How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Winter Jasmine

The first winter I spent in Tennessee, I was amazed to see yellow flowers pop up on unremarkable shrubs dotting the scrubby sides of backroads. Flowering shrubs in January? I didn’t know this was possible! After some research, I learned these colorful shrubs were winter jasmine.

While most plants come into flower in the spring, summer, or fall, winter jasmine’s bright yellow blooms appear in the dead of winter and bring color to gray and brown gardens. Although these flowers don’t emit a delightful fragrance like other jasmine species, their early bloom time makes them a valuable addition to many gardens.

This plant has a unique and versatile growth habit, with many slender, sprawling stems. You can leave it wild to grow as a creeping groundcover or train it to grow as a climbing vine or neat shrub. I’ll cover the many different ways you can grow these shrubs, as well as how to keep them healthy.

What Is It?

Winter jasmine is a flowering deciduous shrub native to temperate regions of China and Tibet. However, it’s a popular landscaping plant in much of the United States and other countries. The plants produce many slender, cane-like stems that grow wildly. 

If left unkept, they can grow as trailing vines, large weeping bushes, or sprawling groundcovers. However, you can also prune them into tidy shrubs or hedges.

While most plants bloom in the spring, summer, or fall, winter jasmine produces bright yellow flowers in the dead of winter. These flowers bring a welcome pop of color to landscapes in the dark months of January and February.

Characteristics

These shrubs are deciduous, woody perennials with many slender, arching stems. They produce lots of small yellow flowers on old wood in the late winter. These flowers have six petals and a slight funnel shape. While they’re beautiful, they aren’t as fragrant as many other jasmine varieties.

The flowers drop by the early spring, and then the stems begin leafing out. Small green leaves remain throughout the summer and fall before falling in late fall or early winter.

Winter jasmine’s sprawling stems mean they can take on various growth forms. If left untamed, they can cover the ground. The stems form roots when they touch the ground, so they often form dense mats that are useful for erosion control. You can also train them to grow up arbors and walls or prune them into neat shrubs.

Native Area

This shrub is native to parts of Tibet, and Southern and Central China, including Xizang, Sichuan, and Yunan territories. However, this species grows in many temperate regions, including the United States.

Planting

Since these plants grow as large shrubs or vines, they’re good candidates for in-ground plantings. Their versatile growth habits mean you can train them to grow up arbors or trellises or plant a line of shrubs to form a privacy hedge.

Transplanting

The best way to grow winter jasmine is to transplant young specimens. Planting in the spring or fall is ideal since the cool weather allows them to adjust to their new homes without the stress of extreme cold or heat.

When it’s time to plant, select a location with well-draining soil and at least six hours of direct light. Dig a hole a few inches wider and deeper than the plant’s root ball, and then place a few handfuls of compost or worm castings in the hole. Although you don’t have to add these amendments before planting, they’ll provide a dose of beneficial microorganisms and help them adjust to their home.

Remove the plant from its container and gently set it in the hole so the base of the stem is even with the soil line. Fill in the remaining empty space with soil and water well.

How to Grow

Winter jasmine is easy to grow as long as you stay on top of its maintenance needs. The shrubs grow well in various conditions and can be trained to climb or pruned into a neat shape.

Light

These plants thrive in full sun but can also grow well in partial shade. Just make sure they receive at least six hours of bright light each day. You can plant them in an open area, near the edge of a woodland, or along a south-facing wall.

Water

Winter jasmine requires a low to moderate amount of water. During the first year of the plant’s growth, plan to water once every one to two weeks if rain doesn’t fall. Once the plant is established, you will only need to water during periods of drought.

Soil

These plants can tolerate various soil types as long as they’re well-draining. They won’t grow well in densely packed clay or compacted soil, but they can thrive in everything from sandy loam to well-aerated clay. As far as pH goes, winter jasmine prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil.

If you have heavy clay soil at home, it helps to aerate and amend with compost before planting. Grab a digging fork and insert the tines all the way into the ground. Gently pull the handle back until the soil cracks, and then remove the tines. Repeat this process until you’ve lifted and aerated the entire planting area.

Temperature and Humidity

Winter jasmine is hardy in zones 6 through 10. That means you can grow it in most of the United States, except cold areas in New England, the Central Plains, and the Rocky Mountains.

The plants aren’t picky about humidity. They can grow well in both humid and dry conditions.

Fertilizing

These deciduous shrubs don’t require much fertilizer to remain healthy and produce a profusion of blooms. Applying a few inches of nutrient-rich compost or worm castings in the spring will give them all they need.

Avoid applying too much fertilizer since this can burn the plant’s roots. Additionally, make sure the soil pH is between 6.0 and 7.0 to allow for proper nutrient uptake.

Maintenance

Although winter jasmine shrubs are easy to grow, they require regular maintenance to keep them looking tidy. Since the many sprawling stems can quickly take over an area, pruning is essential if you want to grow these shrubs close to other plants.

Pruning

You don’t have to prune winter jasmine plants but be forewarned that these plants can quickly develop a wild, sprawling form. Pruning helps contain the plants and prevents them from taking over large swaths of your garden. It also allows you to train the plants to grow as tidy shrubs or hedges.

The best time to prune the plants is in the early spring after they’re done flowering. If you prune in the fall, you risk removing the old wood where the plants form flowers. You should always start with clean, sharp pruning shears to avoid spreading disease.

You should never remove more than one-third of the plant at once, so develop a plan before you start cutting. Begin by removing dead or spindly stems, then cut back any branches that have grown too long. If the stems have rooted into the ground, pull them up after cutting.

Training to Climb

Although winter jasmine can climb up walls or arbors, it doesn’t have tendrils that allow it to grab onto supports. That means you’ll need to train it if you want it to grow vertically. Starting when the plant is young is the best option, but you can also attempt to train mature plants.

Start by finding the main trunk and tying it to your supporting structure. Continue to tie the large stems of the plant to your fence, arbor, or wall. As the plant grows, it will learn to support itself. However, you may need to tie up branches that come off of the support.

Propagation

If you want to create new winter jasmine plants to share with friends or plant in other areas of your garden, rooting cuttings and layering are your best propagation options.

Cuttings

The best time to take cuttings is in the spring. Look for a healthy stem, then use pruning shears to cut a six to ten-inch portion. Dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone, then set the bottom inch in a container filled with well-draining potting mix.

Keep the potting mix damp but not wet for the next few weeks. You can also cover the plant with a plastic bag to help trap humidity. After a few weeks, the end of the cutting should begin forming roots. You can transplant the cutting when the roots are a few inches long.

Layering

Layering is one of the easiest ways to form new winter jasmine plants. In fact, it often occurs naturally! As the plants weeping and sprawling stems come into contact with the soil, they form roots. While these stems often lead to sprawling groundcovers, you can dig up the rooted stems and transplant them elsewhere.

This method is easy to complete at home. Find a low-growing stem and remove the leaves along a foot-long portion. Make a shallow cut with a sharp knife, and then lay the stem flat on the ground. You can weigh the stem down with rocks or bricks to encourage it to remain flat.

The stem should begin to form roots within a few months. Once the roots are a few inches long, you can dig up the rooted portion and pot it up or transplant it to a new area.

Common Problems

Fortunately, winter jasmine plants rarely suffer from serious pest or disease outbreaks. However, keep an eye out for the following issues and treat them as necessary. 

Aphids

These tiny sap-sucking pests may not look like a big deal. However, if you leave them untreated, they can explode in number and weaken your plant. Therefore, staying on top of aphids and eliminating them while their populations are still small is important.

Fortunately, natural predators like green lacewings, ladybugs, and hoverflies often keep aphid populations in check. You can encourage these natural predators by planting a diversity of flowering plants and avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides.

If you find aphid numbers are growing, you have a few treatment options. First, you can attempt to blast the pests off the plants with a heavy stream of water. If this doesn’t work, try spraying the aphids with neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Japanese Beetles

These shiny brown and green beetles love to feed on plant foliage, flowers, and fruits. Since they often appear in warmer months, winter jasmine foliage is in the most danger. A few of these beetles won’t cause much damage, but dozens or hundreds are a different story.

If you see these beetles on your plant, you can pick them off and place them in a bucket filled with soapy water. Removing the beetles each morning for a few weeks can inhibit their reproductive cycle and limit future damage.

Frequently Asked Questions