
Only Jasminum species are true jasmine, and several toxic plants borrow the name. Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is poisonous in every part, while star or Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum) and night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum) are different plants altogether. Check the botanical name before you trust that a jasmine is harmless.
Jasmine flowers are poisonous and should be kept away from pets.
The fear comes from confusing it with toxic look-alikes. True jasmine, including Jasminum officinale, sits on the ASPCA's non-toxic list for cats, dogs, and horses, so it's a safe choice around animals.