Shrub · Apocynaceae
Star Jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Set it loose on a fence and star jasmine rockets up, spilling clouds of fragrant white flowers.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 8–10
3–20 ft · 0.9–6.1 m
Overview
Star jasmine is a real workhorse of the garden, an evergreen from the dogbane family that switches between climbing vine, sprawling shrub, and groundcover depending on how you steer it. Come late spring the white pinwheel flowers burst open and throw their sweet scent clear across the yard. The glossy dark leaves stay green all year, so the plant keeps pulling its weight even between flushes of bloom.
It twines rather than clings, which means it grabs onto a trellis, wire, or fence and hauls itself upward fast. Turn it loose on open ground and it weaves a thick mat that muscles weeds out. Whichever way it goes, growth comes quick, and a settled plant shoots to 3 to 20 feet (91 cm to 6 m).
Here is what makes it such a joy to grow: it barely notices most pests, takes on a wide range of soils, and powers through short cold snaps in milder gardens. Hand it sun, sharp drainage, and something to climb, and it mostly drives itself.
Care
The short version: load it up with full sun for peak bloom, keep the soil evenly moist but well-drained, and hand it a support to twine up; once established it laughs off dry spells and asks for next to nothing.
Light
Pour on the full sun and star jasmine blooms its hardest, though it still performs in partial shade and grows fine in bright indirect light indoors. Park it in deep shade, though, and it trades flowers for leggy green stems, so chase the sun for the biggest show.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist while a young plant digs in, watering about every 5 to 10 days. Once it establishes it flips to drought tolerant, so the hose only comes out for a real dry spell.
Soil
It powers along in fertile, well-drained loam with leaf mold mixed in, and it shrugs off a wide range of soils. Target a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. The one deal-breaker is wet feet, so nail the drainage and the rest falls into place.
Temperature
Star jasmine takes a big swing in stride, from 10°F to 100°F (-12°C to 38°C). That grit is what lets it grow outdoors in zones 8 to 10, while gardeners in colder spots keep it potted and haul it inside for winter.
Humidity
Plain average humidity is all it needs, so skip the fussing over a target number. It rolls with ordinary indoor and outdoor air without missing a beat.
Feeding
Hit it once in spring with a balanced general-purpose fertilizer to power the season ahead. If leaves fade to yellow in alkaline ground, an iron supplement or acidifier snaps the color right back.
Pruning
Prune after flowering to rein in size and shape, and keep tucking the twining stems onto their support as they climb. The sap runs as a milky latex, so wipe the tools down the moment you finish cutting.
Repotting
Give a container plant a fresh pot every 2 to 3 years, or jump on it sooner if roots circle the base, water rips straight through, or growth and bloom start to drag.
Size & spacing
Train it up or let it sprawl and star jasmine runs 3 to 20 feet (91 cm to 6 m), spreading 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) wide. Give it room and a rock-solid support and let it climb.
When to plant
Star jasmine thrives on warmth and takes off in zones 8 to 10. Get new plants in the ground in spring once frost clears, then watch the fragrant flowers pour out from late spring into early summer, with more popping up 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
Star jasmine keeps trouble to a minimum, so the handful of issues that show up are quick to read and quicker to beat. Most trace to soil chemistry, a sap-sucking bug, or a shortage of light. Spot your symptom below and jump on it early.
Sticky leaves, black film, bumps on the stems
Those bumps are scale insects or mealybugs, and the black film is sooty mold cashing in on the honeydew they drop. Scrub the stems with water and a little mild soap, then knock them back with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Cut out any stem that is badly overrun and the plant bounces right back.
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, veins still green
That green-veined yellowing is chlorosis, usually an iron shortfall that flares up as the soil turns alkaline. Hit it with a chelated iron supplement or work in an acidifier, then mulch with leaf mold to keep the ground sweet. Give the drainage a look too, since soggy roots fire off the exact same warning.
Fix:
- Apply a chelated iron supplement or soil acidifier
- Improve drainage and avoid overwatering
- Mulch with organic matter such as leaf mold
Leggy stems, hardly any flowers
Stuck in too much shade, star jasmine cranks out stem but skimps on flowers. Shift a container into brighter light or thin the canopy overhead. Full sun is what unlocks the heaviest flush of fragrant bloom.
Fix:
- Move container plants or relocate to a sunnier spot
- Thin overhead shade where possible
Toxicity
Great news for pet owners and parents: star jasmine is not toxic. The ASPCA clears it as safe for cats, dogs, and horses, and no toxic compounds turn up for other animals. The single thing to flag is the milky sap that beads from cut stems, which can leave sensitive skin a touch itchy, so rinse your hands after pruning.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
A curious cat can chomp a leaf with zero fallout, and the ASPCA marks star jasmine non-toxic to cats.
Dogs None
It stands up fine to dogs, with no toxic compounds on record, so a pup gnawing a trailing stem stays in the clear.
Horses None
Rated non-toxic to horses, it throws up no grazing risk along a fence line or pasture edge.
Rabbits Safe
No toxins register for rabbits, and the bitter milky sap tends to wave most off after a single bite.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can graze right alongside it without trouble, since the plant packs no known toxic principle.
Birds Safe
Backyard and aviary birds face zero danger from the foliage or the flowers.
People Safe
Growing and handling it is safe, though the milky sap can leave sensitive skin a touch itchy, so rinse your hands once you wrap up 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 standout selections and one close cousin show up at nurseries, and every one earns a spot in the garden.
'Madison'
A tougher selection that shrugs off more cold than the species and drives star jasmine into cooler gardens.
'Variegatum'
Grown for its leaves, edged in creamy white to light up a shaded wall or fence.
Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum)
A close cousin packing smaller, darker leaves and tiny yellowish-white flowers that races across the ground as a tough groundcover.
How to propagate
Star jasmine is a breeze to multiply, and because its stems already twine and trail, two simple methods let you turn out new plants with zero special gear.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer · Several weeks to a few months to root
Cuttings are the fast track to more star jasmine. Snip semi-ripe stem cuttings in late spring or summer, and they root over several weeks to a few months into new plants that copy the parent exactly.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season to root before separating
Layering cashes in on the way the stems already twine and trail. Pin a low stem to the soil in spring or summer, let it root for a full season, then slice it free from the parent to grow on its own.
Myths
Star jasmine is a true jasmine.
The name and that knockout scent trip up loads of gardeners, but this is no true jasmine. It lands in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) as Trachelospermum jasminoides, a long way off from the genus Jasminum behind the real jasmines.