Indian jasmine is a very beautiful fragrant climbing vine that blooms all summer long.
Short list of Indian Jasmine facts
Name – Trachelospermum jasminoides
Family – Apocynceae or dogbane
Type – climbing shrub
Height – 16 feet (5 m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – well-drained
Foliage – evergreen – Flowering – Summer
Here are the practices that will help you have beautiful blooming.
- Different from Indian jasmine is winter jasmine, often used for growing indoors.
Planting Indian jasmine
Indian jasmine is planted indifferently in fall or in spring.
- Apart from these two periods, avoid at any cost days of high temperatures or of freezing cold.
Make the most of its smooth jasmine fragrance, and set it up near a passageway or a window. That way you’ll benefit from the plant with all your senses, not only the eyes!
- Follow our advice on planting shrubs.
Preparing Indian jasmine cuttings is rather easy, it is performed in spring.
- Read our advice on preparing cuttings for Indian jasmine.
Pruning and caring for Indian jasmine
No pruning is formally required but an annual makeover at the end of winter will enhance blooming.
If you wish to balance the shape or reduce the size of your plant, do it at the end of winter or at the very beginning of spring.
- Indian jasmine blooms most on fresh, new growth.
- If you missed the end-of-winter or very-early-spring window, best forgo pruning for the year, or else you won’t have any flowers!
Problems when caring for Indian jasmine
Indian jasmine not blooming
Indian jasmine is a plant that requires warmth to bloom best. If temperatures aren’t high enough, the plant will seem to thrive but won’t reach the blooming stage.
- This moderately hardy plant will lose its leaves when temperatures drop below 20°F (-5 to -7°C).
- However, it will still sprout back from the stump in spring if the root area is well winterized.
The blooming, however, requires warm temperatures.
- A consistent 65°F (20°C) at least is needed for several weeks to even trigger the blooming.
- This makes the plant a late spring and summer bloomer.
If it’s too cold in your area, try moving your Indian Jasmine to a greenhouse or lean-in.
- Another option is to plant it against a wall or fence that is facing towards the afternoon sun. The sun’s rays will reflect upon the vine.
- This would mean facing South in the Northern hemisphere, and facing North in the Southern hemisphere.
- An alternative is to block wind by growing a hedge nearby or setting up a privacy fence. Make sure there’s still lots of sun!
Pests and diseases on Indian jasmine
Insects on Indian jasmine
The most common insects you’ll find on Indian jasmine are scale insects and red spider mites.
- Scale insect – these insects have either hard or soft shells (cottony substance in the case of mealybugs). They’re found at leaf junctions and on the underside of leaves.
- Red spider mite – tiny red arachnids that form colonies, draining sap from leaves, stems, and flower/leaf buds.
Indian jasmine diseases
Root rot is the most common disease. It’s directly related to lack of drainage.
- For potted Indian jasmine, make sure the pot drains well. Add sand, clay pebbles or gravel to the potting soil mix.
- If in the ground, check our page on how to make soil lighter. Heavy soil tends to promote root rot on Indian jasmine.
If you notice root rot taking hold of your Indian jasmine, quickly collect a few twigs to start cuttings.
- It’s difficult to cure root rot in a diseased plant. It’s often too late to heal a plant when the disease is noticed.
Learn more about Indian jasmine
Indian jasmine, native to Asia, earned its name due to the jasmine-like fragrance that emanates from its blooming.
Its inflorescence is very beautiful and its evergreen leafage lasts all year long. It is a relatively hardy climbing vine.
This beautiful climbing shrub is easy to care for and maintaining it is a breeze.
It is perfectly suited to covering a wall, but also makes for great ground cover or pot arrangement material.
- Note that if you grow it in a pot it will stay small.
At the beginning, attach your Indian jasmine to a lattice because it has trouble starting off. Afterwards, it will wind around on its own.
Varieties of Indian jasmine
A few famous cultivars that are available for sale include:
- ‘Star of Toscane’, or ‘Selbra’: yellow flowers, partially drought tolerant
- ‘Sunlover’: a variety with variegated leaves
Indian jasmine names
Other names for Indian jasmine include the following:
- Star jasmine – this is due to the shape of the flower, with its evenly-spaced five petals
- Confederate jasmine – mostly a name used in the United States. The origin of this name probably comes from it growing exceedingly well in the American South-Eastern states. These were formerly dubbed the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
Read also:
Smart tip about Indian jasmine
If you’re hoping for it to climb, help it out at the beginning. Indian jasmine isn’t very good at attaching itself at the start.
CC BY 2.0: Mark McNestry, John Rusk
CC BY 4.0: Kim & Forest Starr
Pixabay: janeb13
own work: Rosalyn & Gaspard Lorthiois
I too have an Indian Jasmine plant. First year only a few flowers (sample ones) appeared. Second year no flowers but then I exposed it to more of sunlight and third year it made me happy. Lots of bunches flowered, lovely ones.
Hi Ajay! That’s great to hear – it must be magnificent. You’re right that sunlight is one of the best way to make it bloom well.
I have an Indian Jasmine but it hardly flowers, what can I do? Other than that it looks very healthy.
Hi Jillian, there might be several reasons as to why your vine isn’t blooming much yet. Usually, in the temperate portions of the world, it’s too cold for flowers to form well. Where are you growing it?
How old is it? Sometimes a vine might need to grow for a full year or even two before it can bloom.
It might also be due to lack of fertilizer, perhaps you could try preparing a simple batch of fermented fertilizer to nourish the plant.
Hope this helps!