How To Care For The Sweet Pink Jasmine Everybody Loves
If a plant had a TV show this would be it: “Everybody Loves Jasmine”. Everybody but me and a handful of my fellow gardeners that is. The object of Pink Jasmine’s, aka Jasminum polyanthum, adoration is the sweet-smelling flowers which appear here in winter/early spring and completely cover the plant en masse.
This is a very common vine and can be seen on trellis’ (which they fast outgrow), walls, arbors and chain link fences along with growing up into trees and phone poles. It gets to 25′. You get the picture.
NOTE: I’ve since done an updated & more detailed post on Pink Jasmine care which you’ll find helpful.
As you can see, the jasmine has left the fence & is twining up through the magnolia.
Here is that very jasmine which the gardener cut all the way down to a low mound. Good shrub, now behave. This falls under the category: think before you plant!
Why am I doing this post if I don’t like the plant you ask? Although the flowers are way too strongly scented for me and it grabs onto anything it can making it pesky in my eyes, Jasmine remains a very popular landscaping plant. It’s sold everywhere.
I just saw it at our local Ace Hardware the other day on sale for $11.99 in 5 gallon pots. It was flowering and therefore selling like hotcakes. Nowadays, you can even buy one online.
I was a professional gardener for many years and maintained a lot of this sweet-smelling Jasmine so I have some care tips to share with you.
This is the 1 thing I like about this jasmine – the pink flower buds. They’re lovely in bouquets & flower arrangements.
Here’s what you need to know about Jasmine:
* This is a very strong, dense-growing vine & can reach 25′. It’s not a small scale plant. Give it room to grow.
* It’s a twining vine & needs some means of support & training.
* It is hardy to 10-15 degrees. That would be USDA Climate zone 8.
* Give it sun if you want it to flower. Not hot scorching sun though, it’ll burn. I’ve seen it growing in shade but it was very leggy with no flowers. That equals no appeal. Part sun will do as long as it’s nice & bright.
* Water it regularly. It can go drier once established but will appreciate & look better if deeply watered every 2 weeks.
* Jasmine starts to flower in winter here but if you are in a colder zone, it may not flower until spring. Enjoy it while you can because it only puts out 1 big bloom a year. Sometimes it puts out a very light bloom in Summer. This plant is also very popular with butterflies & hummingbirds. I know, I’m outnumbered all the way around. Even things with wings love it.
* Keep in mind this plant grows very fast. You’ll need to keep your pruners sharpened unless it can roam totally free where you plant it.
* As I said, it’s a dense growing vine & grows back on itself if there’s nothing for it to grab onto. In other words, it smothers itself & then needs to be cut all the way back. It’s best to keep up with the trimming.
* It’s not fussy as too fertilizer & really doesn’t need it. Applying organic compost once a year will make it happy.
Jasmine is also sold as a container plant. You just want to give it a big enough pot so it has room to grow. As a houseplant, it’s sold on rings when flowering. I’ve used it for weddings and parties but I have no experience with it as a houseplant. It would definitely need good, strong sun and regular water. It’s sold in hanging baskets which are fine for 1 season and then they need transplanting.
I’ve done an updated post on how to grow Pink Jasmine Vine with more info which you might useful. There are some new pics too!
Here’s the video about Pink Jasmine which was shot in my neighbor’s front yard:
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
I was hoping to use Jasmine to cover my ugly fence but I am beginning to think that it might get out of control. Do you know if I could use a hedge trimmer to trim it back once or twice a year? I am really looking for something low maintenance.
Jasmine is very popular because of its sweet smelling flower but it does grow fast & densely. I don’t use power tools but you could give it a go. Some of the Honeysuckles (also with a sweet smelling flower) stay much smaller so that might be an option depending on where you are.
I am a Jasmine fanatic. I love fragrant flowers, especially when they have uses, edible or medicinal. Jasminum Polyanthum is one of the fastest growing evergreen vines, up to 6 inches a day in the Spring. They have the potential, in the right conditions (such as a rain forest) to reach heights of 80 feet but rarely reach even have of that in America. I wrote about Jasminum Polyanthum on my personal blog, http://gardenoftomorrow.com/jasminum-polyanthum/ , feel free to check it out!
Hi John –
It is very hot here these days & my neighbor’s Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is perfuming the whole street. Jas poly is a very common landscape plant here & people use it in the wrong ways. I love the pink flower buds – so beautiful. Thank you for the link – I checked it out & your are a jasmine fanatic! Where do you live?
I bought my first pink jasmine .I had a hard time finding it and tried several retailers before finding ONE hanging basket at a small nursery here in San Marcos,CA. (We are considered north San Diego) Watched your video on UTube and then clicked on the link to learn more.Very informative and helpful.Wish me luck!I want it to take off and cover alot of my front patio.Thanks for your help.and down to earth style.
You are so welcome Joan, and thank you! I know just where San Marcos is
because they are quite a few growers there. If it’s happy in its spot,
believe me, it will cover your patio but you’ll need to train it. It can
take a little time to establish (like most plants) but then takes off like
crazy. Give it a thinning out every now & then because it grows so thickly.
Happy gardening! Nell
Hi Nell,
I am in Atlanta, basically from India. It is a very common plant in India and we had this at our home. Women have this on their head for beauty and smell. Just now watched your video. Surprised to see it here. By any chance you have any small plants to sell. Please let me know.
Thanks for the nice video.
Hi Senthil – I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I don’t sell pink jasmine plants but they’re very common in the landscape here in California. I know you can find them online at lowe’s, amazon & ebay. I hope you find some, Nell
I just got 2 pink Jasmine plants, I passed by them in home depot and it was love at first sniff. While picking my plants out a guy came up to me and told me he got one last year and it bloomed like crazy! Im renting my house and theres no where to plant them so I have them in pots. I wish my neighbors with chainlink fences would plant them. Especially my direct neighbor because it would mask the smell of dog poop since she never picks up after her huge dog. I got the pink jasmine. Is there a differnece between the pink and white? It seems like the white is easier to manage and the leaves are harder.
Hi Desiree – The Pink Jasmine is called that because the buds are pink. There are many different Jasmines & the majority of them, that I know of anyway, have white flowers. The plant with the harder leaves could very well be Star Jasmine (you can look it up – botanic name Trachelospermum jasminoides) which is in the Jasminum genus but does have very sweet, jasmine-like flowers. The Star Jasmine is much easier to manage by the way because it stays smaller. Hope that helps! Nell
Do you know if Deer typically eat Jasmine? I realize this could be the answer to keeping it under control 🙂 but I’m trying to decide if I should plant it in an area the deer can’t get into
Hi Dawn – This jasmine, the Pink Jasmine, is considered to be a deer resistant plant. The term used is not “deer proof” but they’ll stay away from it if they find other things to eat. Nell
Hi Nell,
Can you tell me what might cause pink jasmine to not bloom? I plant mine against my chain link fences, I’ve trained them on trellis, and the plants thrive. They’re very green and lush, but I get no more flowers once the blooms die that it came with. They get plenty of sun and water, I’ve tried Miracle Grow, flower food, etc.. My last vines were several years old and took over my fence, but they would not produce any flowers. Is it maybe something missing in the soil?
Hi Trish – I’m assuming you have the Pink Jasmine & in my experience, it’s a reliable late winter/early spring bloomer. It’s blooms on new growth so perhaps do a little pruning to stimulate that. It likes sun but not hot afternoon sun (does well in coastal CA) & regular water. It’s not fussy as to fertilizer & I’ve never used any for this plant. If the fertilizer is too high in Nitrogen, you won’t get as much bloom. Make sure the middle number, Phosphorous, is higher. I always use compost & worm castings so you might want to try that. Hope that helps, Nell
is it grow in srilanka
Hi – I know Jasmine grows in Sri Lanka, but I’m not sure about this one. There are many different jasmines so it’s good to check with a reputable local nursery/garden center. Nell
I’m living in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and I bought a pink jasmine a couple months ago. It was a bit difficult to find for some reason. I had one as a kid that smelled and looked great, and I had it in a spot that was behind a bush on a fence and the only direct sunlight it got was from the beams that’d come through the tall bush in front of it. It broke my heart when my dad yanked the whole thing out and threw it away without even giving me an explanation. Now that I’m grown up and on my own I’d just like to see dad try to tear this one out (hehe). I have a rot iron fence that’s about 50ft long that I’d like to get covered up for privacy, so I was thinking I could cover half with the Jasmine and the other half with a few climber roses. I’m a bit worried about planting it in that particular spot after reading that it doesn’t like really hot burning sun exposure, as we get SUPER BAD here in southern California during the Summer. Oi! Maybe I should just give it a go and see what happens. If it ends up doing very poorly during Summer I will just find another spot with less sun exposure because I just love everything about this plant. It’s not only beautiful and full, but the scent is heavenly. I know the scent is a bit overwhelming for some people, but I can’t get enough of it.
Hi Mike – Pink Jasmine is a very popular landscape plant in the milder regions of CA. I saw quite a bit of it in the SF Bay Area when I lived there. It’s sold all year long but is sought after & most readily available in late winter when it’s in bloom. Of course, the heavily scented blooms are the big draw. You could try 1 in the hot sun & see how it does – you’ll probably have to water it more often. I’ve always grown & taken care of it along the coast of CA, not inland. Full sun on the coast is different from full sun inland – much less hot & intense. If you’ve seen any growing in your area in full sun, than that’s a good sign. Nell
I have a friend who is a retired Head Gardener for the local Council. He advised me to buy Chinese Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) instead of the Jasminium Polyanthum (pink Jasmine), The reasons he gave was that they are both equally scented but the Chinese Star Jasmine stays more green from the outside to inside of the plant whereas the Jasminium polyanthum can become very woody and needs more attention to keep the fresh look. I have both growing at my place but the Chinese Star Jasmine was planted in a particular spot to hide a concrete water tank. Unfortunately this area doesn’t get a whole lot of sun so it is very slow growing but is still achieving my requirements. I have taken some cuttings and ‘once growing’ will be planting them around the base of a front tree stump that is about 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall. I will wrap the tree stump in wire trellis mesh. It’s cheaper than paying for the dead tree to be completely removed and stumps grinded out. If it works, I have other trees that will be treated similarly.
Hi Ross – The Star Jasmine does fine in bright shade but it just grows slower, just like you said. It would make a fine camouflage to an unsightly tree trunk. I actually prefer Star Jasmine because it’s more versatile, easier to manage & I like the foliage better. I find it easier to control than Pink Jasmine. Thanks for your comment, Nell
I had a polyanthum on a sun exposed fence in Guantanamo Cuba, I think I got there from birds purching on the fence. It was love at first sniff. But the neighbors next stop were less. enthusiastic. Now I live in Chicago where I have one in a pot that I move to the basement during winter months. It’s by a window facing east. After several years of patience I saw it bloom for first time this year.
Hi Leo – This jasmine is a very popular landscape plant in California, especially at this time of year when it’s in bloom. Patience pays off, doesn’t it?! Nell
I live my pink jazmin (Long beach California) and I want to give it to my dear friend who loves jasmines but lives in the arizona desert. Could it possibly survive in Tucson AZ?
Hi Magda – I used to live in Santa Barbara & just moved to Tucson last summer. I’ve seen Pink Jasmine for sale in nurseries as well as Home Depot & Lowes so yes,it does grow here. Tell your friend to give it protection from the hot sun & regular water. Nell
Hi Nell,
We live on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and I bought a pink jasmine last Summer. It was very tall at the tine and wound around a cane. I put it into a pot on my patio which has wires for it to trail up and across. We unraveled a lot of the tendrils and guided them through the wires. It has never really grown very much and after a few weeks some of the leaves started to go brown. It is in the shade during the really hot sun but gets a little in the morning. It has not done well during the Winter but produced quite a lot of flowers just recently and is still producing a few. I made sure that it was kept watered and tried feeding it but it still has a lot of brown leaves and it does not look healthy. Please can you help?
Hi Pam – Brown leaves are due to too little or too much water (hard to say), sunburn, environmental damage, etc. This is a tough plant but tends to get ratty (lots of dead leaves) when it falls back on itself. They also go semi-deciduous if the temps. get cold. The fact it’s flowering is good. Can’t tell you how often to water it but give it regular waterings fitting for your climate. Apply 3″ plus of a good organic compost on the top. Nell
Hello, a *complete* newbie here in gardening, so need something that is pretty easy peasy. Most interested in pink jasmine AND wisteria. Coastal home, right next to the ocean in Daly City, CA. And.. was planning to just let them grow side by side on back-side fence around the house. Can that work? Or is it a bad idea? Thank you in advance! –sieCy
Hi sieCy – I know exactly where Daly City is because I lived in San Francisco for 20 years. As a professional gardener, I took over a large garden in Pacifica where there was a wisteria planted. We took it out because it was doing so poorly. No to the wisteria, yes to the Pink Jasmine. Just know that in order for your Pink Jasmines to bloom & look good they’ll need as much sun as you can give them on the coast. Nell
I have this problem with this plant. I have it in semi-shade in San Diego. Right before it blooms, a large portion of it turns brown, overnight, and dies. What happened do you think?
Hi Chezon – I’m assuming by “it”, you mean the flowers. Brown flowers are an indication that the plant is under stress. A few causes: water on the flowers, or the plant is getting too little or too much water. Nell
I built an arbor as a valentine day present for my wife in 2015. She planted the white flowering Jasmine. We have not pruned it except to keep the walkway open and tendrils off the house. As you might expect, the growth on top of the arbor is a jumbled mass about 2 feet tall, 8 feet long land 4 feet wide. It seems like a daunting task to prune it. Should we wait until fall to do a severe cutting back to a starting position?
Hi Mike – The best time to prune a Pink Jasmine is right after it’s done flowering. You can do lighter prunings throughout the year. I’d do a selective pruning now through early fall & then do the big pruning after flowering. Nell
Hi I’ve bought jasmine in the pot this summer . its grooving well in the pot outside . not sure what is my zone here in London Ontario Canada . I know that it is a tropical plant so I hope to make it survive in doors over winter . Any suggestions how to make it survive in doors.
Hi Agi – Give it as much light as possible & back way off on the watering. And, don’t fertilize in the later fall through winter because the plant is resting. Nell
Hi Agi – I bought a pot of Jasminum polyanthum today without any knowledge of its growing habits! I live in the west of Ireland. As the plant was among the outdoor plants in the garden centre I assumed it would survive our wet and windy climate. Temperature can go below zero on occasions in winter. What do you think are its chances of survival? I could find a nice south western facing wall for it….
Hi Patricia – Jasmine polyanthum is cold hardy to 15-20 degrees F. I’m not sure if you’re referring to F or C but you can convert for that answer. I have experience with growing it successfully on the coast of California & now here in Tucson. I’ve been to western Ireland & those places are drier. Although this jasmine likes regular water, it may be too much. A south facing wall would help but this plant likes excellent drainage & I’m not sure what your soil is like. Hope that helps, Nell (got your comment about Agi!)
Thank you for posting such wonderful info on pink jasmine! I wanted to get your advice on potting jasmine… We have a niche on our deck and were hoping to have the pink jasmine in a large pot, using a 7′ obelisk trellis (15-1/4″ in diameter x 7′ H overall; approx. 6′ H installed). Do you think this is feasible? If so, wondering how BEST to initially attach to trellis (i.e. weave branches upwards, then in and out through trellis OR cascade branches from the top, then weave branches downward)?
I’m so sorry if this is a silly question…I just wanted a better grasp of how to knowing how potentially long/high they get. Thank you!
Hi Amy – You’re welcome! Pink Jasmine is a strong grower & wants to reach 20-25′ tall. You can do it but it’ll need some training & will outgrow the pot at some point. I’d weave them upwards because I think ultimately they’d be easier to prune & thin out that way. Nell
…to add to my previous question:
We also have the option of using a 6.5′ tuteur shaped trellis(78″ H overall; 69″ H installed
Top is 25-1/2″ dia.; base is 18″ square). The trellis looks a bit like an umbrella supported by a cone. In your opinion, which of the two trellis’ would be a better option for the pink jasmine (obelisk or tuteur)? Thanks again!
Hello again Amy – I think the tuteur would be better. It sounds like that 1 would give it more growing room; & that’s what you want. Nell
i have a potted pink jasmine which is luxurious and produces multiple pink buds in the spring, but the buds never open to flower…..what’s wrong? (*santa cruz mountains, california)
Hi Mary – That can happen when the winters are particularly rainy & wet but I don’t think that was the case for your area. It’s called flower balling. It could be not enough light, too much fertilizer, too much water or not enough. Nell
Hi Nell,
My pink Jasmin plants covered a good portion of the chain link fence between our neighbor and us. Over the years it built up a lot of dead material and rats made their nests in there. I had to cut it all down. Do you think it will grow back if I keep watering it? Ellen
Hi Ellen – I’ve pruned a Pink Jasmine back to 14″ from the ground & it came back fine. You want to make sure there are some nodes showing on the stems so it can come back. Nell
Hello Nell,
My Pink jasmine, planted last year, is still acclimating. I live in Los Angeles, and it gets a half-day of sun on a west-facing fence.
It has a lot of buds and flowers now, but many of the older vines have no bud growth. These vines also have a lot of last year’s bud stems still attached. Should I trim back these vines, or just the old bud stems, to facilitate new bud growth? The vine otherwise needs no pruning.
Thank you very much!
Hi Mickey – The best time to prune a PJ is after blooming. It’s good to do this because they set their buds in late winter & flowers on new growth. Nell
Hi Nell,
I have planted PJ in a large pot, I actually want to train the plant on the wall, is that possible? Also, I have observed that flowers after blooming fall off in 2 days, is this normal..?
Thanks,
Ana
Hi Ana – Yes, you can train it on the wall but you’ll need a trellis or some other means of support to train & attach it. These plants flower so much at 1 time that the individual blooms can be short lived. Also, the wind’ll knock them off. Nell
Help! My jasmine buds are turning brown and falling off before they bloom. I’m watering once a week and my soil is staying moist but I’m not sure what the problem is.
Thanks!
Hi Jaimie – I don’t know if it’s indoors or out, but it could be inconsistent watering. Nell
Hi I planted my jasmine about 7 years ago it is growing beautiful on my pergola around my fish pond it is beautiful I live in Washington and I use my hedge trimmer after it blooms to keep it under control.
Hi Teresa – Pruning after it blooms is the best time. Sounds like you have it in a lovely location. Nell