Shrub · Apocynaceae
Star Jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Give it a fence to climb, and star jasmine hands back clouds of sweet white flowers.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 8–10
3–20 ft · 0.9–6.1 m
Overview
So what is star jasmine? It's an evergreen from the dogbane family that'll grow as a climbing vine, a low sprawling shrub, or a groundcover, depending on how you steer it. The white pinwheel flowers show up in late spring, and that sweet scent drifts right across the yard on a warm evening. Since the glossy dark leaves stay green all year, the plant still looks good even when it isn't in bloom.
Here's the thing about how it climbs: it twines instead of clinging, so it needs a trellis, some wire, or a fence to wrap around. Let it roam across the ground and it'll knit into a thick mat that chokes out weeds. Either way, it's a fast grower, and once it's happy it stretches to 3 to 20 feet (91 cm to 6 m).
The best part? For all that energy, it's an easy plant. It brushes off most pests, isn't fussy about soil, and takes a short cold snap in stride in milder gardens. Give it sun, decent drainage, and something to climb, and it pretty much looks after itself.
Care
The short version: full sun for the best flowers, soil that stays evenly moist but drains well, and something to twine up; once it's settled in, it handles dry spells and hardly asks for a thing.
Light
Star jasmine flowers best in full sun, but it's fine with partial shade and grows happily in bright indirect light indoors too. The one catch? Deep shade swaps flowers for leggy green stems, so the more sun you can give it, the more it'll bloom.
Water
While a young plant is settling in, keep the soil evenly moist and water it about every 5 to 10 days. Once it's established, it turns pretty drought tolerant, so you'll only need to reach for the hose during a real dry spell.
Soil
It likes fertile, well-drained loam with a bit of leaf mold mixed in, though it'll cope with a range of soils just fine. Shoot for a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. The one thing it won't put up with is soggy roots, so drainage really is the part that matters most.
Temperature
This one's tough, handling anything from 10°F to 100°F (-12°C to 38°C). That cold tolerance is why it grows outdoors in zones 8 to 10, and if your winters are colder, just keep it in a pot so you can bring it inside.
Humidity
Average humidity is all it wants, so there's no magic number to chase here. It just settles into normal indoor or outdoor air without making a fuss.
Feeding
Feed it once in spring with a balanced general-purpose fertilizer to get the season going. And if the leaves go yellow in alkaline soil, an iron supplement or acidifier will bring the green back.
Pruning
Prune after flowering to keep the size and shape in check, and tuck those twining stems onto their support as they grow. Heads up, the sap is a milky latex, so give your tools a wipe once you're done.
Repotting
A potted one likes a fresh pot every 2 to 3 years, or sooner if roots start circling the base, water zips straight through, or growth and flowering start to stall.
Size & spacing
Depending on whether you train it up or let it sprawl, star jasmine runs 3 to 20 feet (91 cm to 6 m) tall and spreads 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) wide. So give it some elbow room and a sturdy support to climb.
When to plant
Star jasmine likes it warm, so it's really at home in zones 8 to 10. Pop new plants in the ground in spring, once frost is done for the year, and you'll see the big wave of fragrant flowers roll in from late spring into early summer, with a few more scattered through the warmer months.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring, after danger of frost has passed
- Harvest: late spring to early summer, with sporadic bloom into summer
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 8–10
Temperature: down to -12°C
Troubleshooting
Good news is star jasmine doesn't cause much drama, so when something's off, it's usually easy to spot. Most of the time it comes down to soil chemistry, a sap-sucking bug, or just not enough light. Find what matches below and sort it out early.
Sticky leaves, a black coating, and bumps on the stems
Those bumps are scale insects or mealybugs, and the black stuff is sooty mold living off the sticky honeydew they drop. Wipe the stems down with water and a little mild soap, then hit them with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. If a stem's really overrun, just cut it out.
Fix:
- Wash off honeydew and sooty mold with water and mild soap
- Treat infestations with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap
- Prune out heavily infested stems
Yellow leaves but the veins stay green
That green-veined yellowing is chlorosis, and it usually means an iron shortage cropping up when the soil goes alkaline. Give it a chelated iron supplement or work in an acidifier, then mulch with leaf mold to keep things nice and sweet. Worth a peek at drainage too, since soggy roots can send the exact same message.
Fix:
- Apply a chelated iron supplement or soil acidifier
- Improve drainage and avoid overwatering
- Mulch with organic matter such as leaf mold
Leggy, thin growth and barely any flowers
When there's too much shade, star jasmine puts out loads of stem but hardly any bloom. Shift a container somewhere brighter, or thin out the canopy overhead. Full sun is really what brings on the heaviest flush of those fragrant flowers.
Fix:
- Move container plants or relocate to a sunnier spot
- Thin overhead shade where possible
Toxicity
Got pets or curious kids? You can breathe easy, because star jasmine is not toxic. The ASPCA says it's safe for cats, dogs, and horses, and nothing toxic has been reported for other animals either. The only catch is that milky sap from cut stems, which can leave sensitive skin a little itchy, so just rinse your hands after pruning.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
If a curious cat nibbles a leaf, no big deal. The ASPCA has star jasmine down as non-toxic to cats.
Dogs None
It's fine around dogs, with no toxic compounds on record. So if a pup chews on a trailing stem, they'll be okay.
Horses None
It's listed as non-toxic to horses, which means no worries if it's growing along a fence line or pasture edge.
Rabbits Safe
Nothing toxic shows up for rabbits, and honestly the bitter milky sap tends to stop most of them after one bite.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze right near it without any trouble, since there's no known toxic principle in it.
Birds Safe
Backyard and aviary birds are perfectly safe around the leaves and flowers.
People Safe
It's safe to grow and handle, though that milky sap can leave sensitive skin a bit itchy, so give your hands a rinse after pruning.
Stems exude a milky latex sap when cut, which may cause mild skin irritation in sensitive people; wash hands and clean tools after pruning.
Varieties
A few named picks and one close cousin pop up at nurseries, and each one's got its own reason to grab it.
'Madison'
A tougher pick that shrugs off more cold than the species, so it'll grow in gardens a bit chillier than usual.
'Variegatum'
It's grown for the leaves, which have creamy-white edges that brighten up a shady wall or fence.
Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum)
A close cousin whose leaves are smaller and darker, dotted with tiny yellowish-white flowers, and it spreads fast into a tough groundcover.
How to propagate
Want more star jasmine? It's easy to copy, and because the stems already like to twine and trail, two simple methods do the job without any special kit.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer · Several weeks to a few months to root
Cuttings are the go-to way to make more. Snip semi-ripe stem cuttings in late spring or summer, and they'll root over several weeks to a few months into new plants that are dead ringers for the parent.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season to root before separating
Layering just plays off how the stems already twine and trail. Pin a low stem down onto the soil in spring or summer, let it root for a full season, then snip it off from the parent so it can grow on its own.
Myths
Star jasmine is a true jasmine.
The name and that sweet smell fool a ton of people, but nope, this isn't a real jasmine. It's actually in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) as Trachelospermum jasminoides, which is a long way from Jasminum, the genus that gives us true jasmine.