Red Jasmine in the USA: 10 Growing Tips

 

Red jasmine is a fragrant climbing vine that surprises many gardeners, because its flowers are pink to deep rose rather than bright scarlet. Its botanical name is Jasminum beesianum, and it comes from Tibet and central China, where it scrambles over banks and through shrubs.

In the USA it grows best in mild climates, but gardeners in colder zones can still enjoy it in a pot they move indoors for winter. This guide explains how to tell the real vine from look-alikes, where to plant it, how to support it, and how to keep it in bounds.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A leafy climbing vine with small pink-purple tubular flowers.

• 1. Watch Out for Look-Alikes
• 2. Compare It With White Jasmine
• 3. Give It a Strong Trellis
• 4. Grow It Over a Pergola
• 5. Plant It in a Cottage Garden
• 6. Prune After It Blooms
• 7. Water for Drainage, Not Sogginess
• 8. Pair It With a Clematis
• 9. Make a Vine-Covered Walkway
• 10. Enjoy the Scent Up Close
• FAQs
• Final Thoughts
• Gallery

1. Watch Out for Look-Alikes

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. Bright red plumeria flowers with water drops. This is plumeria, not the climbing vine, even though it is sometimes sold under a similar name.

Shop by botanical name, not by color name alone. Jasminum beesianum is a woody, scrambling vine with small, tubular, pink-to-rose flowers and glossy black berries in fall. Many plants sold as red-flowered jasmine are different species entirely, including plumeria and ixora, which are shrubs, not vines.

Before you buy, check the label for Jasminum beesianum and look at the growth habit. If the plant is a stiff, upright shrub with large, five-petaled, waxy flowers, it is not this vine. A true vine will have long, flexible stems that need support, and its flowers will be smaller and more tubular.

2. Compare It With White Jasmine

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A white jasmine flower with buds beside a stone wall.

Most people know jasmine as a white flower, so the pink-red type can be a surprise. White jasmines, like common jasmine and Arabian jasmine, usually have star-shaped white blooms and a sweet scent that carries on warm evenings. The pink-red vine shares that sweet scent, but its flowers are narrower tubes in shades of pink and rose.

Both types like sun and well-drained soil, and both do best where winters are mild. If you already grow a white jasmine, you can use the same basic care routine for the pink-red vine, just give the vine more room, since it can reach up to 12 feet tall.

3. Give It a Strong Trellis

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A wooden pergola with climbing roses in a garden, showing the kind of strong support a vine needs.

This vine does not cling by itself, so it needs something to lean on and be tied to. A sturdy trellis, a fence, or a pergola post all work, as long as the structure can hold a heavy, leafy plant. Fix the trellis firmly before planting, since pushing posts in later can damage roots.

Tie new stems loosely with soft garden twine, and guide them sideways as well as upward so the plant fills the frame instead of shooting straight to the top. Check ties once or twice a season and loosen any that cut into the stems. A well-tied vine looks fuller and blooms over a wider area.

4. Grow It Over a Pergola

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A lattice pergola with climbing roses and green leaves.

A pergola is a lovely home for this vine, because the stems can weave through the top and the flowers hang where you can smell them. Plant one vine at each post, and train the stems up and across the beams over two or three seasons. Do not expect full cover in year one; vines take time to build their frame.

Keep a path clear under the pergola by pruning stems that droop to head height. A pergola near a seating area gives you shade and scent together, which is the best reward for the wait. If your pergola is metal, check that it does not get hot enough in summer sun to scorch stems resting on it.

5. Plant It in a Cottage Garden

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A lush cottage garden border in front of a house.

This vine fits cottage and woodland gardens, where its loose, scrambling habit looks natural rather than messy. Plant it at the back of a border, near a fence or wall, and let shorter perennials fill the front. It also works as groundcover on a slope, where its stems root as they spread.

Give it room from the start, because a plant that reaches 6 to 12 feet needs space to breathe. For layout ideas that keep a mixed border looking planned, see backyard garden design ideas. A little planning now saves a lot of pruning later.

6. Prune After It Blooms

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. Bypass loppers with black and orange handles on concrete.

Prune right after flowering ends, in mid to late summer, so you do not cut off next year's buds. Remove dead or crossing stems first, then shorten long stems that have outgrown their support. Use sharp, clean bypass pruners or loppers, and cut just above a leaf or side shoot.

This vine needs frequent pruning to stay in bounds, so do a light trim each year rather than one hard cut every few years. Wear gloves, since older stems can be woody and stiff. If the plant gets too big, you can cut it back hard after bloom, but expect fewer flowers the next season while it regrows.

7. Water for Drainage, Not Sogginess

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A hand filling a green watering can with a hose beside a flower bed.

Give this vine medium watering in average, well-drained soil. Water deeply when the top inch of soil is dry, then let it dry again before the next watering. Soggy soil is the main risk, since it can cause root rot, and the same drainage lesson applies to many houseplants, as our cactus care guide explains for plants that hate wet feet.

Mulch with 2 to 3 inches of bark or compost to hold moisture and keep roots cool, but keep mulch a few inches away from the stems. In a pot, use a mix with perlite or coarse bark for drainage, and empty the saucer after watering so the roots never sit in water.

8. Pair It With a Clematis

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. Pink clematis flowers covering a garden structure. Clematis is a different vine, shown here as a companion idea.

Pairing two vines on one support gives you a longer season of flowers. A spring clematis can bloom first, then the pink-red vine takes over in late spring to mid-summer. Plant them at least 2 feet apart so their roots do not fight, and give each its own ties.

Choose a clematis that likes the same sun and soil, and prune each vine on its own schedule so you do not cut off the other's buds. The mix of flower shapes, flat clematis stars beside tubular vine blooms, looks far richer than either vine alone.

9. Make a Vine-Covered Walkway

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. An iron pergola covered in vines and autumn leaves.

A vine-covered walkway turns a plain path into a garden feature. Train stems along an arch or pergola over the path, and keep the walkway clear by pruning any stems that hang below about 7 feet. The shade makes summer walks cooler, and the scent greets everyone who passes.

Check the structure each spring for loose bolts or rotting wood, since a vine-covered frame hides problems until they get serious. A strong frame, regular pruning, and a clear path are all you need to keep the walkway safe and lovely.

10. Enjoy the Scent Up Close

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A hand holding a white Arabian jasmine flower, showing the jasmine scent family up close.

The scent is the reason many people grow jasmine at all. This vine's flowers are sweet-smelling, and the scent is strongest on warm, still evenings in late spring and early summer. Plant it near a bench, a bedroom window, or a path you use at dusk so you catch it without hunting for it.

Bees and other pollinators visit the flowers too, so a vine near a seating area also brings gentle garden life. For planting that welcomes pollinators, see pollinator garden ideas. Cut a few stems for a small indoor vase, but leave most blooms on the plant so the display lasts.

FAQs

Is red jasmine hard to grow?

Not in a mild climate. Give it sun, well-drained soil, and a strong support, and it mostly looks after itself apart from yearly pruning.

What zones does it grow in?

NC State Extension lists zones 7a to 9b as its best range. It survives a light frost but not a harsh winter, so colder-zone gardeners should grow it in a pot and bring it in.

How tall does it get?

Up to about 12 feet, though many garden plants stay 6 to 10 feet with regular pruning. Give it a strong trellis or pergola from the start.

When does it bloom?

Late spring to mid-summer, with pink-to-rose, sweet-smelling flowers. Prune after blooming so you do not remove next year's buds.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. Use a large pot with drainage holes, a trellis or obelisk for support, and a sunny spot. Move the pot indoors before hard frost in cold zones.

Final Thoughts

This vine rewards a little patience with years of scent, soft color, and green cover. Buy the right plant by its botanical name, give it sun and support, prune it after bloom, and protect it from hard frost. Do those four things and it will earn its place in your garden.

Sources

• NC State Extension: Jasminum beesianum
• NC State Extension: Common Name Page
• Woodlanders: Jasminum beesianum

Gallery

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. A wooden rose pergola walkway with pink roses.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. Cottage garden flowers beside a house wall.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons. Red ixora flowers on a green stem. Ixora is a different shrub sometimes sold under a similar name, so check the label before buying.