Star Jasmine, an evergreen cultivar, belongs to the Dogbane family, sold as a vine, shrub or tree, this plant exhibits shiny, dark-green foliage with white star-shaped flowers,native to Eastern & SouthEastern Asia. Prized for it's speedy-growth and fragrance, this plant is not cold-tolerant.
Acquired: Spring 2025 - Walmart - $8.00
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| Nov. 2025 |
According to the literature, the Jasmine is largely indifferent to soil mixes, as long as it is free-draining; I have grown the tree in a training pot for the past several months in an amended Cactus Mix, Perlite & All-Purpose Potting Soil, with no problems. This little tree has been so trouble-free t hat I completely forgot about it when I started documenting my collection..an oversight which I'm correcting here & now.
I don't have any "before" or "in-progress" photos to include here, as I have done nothing more than minor foliage pruning, to which he responds readily, producing new bright-green leaves..I have not seen much woody growth, other than a slight thickening of the trunk. Much like the Dragon Tree, I was surprised at the root growth when I de-potted him, for the purpose of freshening the potting mix; again I found that the roots have fanned-out well, but I did reduce them by about 25%.
Mar 10, 2026
I was greeted this morning & pleasantly surprised at seeing many (if not most) of the Star Jasmine branches with new green shoots. (see pic) I have not seen any shoots or budding since last fall, even though he is an evergreen, he has been semi-dormant.
I suspect he is getting ready to bloom in the not-too-distant-future; I have seen this specimen "in bloom" once before..shortly after I potted him last spring. Despite being something of a "pedestrian" plant, in that the Star Jasmine is not exotic or particularly interesting, this plant can be a prolific bloomer. I am looking forward to seeing him in full bloom, again.
April 2, 2026
After our "heat wave" in March, this guy is ready for summer..to heck with spring! Seriously, the warm weather capped-off with an overnight rain brought out the blooms..just opening now, but you get the idea. I have not pruned him, nor will I until he is done blooming, but he easily doubled the size of his canopy..this is the best he has ever looked. Sometimes
benign neglect is the most effective course of action.
April 10
The Jasmine is in full-bloom. Not bad for an $8.00 plant from Walmart! My first (successful) "Blooming Tree", but not to be the last. This may even encourage me enough to try (another) Azealea.
June 9, 2026
'the Star' bloomed throughout April, rested the month of May & now, in June, is starting to bloom again. I don't know if it's unusual to get 2 blooming periods from these plants, but I'm not complaining. As you can also see, the new growth needs pruning which we plan for whenever he stops blooming. And, he's due for re-potting.
June 27, 2026
June is almost over, but 'the Star' is still in full-bloom, although, I can see some of the blossoms are getting tired & droopy. I don't anticipate a 3rd bloom, but I am more than a little surprised at the vitality this little tree has shown..especially after being nearly dormant for almost a year.
Everyone talks about "the heat" out here in the Inland Empire, but the heat & low-humidity are not really a problem for this guy..the main "plant killer", for me, is the wind..a very predictable West & SW wind that blows like stink, every afternoon.
I have watched as the wind whips & gusts hit the Star Jasmine & he bends nearly in half & then springs right back afterwards, without so much as a hair out of place.
To anyone, wanting a low-maitenance, hardy, tough little tree, bush or hedges, I can recommend the Star Jasmine.
