Pruning Star Jasmine: Tips On How & When To Prune It
I moved into a new home in 2016 and inherited a tall, somewhat overgrown Star Jasmine vine. It didn’t look horrible, but I just wanted to do some neatening. Late that past winter, a profusion of sweetly scented flowers appeared for weeks, so it was worth saving. This is all about pruning Star Jasmine to shape and rejuvenate it.
Star Jasmine can be grown in many different forms. I’ve seen this twining plant growing as a vine, a low border hedge, a ground cover, against a wall or fence (it’s great for covering a chain link fence), over an arch, across an arbor, and spilling out of containers.
It has a fast growth rate and is pretty forgiving when it comes to pruning.
- Botanical Name: Trachelospermum jasminoides
- Common Name: Star Jasmine, Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Star Jasmine
Note: This post was published on 7/2/2017. It was updated on 3/29/2024.
Pruning Star Jasmine Tips
Note: This post was written in 2017. I sold this house at the end of 2020, the last time I saw this Star Jasmine. This ornamental plant can take full sun in some climates, but not here. These photos aren’t the clearest. I moved into a new home three years ago and don’t have any new photos to share with you. I wish I did!
What to Know About Star Jasmine Flowering
In some climate zones, it blooms in late winter and late spring, and in others in early summer. This is the one big bloom time for Star Jasmine. The flowers cover the entire plant, making quite the show—not to mention a treat for the olfactory senses! You may get occasional flowering after that, but it’s minimal in comparison.
Jasmine blooms on new growth. Pruning is a good idea because it stimulates new growth, which brings on the flower buds.
When to Prune Star Jasmine
The best time to prune Star Jasmine is right after it’s finished flowering. I pruned mine in early May because it had finished flowering at that time. Depending on your desired look and the plant’s shape, it can be pruned fairly hard or on the light side.
If it’s growing rapidly, you may need to prune it one or two more times in summer or early fall.
However, you don’t want to prune a Star Jasmine too late in the year, as it needs enough time to set its flowers so they can appear in late winter or early spring the next year.
Are you looking for more growing tips? Check out this Star Jasmine Care Guide.
How Do I Prune Star Jasmine?
This plant isn’t too fussy; you don’t have to have advanced pruning techniques. It grows fast, so you must do it yearly to keep it in the desired shape. You can do it with your pruners, a hedge clipper, or even an electric hedge clipper. The latter isn’t my favorite method, but if you have a 35′ long Star Jasmine border, that’s the fastest way to go.
Star Jasmine is a great container plant. Although its growth may be constricted when grown in a pot, the same pruning principles apply.
How I Pruned my Star Jasmine Vine
First, the Arizona desert isn’t the best climate for growing this plant. To say mine was in bad shape is an understatement! I inherited this plant with the house, and never would have planted one here in the Sonoran Desert because of the heat/sun factor. Plus, it takes too much water to look good.
I lived on the California coast for thirty years, and it did and looked much better there. As a professional San Francisco Bay Area gardener, I maintained many of these plants in every form!
My plant grew against an east wall and was in partial shade for most of the day, except May through September, when it received sun from approximately 1 to 3—some of the most intense hours. At this time, it was one sun and heat-stressed Star Jasmine!
Pruning this evergreen climber stimulated healthy growth and many flowers, but it had burned at the top by late summer every year.
Make sure your tools are ready for the job. Here’s How I Clean & Sharpen My Pruning Tools.
1) First, I “swept” this plant with a broom to knock off the dead leaves. There were many of them, and this helped to keep them from falling on me when I was pruning.
2) I started pruning at the bottom because the foliage was sparse, and I could tackle it quickly. I basically tipped each stem to encourage filling in, just taking off a leaf node or two of growth.
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 never reacted badly to it, but just be careful if you’re sensitive to this type of thing, as it could cause skin irritation. Some sites list Star Jasmine as non-toxic; others say it’s toxic.
Never get the sap on your face. Wearing gloves and long sleeves is a good idea.
3) I worked my way up the plant as far as I could without the ladder. Star Jasmine is a twining vine (this one grows on wire grid panels attached to the wall) that needs something to attach or grab onto as it grows. Otherwise, it falls back on itself, and the new top growth smothers the undergrowth.
Heads up: If you’re unsure how much to take off, it’s better to start with light pruning. You can always remove more, but you can’t put it back on. That’s exactly what I did in some spots with this plant—you’ll see it in the video.
4) I needed to remove 6 – 10″ of the top growth to encourage the sparse middle part of the plant to fill in. The stems twined onto each other were pruned back or removed so the load could be lightened—just like cutting thick hair with layers!
5) All the dead stems on the top, most of them underneath, were removed. The older stems were pruned back anywhere from 6″ to 24″.
Do you have questions about Star Jasmine care? We answer the most commonly asked Questions About Growing Star Jasmine here.
Post Pruning Care
Star Jasmine does and looks best in well-drained soil with regular watering. After the pruning, I gave this Star Jasmine plant a deep watering. I dressed it with 3-4″ of organic compost to nourish and prevent it from drying out too fast. When it comes to feeding most landscape plants, I prefer to use compost and worm compost.
To be honest, this plant never fully filled in. It got healthier and looked much better, but various degrees of sunburn would set it back each summer. Flowers covered the top of the plant at the end of winter into spring so that was always enjoyable. And the shape was a great improvement.
Planting a Star Jasmine here in the Sonoran Desert is an example of pushing the limits regarding plant choice!
Pruning Video Guide
I didn’t want my Star Jasmine to look scalped or like a chimney. It did look a bit awkward, but the lush, new, springy green growth appeared by the early winter months, and the plant was on its merry way to filling in, halfway, anyway!
Pruning your jasmine this year will bring on new growth and flowers next year. You can look forward to a mass of sweetly scented, starry white flowers covering your plant in spring!
Happy gardening,
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- About the Author
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
what about pruning one in a pot in Pa.
Thank You
Hi Sarah – You basically prune them the same way & at the same times. Star Jasmines tend to stay smaller in pots, as do most plants, so you probably won’t need to be as vigorous with the pruning. Nell
What is the best way to propergate jasmin? Tisha
Hi Tisha – By softwood cuttings (the tips) about 5-7″ long in propagation mix. They like to be kept moist while propagating & misting every day or other day would be appreciated. Nell
Hi Nell,
Thank you for the great post! Where can I find a trellis that is 10-12 tall like the one that your jasmine is climbing on?
Thank you!
Sherri
Thank you Sherri! Mine is actually 6′ tall – it’s just mounted higher on the wall. I got it from a retail display supply company. I just wanted something plain & white. You can google: retail display gridwall & options will pop up for different sizes. Nell
Hi I need advice re a Star Jasmine that covers a pergola. Looks beautiful and green from second fl window but in courtyard looks just woody.
How do I prune from below and what do I do about the top that is out of reach?
Thank you Dianna
Hi Dianna – The best time to prune a Star Jasmine is right after it flowers. Because it’s such an established plant, don’t prune below a point with no foliage. That may be 1′ or it might be 5′. You also want to thin the plant a bit as you go along so it doesn’t grow back too thick. As for the top, it’ll eventually die on its own. Some of the leaves will fall as they die but to get all the vine off, you’ll need to do it with a ladder. SJ twines & attaches as it grows. Nell
My plants have the leaves turning yellow and the blooms are drooping. We would like to eventually plant them in the ground. I’m in Zone 8/8b (so. cal. desert) Any recommendations?
Hi Jodi – Sounds like the plant is too dry. My Star Jasmine here in Tucson gets sunburned when the temps go above 105. The leaves turn a yellowish-orange. Nell