Northwest Blooms · Vines
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Star Jasmine
- Family
- Apocynaceae
- Height
- 10 to 20 feet
- Width
- 6 to 10 feet
- Flower color
- White star shaped flowers with a strong sweet fragrance
- Foliage color
- Glossy dark green oval leaves often developing bronze or reddish tones in cool weather
- Bloom time
- Late spring to early summer
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Moderate moisture
- Maintenance
- Low; prune after flowering to control size and guide growth on supports
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 8 to 10
- Wildlife
- Attracts bees and other pollinators
About this plant
Trachelospermum jasminoides develops glossy, leathery green leaves arranged along twining stems that form a dense, evergreen framework. The oval foliage remains attractive year-round and may take on bronze tones in cooler weather. In late spring through early summer, clusters of small star shaped white flowers appear among the leaves, each bloom releasing a sweet fragrance that carries through the surrounding garden.
Native to eastern Asia, including China and Japan, the species grows naturally in woodland margins and thickets. In gardens it is used to cover fences, trellises, and walls, or allowed to trail over slopes and containers where the evergreen foliage and fragrant flowers provide lasting presence.
Works well in
Arbors & Trellises · Fences & Walls · Vertical Screening · Cottage Gardens · Pollinator Gardens
Companion plants
Japanese anemones · Bleeding hearts · Catmint · Boxwood · Hardy geraniums · Hostas
Design tip
Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. Give it something sturdy to climb and keep the base planted with lower perennials, which shades the roots and hides bare stems.
