How to care for a pink jasmine indoors
Pink jasmine turns up in the shops as a hoop of pink buds and fills the house with scent at the end of winter. It asks for light, a cool autumn and something to climb; the rest is keeping an eye on the soil.
To care for a pink jasmine indoors, give it plenty of light, a cool, frost-free spot and a support to twine around, and water when the soil starts to dry, never leaving it soggy. In December, living by an east-facing window in a 16 cm plastic pot, its soil wants water every 7 days.
What is pink jasmine?
Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), also sold simply as jasmine or Chinese jasmine, is an evergreen climber from China. The RHS describes it as a tender houseplant with highly fragrant white flowers that open from pink buds, from late winter into spring. Indiana University’s greenhouse paints the same picture: rosy buds, star-shaped flowers and fast growth, which has made it a common houseplant in Europe and North America.
It is often sold wound around a wire hoop, already covered in buds, as a Christmas gift. Underneath that hoop is a vigorous plant: Indiana University notes that, given support, it can climb several metres. Indoors, that means it will want to go up.
Where should you put pink jasmine?
Pink jasmine wants light. The RHS suggests a bright spot and calls a conservatory ideal; Clemson Extension, writing about jasmines in general, asks for full sun or at least bright light. A south- or east-facing window is usually the best place in the house.
Temperature is where the sources disagree. The RHS says to keep it above 13 °C at all times. The Chicago Botanic Garden says this species likes it much cooler than other jasmines and copes with nights of 4 to 10 °C from September until it sets buds. The University of Washington’s horticultural library leans the same way: a cool, frost-free conservatory or porch in winter. What they all agree on is that it cannot take frost.
In practice, in December and January:
- Keep it away from radiators and fires. The Chicago Botanic Garden says jasmine likes a clear drop between day and night temperatures, which a warm, dry living room doesn’t give it.
- Wrap it up on the way home from the shop. Cool isn’t freezing: no long waits in a cold car.
- Don’t leave it outside on a frosty night. The RHS only moves it to the patio in summer.
Why won’t my pink jasmine flower?
A pink jasmine kept warm all autumn tends to grow a lot and flower very little. The Chicago Botanic Garden explains that the cool autumn spell is what makes the plant form buds, and that a plant kept warm may not set them at all. Too little light is the other usual culprit: in a dim room you get leaves and nothing else.
If yours arrived in bud, the hard part is done. If you want it to flower again next year, the work happens in September and October: bright days and cool nights, without frost.
How should you water pink jasmine?
Pink jasmine dislikes extremes. The RHS warns that Christmas-flowering houseplants suffer badly if the compost dries out completely and favours steady moisture; the Chicago Botanic Garden, during the cool autumn and winter spell, waters only once the soil has dried. Soggy isn’t the answer either: NC State Extension lists root rot among the plant’s problems.
How often depends on the light and the season. The closer to the sun, the sooner the soil dries:
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 3 days | 6 days |
| East-facing window | 4 days | 7 days |
| North-facing window | 6 days | 11 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 9 days | 16 days |
Your finger in the soil has the final say: if the top couple of centimetres are dry, water; if they are still damp, wait. To get the hang of it, see how to tell if a houseplant needs water. And never leave water standing in the saucer.
Supports, pruning and feeding
Pink jasmine twines its stems around whatever it finds. Give it a cane, a trellis or the original hoop and keep guiding the new shoots, or they will reach for the curtains. The RHS advises pruning in late winter or early spring to keep it to the size of its support, and Clemson says the best moment for jasmines is just after flowering. Cutting back in autumn means cutting off the buds on their way.
As for feeding, the RHS gives it a balanced fertiliser during the growing season (spring and summer). In the warm months it can even go out on a balcony, in sun but shaded at midday, according to the same source.
What about pests or yellow leaves?
NC State lists aphids and spider mites among the pests that can turn up on jasmine. If the leaves or the table underneath turn tacky, see why houseplant leaves get sticky. Yellow leaves with constantly wet soil almost always point to overwatering; for the other causes, read what yellow leaves are telling you.
Pink jasmine care at a glance
| Care | What to do |
|---|---|
| Light | Plenty; a south- or east-facing window |
| Temperature | Cool and frost-free; away from the heating |
| Autumn | Cool nights and bright light, to set buds |
| Watering | When the soil starts to dry; never soggy |
| Support | Cane, trellis or hoop, guiding new shoots |
| Pruning | After flowering; never in autumn |
| Feeding | In the growing season (spring and summer) |
Quick questions
Can pink jasmine live in a heated living room? It can, but the flowers won’t last as long and the plant dries out faster. A bright, cooler room suits it better.
When does pink jasmine flower? From late winter into spring, according to the RHS and Indiana University. In a warm, bright spot, the RHS says it can start earlier.
Can pink jasmine stay on the balcony all year? Only where it never freezes. On frosty nights it needs to be indoors.
One jasmine, one window
A pink jasmine on a sunny south-facing sill doesn’t drink at the same pace as one in a cool north-facing bedroom. Verdejar asks which room and window your jasmine lives by, works out the sums for that home and reminds you to water it on the right day, month after month. For more seasonal ideas, see the best plants to decorate your home at Christmas and how to care for a cyclamen.
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society · Chicago Botanic Garden · Indiana University · NC State Extension · Clemson Home & Garden Information Center · University of Washington Botanic Gardens. The days between waterings come from the Verdejar watering engine.