When and How To Do It

When and How To Do It


I moved into a brand new dwelling in 2016 and inherited a tall, considerably overgrown Star Jasmine vine. It didn’t look horrible, however I simply needed to do some neatening. Late that previous winter, a profusion of sweetly scented flowers appeared for weeks, so it was value saving. That is all about pruning Star Jasmine to form and rejuvenate it. 

Star Jasmine could be grown in many alternative types. I’ve seen this twining plant rising as a vine, a low border hedge, a floor cowl, towards a wall or fence (it’s nice for overlaying a series hyperlink fence), over an arch, throughout an arbor, and spilling out of containers.

It has a quick progress price and is fairly forgiving with regards to pruning. 

Botanical Title:  Trachelospermum jasminoides              Frequent Title: Star Jasmine, Accomplice Jasmine, Chinese language Star Jasmine

Word: This publish was printed on 7/2/2017.   It was up to date on 3/29/2024.

Close up of a star jasmine plant covered in flowers the text reads Pruning A Star Jasmine Vine: When & How To Do It.
 Right here’s why Star Jasmine is so widespread – these plenty of aromatic flowers that cowl the plant!

Pruning Star Jasmine Suggestions

Word:  This publish was written in 2017. I offered this home on the finish of 2020, the final time I noticed this Star Jasmine. This decorative plant can take full solar in some climates, however not right here. These photographs aren’t the clearest. I moved into a brand new dwelling three years in the past and don’t have any new photographs to share with you. I want I did!

What to Know About Star Jasmine Flowering

In some local weather zones, it blooms in late winter and late spring, and in others in early summer time. That is the one huge bloom time for Star Jasmine. The flowers cowl your entire plant, making fairly the present—to not point out a deal with for the olfactory senses! You could get occasional flowering after that, however it’s minimal as compared.

Jasmine blooms on new progress. Pruning is a good suggestion as a result of it stimulates new progress, which brings on the flower buds. 

When to Prune Star Jasmine 

One of the best time to prune Star Jasmine is true after it’s completed flowering. I pruned mine in early Might as a result of it had completed flowering at the moment. Relying in your desired look and the plant’s form, it may be pruned pretty arduous or on the sunshine facet.

If it’s rising quickly, you could must prune it one or two extra occasions in summer time or early fall. 

Nevertheless, you don’t wish to prune a Star Jasmine too late within the yr, because it wants sufficient time to set its flowers to allow them to seem in late winter or early spring the following yr. 

Are you on the lookout for extra rising ideas? Try this Star Jasmine Care Information.

Up close of a Star Jasmine that isn't in bloom yet.
This Star Jasmine rising over an arched doorway had been pruned & is placing out numerous gentle inexperienced new progress. It’s lined in flower buds too.

How Do I Prune Star Jasmine?

This plant isn’t too fussy; you don’t should have superior pruning strategies. It grows quick, so it’s essential to do it yearly to maintain it within the desired form. You are able to do it along with your pruners, a hedge clipper, and even an electrical hedge clipper. The latter isn’t my favourite technique, however when you’ve got a 35′ lengthy Star Jasmine border, that’s the quickest solution to go. 

Star Jasmine is a superb container plant. Though its progress could also be constricted when grown in a pot, the identical pruning rules apply.

How I Pruned my Star Jasmine Vine

First, the Arizona desert isn’t the very best local weather for rising this plant. To say mine was in unhealthy form is an understatement! I inherited this plant with the home, and by no means would have planted one right here within the Sonoran Desert due to the warmth/solar issue. Plus, it takes an excessive amount of water to look good. 

I lived on the California coast for thirty years, and it did and regarded significantly better there.  As knowledgeable San Francisco Bay Space gardener, I maintained many of those vegetation in each type!

My plant grew towards an east wall and was in partial shade for many of the day, besides Might by means of September, when it obtained solar from roughly 1 to three—a few of the most intense hours. At the moment, it was one solar and heat-stressed Star Jasmine!

Pruning this evergreen climber stimulated wholesome progress and lots of flowers, however it had burned on the high by late summer time yearly.

Make sure that your instruments are prepared for the job. Right here’s How I Clear & Sharpen My Pruning Instruments

1)  First, I “swept” this plant with a brush to knock off the useless leaves. There have been lots of them, and this helped to maintain them from falling on me after I was pruning.

A sparse star jasmine is growing on a trellis.

2) I began pruning on the backside as a result of the foliage was sparse, and I may deal with it shortly. I principally tipped every stem to encourage filling in, simply taking off a leaf node or two of progress.

Heads up: the stems of Star Jasmine emit a white, milky sap. It doesn’t bleed and drip like some Euphorbias do, and it’s not as sticky. I’ve by no means reacted badly to it, however simply watch out in the event you’re delicate to any such factor, because it may trigger pores and skin irritation. Some websites record Star Jasmine as non-toxic; others say it’s poisonous. 

By no means get the sap in your face.  Carrying gloves and lengthy sleeves is a good suggestion.  

3) I labored my approach up the plant so far as I may with out the ladder. Star Jasmine is a twining vine (this one grows on wire grid panels connected to the wall) that wants one thing to connect or seize onto because it grows. In any other case, it falls again on itself, and the brand new high progress smothers the undergrowth. 

A freshly pruned star jasmine, trails lay on the ground.

Heads up: If you happen to’re not sure how a lot to take off, it’s higher to begin with gentle pruning. You possibly can all the time take away extra, however you possibly can’t put it again on. That’s precisely what I did in some spots with this plant—you’ll see it within the video.

4) I wanted to take away 6 – 10″ of the highest progress to encourage the sparse center a part of the plant to fill in. The stems twined onto one another have been pruned again or eliminated so the load could possibly be lightened—similar to reducing thick hair with layers!

The left side of a star jasmine vine has not been pruned the right side has there's a pair of pruners on a ladder in the foreground.
Right here you possibly can see the place I pruned on the left facet. 

5) All of the useless stems on the highest, most of them beneath, have been eliminated. The older stems have been pruned again anyplace from 6″ to 24″. 

Do you’ve questions on Star Jasmine care? We reply probably the most generally requested Questions About Rising Star Jasmine right here.

Publish Pruning Care

Star Jasmine does and appears greatest in well-drained soil with common watering. After the pruning, I gave this Star Jasmine plant a deep watering. I dressed it with 3-4″ of natural compost to nourish and forestall it from drying out too quick. On the subject of feeding most panorama vegetation, I desire to make use of compost and worm compost.

To be trustworthy, this plant by no means totally stuffed in. It obtained more healthy and regarded significantly better, however numerous levels of sunburn would set it again every summer time. Flowers lined the highest of the plant on the finish of winter into spring in order that was all the time pleasurable. And the form was an awesome enchancment.

Planting a Star Jasmine right here within the Sonoran Desert is an instance of pushing the boundaries relating to plant alternative!

A star jasmine vine after being pruned this plant is very thin with little growth in the middle.
Publish pruning. Not probably the most lovely Star Jasmine, however it did look significantly better the next winter!

Pruning Video Information

I didn’t need my Star Jasmine to look scalped or like a chimney. It did look a bit awkward, however the lush, new, springy inexperienced progress appeared by the early winter months, and the plant was on its merry solution to filling in, midway, anyway!  

Pruning your jasmine this yr will carry on new progress and flowers subsequent yr. You possibly can stay up for a mass of sweetly scented, starry white flowers overlaying your plant in spring!  

Pleased gardening,

Signed by Nell Foster

This publish could include affiliate hyperlinks, you possibly can learn our insurance policies right here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *