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How do I Integrate Jasmine into my Garden?
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Jasmine is a flowering vine with a distinctive smell that many people find attractive. It also has small, delicate white flowers that can look stunning on fences and in garden arbors. Integrating this plant into a garden does require some planning, as when well cared for, the vine can get very large. Jasmine makes a wonderful addition to virtually all gardens in vine or shrub form, depending on the desired effect. While it may take several years for the plant to grow into a space, the final product is worth the wait.
This plant is a vine-like shrub that can be pruned and trained to grow as a bush or given an arbor or trellis to spread out on. When fully mature, it can reach 15 feet (5 meters) in height, and will spread 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters). The plant has dark green leaves and delicate, white, five-lobed flowers that release a scent in the spring.
Jasmine prefers full sun to partial shade, and will tolerate a wide range of soils, including clay, loam, alkaline, and acidic soils. It is also somewhat drought tolerant, although the leaves and flowers may begin to droop if it does not have adequate water. If the plant is being grown as a vine, it will need to be pruned to encourage upward growth while the trunk of the plant will need to be staked for support until the plant is strong enough. Plants grown as a shrub will need to be pruned frequently to encourage even growth.
When integrating jasmine into the garden, keep the scent in mind. If you have other delicately scented plants, you will not want to plant this one in their vicinity, because the odor will overpower other plants. You may want to plant it close to the house or under a bedroom window so that the scent can be enjoyed indoors as well as out. Make sure to plant the jasmine plants at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) apart so that they will not crowd each other as they grow.
Jasmine looks nice on a trellis or arbor, and some gardeners like to line paths with it, or train it to grow on gazebos and other garden features. It can be relaxing and soothing to stroll down a path lined with the plant while it is in flower, and because it rarely goes completely bare, the waxy dark green leaves will look attractive in the late summer, fall, and winter.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
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![Jasmine growing outside.]()
By: federicofotoJasmine growing outside. -
![Jasmine in bloom.]()
By: volffJasmine in bloom. -
![Dried jasmine.]()
By: nndrlnDried jasmine. -
![Jasmine tea, an extremely popular beverage in China and Japan, is typically made using star or Arabian jasmine.]()
By: Igor NormannJasmine tea, an extremely popular beverage in China and Japan, is typically made using star or Arabian jasmine.
Discussion Comments
I have a very large jasmine vine climbing on a trellis. I I want to erect a deck where the vine is located. How do I divide and transplant it? What it the best time of year to do this?
@kylee07drg – How often you need to prune it depends on what shape you want it to take. If you aren't too particular about this, then you can get away with pruning it once a year.
I have an orange jasmine bush, and I only prune it in the fall. Even then, the only branches I cut are the ones that are crossing over other branches or shooting off at weird angles.
The bush really isn't that difficult to maintain. The smell is amazing, and as long as you plant it in a well-drained area with a little bit of shade, it should do well.
It sounds like the jasmine vine would be quite a bit of trouble! I wouldn't want anything that grows that large in my garden.
I have had trouble in the past with vines trying to take over, and I decided that I would not try to plant any more of them in my flower garden. Vines are just too aggressive.
However, I wouldn't mind having a jasmine bush. How often would I need to prune it? If it's just once or twice a year, I could handle that.
I think that jasmine flowers are so pretty! Their petals are thin and delicate, yet they hold their shape so well.
I love the way that the jasmine bush looks when it is covered in white blossoms. They are bright white and so pure.
I think that I will use jasmine in my bridesmaids' hair pins when I get married next year. I love the purity of their white color, and the strong fragrance will be a wonderful bonus!
If you are buying jasmine for its fragrance, be sure you either get night-blooming jasmine or common jasmine. My friend bought winter jasmine, which doesn't even produce an aroma!
It did yield little yellow flowers in February and March, but that was all it did. The rest of the year, it just had green leaves on it.
Common jasmine will bloom all throughout the summer. It smells amazing, too!
@pastanaga - Some kinds of jasmine are considered invasive weeds, particularly in Florida, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand. They grow fast and can quickly choke native plants.
Other kinds of jasmine, like star jasmine, are grown there without any trouble.
Jasmine can also be used in tea. Usually the flowers are added to green or white tea. Jasmine is usually not added to the water, but only stored with the tea leaves, so they absorb the scent.
I've also read about women who slip jasmine flowers into their clothes so they will smell sweet all day.
Isn't jasmine a pest though?
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