Common Jasmine Jasminum officinale

Common jasmine is an evergreen, perennial vine in the olive family (Oleaceae). It is native to a wide area from Turkey through Iran and northern India to central China. The common name is Latin for “of the office or shop [of the herbalist]” and suggests that this species was, and perhaps still is, cultivated for its medicinal properties.

This vigorous plant prefers a moist, well-drained, light soil enriched with organic matter, but they tolerate average soil. Jasmine grows in full sun to partial shade and is drought and pollution tolerant. appear on old growth in the spring to the fall; the plant responds well to severe pruning after the blooms fade. This Jasmine is not cold tolerant beyond zone 7, but can be grown as a container plant and brought inside to over-winter. If grown indoors, it will require hard pruning and a trellis or support.  

Common jasmine can reach as much as 40 feet and spread to as much as 15 feet. The fragrant, pink to white blooms, attractive to both butterflies and hummingbirds. Common jasmine is so fragrant that a single vine can perfume an entire garden or room. 

When not cultivated in a conservatory or in the home, this species is at home in Asian, sensory, cottage, butterfly or pollinator gardens. It is a useful plant for a screening trellis, a pergola, or twining through mature shrubs.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Common jasmine has few serious insect or disease problems. Monitor for scale mealy bugs, and aphids. Houseplants are occasionally be troubled by indoor plant issues as scale or whitefly

VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti," a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

More information on Jasminum.