Stephanotis Vine Care
Stephanotis floribunda, aka Madagascar Jasmine or Hawaiian Wedding Flower, is one beautiful vine. It has striking, dark glossy green foliage and heavenly scented, starry flowers grow in clusters that delight the olfactory senses.
How you care for it (in the outdoor world) is not difficult, but like any plant, there are a few things it requires.
This twining vine is evergreen and can grow to reach 30′. It’s not particularly fast-growing (slow but vigorous!) which is good because that means you don’t need to have at it constantly with the pruners.
It does need a means of support to grow on and training to get it to do what you want. The pictures below say it all.
There are quite a few of these vines around Santa Barbara and I would hazard a bet that none get too much pampering if any at all. Here’s what I know:
- Stephanotis likes nice bright light but no direct hot sun.
- This vine is not drought tolerant. Keep it evenly moist.
- It’s hardy to around 39 degrees.
- It doesn’t like dry air. I live 7 blocks from the ocean so that’s why my neighbors’ vines do so well.
- It likes nice rich soil & will benefit from an application or 2 of nice, rich compost every year.
- The roots need to be kept cool – the compost will help with that. This is another reason to keep it out of hot sun.
- As far as insects go, keep an eye out for mealy bug & scale.
As a houseplant (they are most often seen growing on a ring or small trellis), Stephanotis can be a bit tricky. In the winter our home tend to be kept dry and this plant likes humidity.
Another glitch, it likes cool temps in the winter time. Fertilize it with fish emulsion, kelp or liquid seaweed at 1/2 strength during the growing season.
Here in Santa Barbara it flowers from the late Spring through early Winter. This year has been sunny and very mild so the Stephanotis is still blooming away in January.
In days past this was the quintessential bridal flower and was commonly seen in bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and in bride’s hair.
The individual flowers are put on Stephanotis Picks which are long pieces of covered wire with cotton at the end. This is so they can be put into a bouquet. Sweet little blooms!
This post may contain affiliate links, you can read our policies here.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
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.
Hello Nell,
My stephanotis is growing healthily but after 3 months I have never seen even one flower.
How often does yours flower? Does it have a season or is it just random?
It has been outside all summer on a roof deck in New York City in partial shade where I have been careful not to overwater it, but it will soon have to come inside as the nights grow colder.
I have resisted feeding it because I’m afraid it would just take over the whole deck but perhaps that would encourage it to form flowers buds?
I’d be glad of your advice!
Thank you.
Hi Barlett – Mine flowered every year from late spring through fall but it was growing outdoors in Santa Barbara, CA. Stephanotis can be tricky when you move it inside/outside because it’s not fond of change in environment. It likes evening winter temps around 50 with a good degree of humidity & our homes are warmer & drier in winter. This hinders the bud formation. It also likes a lot of organic matter & will benefit from that. Nell
Loved your video on pink jasmine. Thanks for the information
Thank you Helene. It’s always my pleasure to share what I’ve learned. Nell
??I have kept two plants living in containers since last spring. Brought them in for the winter. Getting ready to plant outside in the next few days. Thank you for the information!
Of course Becky. They’ll be glad to get back outdoors for the warmer months. Nell
I live in southern Spain my steph lives in full Sun at at times reaching 40c in the shade! It is doing great sitting in a raised bed which had a deep layer of horse manure in the bottom (8 years ago)
That’s a great climate for it Paul. Steph loves a rich soil so the horse manure definitely helps. Thanks for sharing, Nell
My vine has multiple seed pods. What to do? Plant is outside in SoCal year around. We have had warmer winter. Lynn
Hi Lynn – Stephanotis seed pods are big. You can let them ripen (up to at least a year) if you want to germinate the seeds or remove them. Too many will ultimately draw energy out of the plant. Nell