How to Grow Jasmine in the UK

Jasmine is one of the most rewarding climbers you can grow in a UK garden. The scent of common jasmine on a warm July evening is unforgettable, and nothing beats it on a pergola or arch. Winter jasmine, meanwhile, brightens a bare north-facing wall with yellow flowers in the darkest months. Pick the right type for your spot and jasmine is easy, long-lived and good for wildlife too.

If you love scent, pair it with heady gardenia, covered in our guide to growing gardenia in the UK.

Below are the four main jasmines grown in the UK, how to plant and care for each, and how to get free plants from cuttings. For more climbers, see our guide to the best climbing plants for UK gardens.

Which jasmine should I grow in the UK?

The four jasmines you’ll see in UK garden centres behave very differently. Buying the wrong one, especially tender pink jasmine for outside, is the main cause of disappointment.

Common jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

The classic scented jasmine. A vigorous twining climber that covers a pergola, arch or trellis, with clusters of small white flowers from June to September. The sweet scent gets stronger in the evening. It’s hardy in most of the UK.

‘Inverleith’ has pink-flushed flowers and is a bit more compact. ‘Clotted Cream’ has creamy flowers and is a little less vigorous. The plain species is vigorous enough to cover a big structure in a few years.

Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)

Quite different from common jasmine. It’s a wall shrub rather than a climber, so it doesn’t grip or twine, and you’ll need to tie it in. Bright yellow flowers open on bare green stems from December to March, one of the few cheery splashes of colour in winter. It has hardly any scent.

Winter jasmine is fully hardy, copes with north and east-facing walls and needs very little from you. It’s one of the best plants there is for a cold, shady wall.

Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

Despite the name, star jasmine isn’t a true jasmine. But it earns the name with beautifully scented, creamy white star-shaped flowers from June to August. It’s an evergreen climber with glossy dark leaves that turn bronze in cold weather.

It copes with frosts down to about -10°C, so it suits sheltered gardens in most of the UK. In colder areas, give it a sunny south or west-facing wall with good drainage. It’s a twining climber, so give it wires or trellis to climb. The RHS has more on this lovely plant.

Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum)

Tender and not suited to growing outdoors in the UK. You’ll see it in supermarkets and garden centres in winter, sold as a flowering houseplant. Its scented pink-white flowers open from late winter indoors. It can go outside in a sheltered spot in summer, but bring it in before autumn nights get cold. Treat it as a houseplant or conservatory plant.

Where to plant jasmine

Common jasmine loves a south or west-facing wall, fence, pergola or arch. It needs support, such as trellis fixed a few centimetres off the wall, or horizontal wires about 30cm apart. Full sun gives the most flowers and scent, though it copes with a little shade. Avoid windy, exposed spots.

Winter jasmine is happy facing any way, including north, where little else does well. It grows as a loose, arching shrub that you can tie to a wall or let tumble over a bank.

Star jasmine needs a warm, sheltered spot. A sunny south or west-facing wall with good drainage is ideal. In colder areas, plant it against the house wall for a bit of extra warmth. It also grows well in a big pot in a sheltered corner, which you can move under cover in a really cold winter.

Common jasmine and star jasmine both look great on arches and pergolas with other climbers. Climbing roses and clematis make lovely partners. For quick cover on a pergola, try wisteria and jasmine together.

How to plant jasmine

Plant pot-grown jasmine from October to April. Autumn planting lets roots settle while the soil is still warm. Spring planting works too, as long as you water through the first summer.

Step by step

1. Dig a hole about 45cm wide and deep, at least 30cm out from the wall, where the soil is less dry.
2. Mix plenty of garden compost or composted bark into the soil you dug out.
3. Soak the root ball in water before planting.
4. Plant at the same depth it was in the pot. Don’t plant it deeper, as you might with clematis.
5. Fill in, firm gently and water well.
6. Mulch around the base with bark, keeping it off the stems.
7. Tie the main shoots to the support with soft twine.

Water regularly in the first season, especially in dry spells. Once settled, common and star jasmine cope well with dry spells, and winter jasmine is the toughest of all.

Making a new bed at the same time? It’s a good moment to tackle other spring gardening jobs nearby, like preparing the soil, mulching borders and putting up supports before the jasmine takes off.

Common jasmine trained along wires on a sunny wall. Wires about 30cm apart give good cover.

When and how to prune jasmine

Pruning is where most people go wrong with jasmine. Each type is pruned at a different time, and getting it wrong can cut off next year’s flowers.

Pruning common jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

Prune straight after flowering, usually in August or early September. Cut the shoots that have just flowered back to strong new growth. Thin out crowded stems and remove dead or weak ones. Avoid pruning in spring, when you’d remove the forming flower buds.

If an old plant gets tangled, you can renovate it every few years. Cut about a third of the oldest stems down near the ground in late summer, and fresh growth will come from the base.

Pruning winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)

Prune in March, as soon as the flowers finish. Cut all the flowered shoots back to two or three buds. It sounds harsh, but it’s just what winter jasmine needs. It flowers on young green stems that grew the year before, so pruning straight after flowering gives it the longest time to grow next winter’s flowering shoots.

Never prune winter jasmine in autumn. The green stems you see then will carry the flowers in December and January.

For more on pruning wall shrubs and climbers, our guide to how to prune shrubs covers the basics.

Cut flowered shoots back to two or three buds as soon as the flowers finish. It feels harsh, but it gives the plant all summer to grow next winter’s flowering stems.

Pruning star jasmine

Star jasmine needs very little pruning. Give it a tidy after flowering in August, trimming any shoots that have strayed beyond their space and removing dead or damaged growth. Avoid hard pruning unless you need to.

How to propagate jasmine

Cuttings are the easiest way to get new jasmine plants for free. Cuttings taken in summer root well with very little kit.

Semi-ripe cuttings (July to September)

1. Choose a healthy shoot from this year’s growth without flowers. It should be firm at the base and still slightly soft at the tip.
2. Cut a 10cm length just below a leaf joint with a clean, sharp knife.
3. Strip the leaves from the bottom half, leaving a few at the top.
4. Fill a pot with half peat-free compost and half perlite. Make a hole with a pencil and push the cutting in.
5. Cover with a clear plastic bag and stand somewhere warm, out of direct sun.
6. Roots usually form in six to eight weeks. Then pot them up separately.
7. Keep the young plants in a frost-free greenhouse or cold frame over their first winter.

New to propagating? Our guide to sowing seeds indoors covers the basic kit you’ll need.

Strip the lower leaves and keep the cuttings warm and out of direct sun. Roots usually form in six to eight weeks.

Jasmine month-by-month care

Growing jasmine for wildlife

Common jasmine is a lovely plant for moths. Its scent gets stronger after dusk to draw in night-flying moths, which find flowers by smell rather than sight. It’s a great choice for a wildlife garden.

By day, hoverflies and some bumblebees visit too. Star jasmine reliably attracts bees from June to August. For more bee-friendly plants to grow on a sunny wall, see our guide.

Winter jasmine offers a little early food on mild days, and the odd queen bumblebee may drop by.

Star jasmine attracts bees through summer and is happy on a sheltered wall in most of the UK.

Common jasmine problems

Slow to get going

Common and star jasmine can seem to sulk in their first year, with little new growth. They’re busy building roots and will take off from the second year. Water regularly through the first summer and don’t overfeed with nitrogen.

No flowers on common jasmine

Usually too much nitrogen feed, which gives leaves rather than flowers. Switch to a tomato feed from May. Too much shade can also mean few flowers. And pruning in spring removes the buds that would have flowered.

Winter jasmine not flowering in winter

Almost always because it was pruned at the wrong time, usually in autumn. Leave it alone this year and prune only in March, after flowering. You should get flowers the following winter.

Winter jasmine flowering on bare stems in January. Leave the young green shoots alone in autumn, as they carry the winter flowers.

Frost damage on star jasmine

Young star jasmine plants feel the cold more than older ones. In a hard winter, leaves and new shoots may brown. Cut back damaged shoots to healthy growth in April. An established plant in a sheltered spot usually shrugs off frost, though it may drop a few leaves.

Now you’ve got jasmine sorted, read our guide on the best climbing plants for UK gardens to find good companions for your wall, arch or pergola.

Frequently asked questions

When does jasmine flower in the UK?

It depends on the type. Common jasmine flowers from June to September. Winter jasmine flowers from December to March. Star jasmine flowers from June to August. Pink jasmine flowers indoors from late winter into spring.

Is jasmine hardy in the UK?

Most jasmines grown outdoors in the UK are hardy. Winter jasmine is the toughest and copes with anything our winters throw at it. Common jasmine is hardy in most of the UK. Star jasmine handles frosts down to about -10°C but likes a sheltered wall. Pink jasmine is tender and won’t survive a winter outside.

How do I prune jasmine?

Prune each type just after it flowers. Cut flowered shoots of common jasmine back to strong new growth in late summer. Prune winter jasmine in March, cutting flowered stems back to two or three buds. Star jasmine just needs a light tidy. Never prune winter jasmine in autumn, or you’ll cut off the flower buds.

Does jasmine need full sun?

Most jasmines like sun but cope with a little shade. Common jasmine flowers best in full sun. Winter jasmine is the star of shady walls, flowering happily on a north-facing wall in midwinter. Star jasmine needs a warm, sunny, sheltered wall to flower well.

How do I propagate jasmine?

Take cuttings from July to September. Cut a 10cm piece from a healthy shoot without flowers, just below a leaf joint. Strip the lower leaves and push it into a pot of half compost, half perlite. Cover with a clear bag and keep out of direct sun. Keep young plants frost-free over their first winter.

Which jasmine smells strongest?

Common jasmine has the strongest scent of the hardy jasmines. It’s most powerful on summer evenings. Star jasmine has a sweet, softer scent. Winter jasmine has hardly any scent at all. Pink jasmine is very fragrant indoors.

Is jasmine good for wildlife?

Yes, jasmine is good for garden wildlife. Common jasmine attracts hoverflies, bees and night-flying moths, as its scent gets stronger after dusk. Star jasmine draws bees through summer. Winter jasmine offers a little early food on mild winter days.