Crepe jasmine

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; give afternoon shade in very hot, dry locations. Deep shade reduces flowering.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water established plants during dry spells and containers when the surface of the compost starts to dry.

Soil

Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, preferably slightly acidic. Alkaline soil can cause yellowing leaves.

Height

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m), occasionally taller in tropical climates

Spread

4-8 ft (1.2-2.4 m)

Flowers

White pinwheel-shaped or double, ruffled flowers from late spring through autumn; flowering can continue intermittently year-round in tropical conditions.

Foliage

Evergreen. Opposite, glossy, dark green, oval leaves with pointed tips and conspicuous veins.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.9 ft (0.88 m)

3. After 2 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   5 ft (1.6 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

   full size

About 5 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water deeply during establishment, then whenever the upper soil begins to dry; do not leave pots standing in water.
• Apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring at the label rate; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Spread 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Move container plants under cover before nights regularly fall below 50°F (10°C); provide bright light and reduce watering during slow winter growth.
• Wear gloves when cutting stems and keep the milky sap away from eyes and mouth.

Pruning. Lightly shorten long shoots after a main flush of flowers during the warm growing season, and remove dead or damaged wood as needed. Avoid repeated hard shearing, which removes developing flowers.

Spring

Repot container plants if root-bound and apply a balanced slow-release fertiliser.

Late spring

Plant outdoors in frost-free gardens once the soil is warm; move overwintered pots outside gradually when nights are reliably mild.

Summer

Check soil moisture regularly and inspect leaf undersides for scale, mealybugs and mites.

Summer

Lightly prune after a flowering flush and take semi-ripe cuttings.

Autumn

Bring containers indoors before cold nights and check carefully for pests first.

Winter

Keep sheltered plants in bright light, water sparingly without letting the root ball dry completely, and pause feeding if growth stops.

• Plant as a loose evergreen hedge or screen in a frost-free courtyard.
• Use a container specimen beside a sheltered seating area, choosing a fragrant form if scent is important.
• Combine with broad-leaved tropical plants for contrasting foliage and small white flowers.
• Repeat through a white or moon garden, where the flowers stand out against dark foliage.

Garden styles it suits: Tropical, Modern tropical, Modern courtyard, White garden, Moon garden and Luxury resort.

Plant it with: Gardenia, Ixora, Shell ginger, Cast-iron plant, Bird of paradise and Bromeliads.

Wildlife: Single flowers can provide nectar for visiting insects. Double flowers are generally less accessible and offer less wildlife value.

• Scale insects and mealybugs: inspect stems and leaf undersides, remove small infestations by hand, and use a labelled horticultural oil or insecticidal soap where appropriate.
• Spider mites in hot, dry conditions or indoors: look for fine webbing and pale speckling, rinse leaf undersides, and treat persistent infestations with a labelled insecticidal soap.
• Yellow leaves with green veins: check soil pH and drainage; alkaline conditions can restrict iron uptake. Use a suitable chelated iron treatment if iron deficiency is confirmed.
• Root rot and cold damage: provide free drainage, avoid persistently wet compost, and protect from frost; remove dead growth once healthy new growth makes the damage clear.

Treat all parts, including the milky sap, as poisonous if eaten by people, cats, dogs or horses. The plant contains biologically active alkaloids; ingestion can be serious, although species-specific veterinary information is limited. Sap may irritate skin and eyes. Seek medical or veterinary advice after ingestion.

• Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

  Also has white pinwheel flowers and milky sap, but grows as a twining climber rather than an upright shrub and usually has smaller leaves.

• Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides)

  Has similar glossy foliage and fragrant white flowers, but the blooms usually have broader, overlapping petals rather than the narrow, twisted pinwheel petals of single crepe jasmine.

• Snowflake (Wrightia antidysenterica)

  Usually has smaller leaves and flatter, star-shaped white flowers with a conspicuous central crown, rather than the swept-back pinwheel shape of crepe jasmine.

The genus honours the German physician and botanist Jacob Theodor Tabernaemontanus, while divaricata refers to the plant's spreading branches.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe stem cuttings during warm weather and root them in a free-draining medium with gentle bottom heat and high humidity. Wear gloves when handling the cut stems; cuttings preserve double-flowered and other selected forms.

Accepted botanical name

Tabernaemontana divaricata

Native range

Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China South-Central, East Himalaya, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and West Himalaya.

Measured

Average height 725 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.