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 kept for the sweet white flowers it sends out from summer into fall. A member of the olive family, it climbs with real conviction once settled, rising well above head height wherever winters stay mild. Set against a wall or a trellis, it turns a flat, unremarkable surface into a soft screen of fragrant bloom that anchors a garden room or a terrace.
This is the true jasmine, the one perfumers and tea makers reach for, and it should never be mistaken for the toxic plants that borrow its name. Outdoors it settles happily into zones 7 to 10, while in cooler regions it makes an elegant container plant carried inside for the winter. In either setting it asks for bright light and something to climb, which makes it as much a design choice as a planting one.
What it wants is patience rather than fussing. Offer steady moisture through the growing season, prune at the right moment, and feed it across spring and summer, and it returns the favor with months of evening fragrance drifting through open windows and doorways. Deny it a support or a bright corner, and you are left with a tangle of leaves and only a scattering of 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 accepts partial shade and manages on bright indirect light indoors. The more direct light it draws, the fuller the bloom, so reserve the brightest spot in the room for it.
Water
Keep the soil moist through the growing season, watering every 5 to 10 days as it dries. Settled plants shake off a brief dry spell, but steady moisture brings the finest flowering. Ease back during the winter rest from October to March.
Soil
Plant it into moist, fertile, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter worked through. It takes a relaxed view of acidity, accepting a pH anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5.
Temperature
It copes with a broad span, from a sharp 5°F (-15°C) at the low end up to 100°F (38°C) in high summer. That tolerance for cold is what allows it to live outdoors across zones 7 to 10.
Humidity
Outdoors it stays undemanding, but indoors it prefers high humidity, ideally 50% or more. Dry household air is what tempts spider mites in, so a humid corner keeps the plant content and the display intact.
Feeding
Feed it monthly through spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Move to one richer in phosphorus when you want to push more flowers, and pause feeding once growth eases toward winter.
Pruning
Prune right after flowering, never before, since jasmine sets its blooms on old wood and early cuts carry the buds away with them. It takes hard pruning in stride, so cut it back with confidence to hold its size and shape. Indoor plants want that firm cut along with a trellis to climb.
Repotting
For container plants, repot every 1 to 2 years in spring. Watch for roots circling the pot or pushing through the drainage holes, water running straight through, and growth slowing down, all signs it is ready for a larger home.
Size & spacing
Given the room and the years, it climbs 20 to 40 feet (6 to 12 m) tall and spreads 7 to 15 feet (2.1 to 4.6 m) across. Plan for a strong support and generous space, because this is a vigorous climber, not a neat little shrub.
When to plant
Common jasmine lives by the warm half of the year. Settle young plants outside in spring once the last frost has cleared, let them climb and fill their space through the warm months, and the fragrant flowers come on 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 comes down to a pest moving in or a plant that refuses to flower. Each reads clearly once you know the signs, and each can be set right. Match what you see below, then step in before it costs the plant its place in the room.
Tacky shoot tips and crumpled new leaves under a film of tiny insects
Those soft little crowds gathered on the tender tips are aphids or mealybugs, feeding on sap and leaving the sticky honeydew that later turns to sooty mold across your styled corner. A firm jet of water clears the lighter colonies, after which a coat of insecticidal soap or horticultural oil settles the rest. Mealybugs tucked into the leaf joints surrender to a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, and a weekly pass keeps the display clean.
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
Stippled foliage with delicate webbing or waxy nubs along the stems
The warm, dry air of an indoor room is exactly what spider mites look for, and scale and whitefly join in as crusty bumps or small clouds of fliers. Lift the humidity and rinse the leaves to set the mites back, then work horticultural oil or insecticidal soap across the undersides where they shelter. Scale lifts away on an alcohol-dipped swab, and a couple of repeat rounds bring the plant back to its place in the room.
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
Plenty of greenery, but the bloom you styled the room around stays missing
A full, leafy plant that never flowers usually points to one of three things: too little light, badly timed pruning, or too much nitrogen. Jasmine sets its buds on old wood, so a cut made before bloom takes away the very growth meant to carry the show. Shift it to a brighter, warmer spot, hold off pruning until the flowers have finished, and move to a feed higher in phosphorus to coax the blooms 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
The reassuring part comes first: true jasmine is safe. The ASPCA lists Jasminum species as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, so it belongs anywhere pets and children move through the house. The only real caution is identity, since toxic look-alikes such as Carolina jessamine trade on the jasmine name, so confirm the botanical name before you buy.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
True jasmine sits on the ASPCA's safe list, so a cat that wanders the room and nibbles a leaf or paws at the flowers comes to no harm.
Dogs None
A dog can pass close by or mouth a stray vine without trouble, because no part of true jasmine is poisonous to them.
Horses None
Horses are in the clear with this plant. The ASPCA places true jasmine on the safe list for them right beside cats and dogs.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit that tastes a little foliage faces no toxic risk from true jasmine, though rich greens are still best offered in moderation.
Livestock Safe
Grazing animals such as goats, sheep, and cattle take no poison from true jasmine should they reach the vine.
Birds Safe
There is no chemical danger to birds here, whether they settle among the climbing stems or pick at the open blooms.
People Safe
Nothing about this plant is toxic to people. Its fragrant flowers even go into scented tea, so a household with children can keep it close and at ease.
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 arrives in a few named forms, and several of its relatives reach the shelves under the jasmine name as well. These are the ones worth telling apart before you choose.
'Affine' (also sold as 'Grandiflorum')
Its flowers run larger and often blush pink in bud, and the scent it releases is unusually strong.
'Fiona Sunrise' ('Frojas')
Golden-chartreuse leaves frame the fragrant white flowers, lending it a brighter presence than the plain species.
'Inverleith'
Red washes through both the buds and the open flowers, giving it far more color than the white-flowered forms.
Jasminum sambac (Arabian jasmine)
A tender relative with rounded leaves, this is the source of the flowers used in jasmine tea, though it lacks cold hardiness.
Jasminum nudiflorum (winter jasmine)
Yellow flowers open along bare green stems in late winter, a striking habit that comes with no scent at all.
Jasminum polyanthum (pink jasmine)
A much-loved houseplant jasmine whose pink buds open to very fragrant white flowers.
How to propagate
Common jasmine is an easy plant to increase, whether you root a summer cutting or peg a low stem to the soil and let it take on its own.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Summer, from semi-ripe current-season growth · 4-8 weeks to root
Through summer, take semi-ripe cuttings from this season's growth, dip the cut ends in rooting hormone, and hold them somewhere warm and humid. Roots appear in roughly 4 to 8 weeks, though seeing them through asks for a patient, steady hand.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · A few months to one season
Layering is the relaxed approach. Pin a low, supple stem to the soil in spring or summer so it roots while still nourished by the parent, then sever it once it has settled in, usually within a few months to a full season.
Myths
Any plant called jasmine is the same safe, fragrant true jasmine.
Only Jasminum species count as true jasmine, and a handful of toxic plants trade on the name. Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is poisonous through and through, while star or Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum) and night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum) belong to entirely separate plants. Check the botanical name before you trust that a jasmine is harmless.
Jasmine flowers are poisonous and should be kept away from pets.
That worry traces back to mix-ups with toxic look-alikes. True jasmine, including Jasminum officinale, sits on the ASPCA's non-toxic list for cats, dogs, and horses, which makes it a calm, safe choice to keep where animals roam.