Night Blooming Jasmine | Complete Growing and Care Guide

Night Blooming Jasmine Guide

Grown for its alluring scent and fascinating blooming habits, Night blooming Jasmine, Cestrum nocturnum, is an evergreen bush closely related to nightshade. You can expect this plant to reach four to 13 feet tall! 

This is what makes it such a perfect candidate for privacy hedging or as a screening plant. With its green, shiny leaves and long stems, it is a beautiful shrub to add to your garden beds. You may be curious about Night blooming jasmine care; luckily, it isn’t difficult at all!

Night blooming jasmine isn’t an ordinary bush picked by homeowners, but gardeners love it for its beautiful fragrance. It produces a sweet yet strong scent that attracts insects such as bees, birds and butterflies.

Before flowering, you will notice little white berries will begin to form, followed by gloriously fragrant white flowers. Plant it under a window that you frequently open, so the smell drifts throughout your house on breezy days.

Other common names for this curious cultivar include: 

• Night Blooming Jessamine
• Lady of the Night
• Night Queen

Whether you’re planning on your patio, garden or even indoors, here is what you need to know to care for Night blooming Jasmine.

Growing Night Blooming Jasmine Indoors

If you live in a cooler region and still want to grow a Night blooming jasmine, growing it indoors is always a good option. However, it is important that you keep the temperature within 70 and 80 degrees.

Night blooming jasmine also needs a significant amount of sunlight in order to adequately flower, which is why it’s recommended to keep it near an East or West-facing window or on a windowsill. 

If you want to maintain the plant indoors for the long term, you are going to need a large container. It could take up to an 18 to 24-inch pot to contain the root system. For container planting, it is recommended to replace the soil each year to maintain a good nutrients level. 

The only other issue you may have is pollination, which is a good idea to take your Night blooming Jasmine outside from time to time. 

Night Blooming Jasmine Care Tips

Make Sure You Have The Right Climate

Night blooming Jasmine didn’t originate in the United States. It is, in fact, a native to the Caribbean and West Indies. As such, it prefers a consistently warmer environment.

It grows best in USDA hardiness zones eight through 11. So, If you live in an area with frost, it wouldn’t be a wise idea to plant this bush. Take note. It isn’t frost tolerant at all!

Should you live in a zone between 8 and 9, you may have an issue with frost and cold weather. However, if you keep your roots protected, your bush should be able to come back to life.

Mulching at the base of your plant is a very effective way to keep the roots moist and warm during the winter months. Nonetheless, you should avoid planting your Night blooming Jasmine anywhere where it will need to withstand consistently freezing temperatures. 

Of course, you could also grow this as an annual rather than a perennial plant or plant it in a pot to be brought inside each winter.

Providing The Correct Environment

These shrubs grow best if you plant it in a sandy soil with some peat moss. It should have a pH level of 6.5 to 7.5. Some gardeners add composted cow manure to the ground as well which add vital nutrients for growth.

This plant requires six hours of direct sunlight each day. It can also survive if it has partial shade throughout the entire day. It requires the perfect balance of light to produce blossoms. 

Night blooming jasmine needs sunlight during the day, giving it enough energy to bloom throughout the evening. However, too much sunlight causes the plant to wilt. Don’t put it in an area without any shade; it will die. 

Equally so, keeping it in a spot with too much shade may result in a lack of blooms. If you opt to grow more than one-night blooming Jasmine, you should keep them three feet apart.

This ensures they both get the proper amount of sunlight and growth space. Also, keep them around two to three feet away from your house. This bush needs plenty of space to grow and spread out as it ages.

Give It Enough Water

These plants don’t like soil that retains too much moisture. It prefers soil that has average or is well-drained. However, you do need to water it regularly throughout the week.

Avoid overwatering, and wait for the ground to begin to dry up before watering again. Too much water causes this plant’s roots to rot and mold to grow.

Don’t Forget to Feed

Regular fertilization will help to keep your Night blooming Jasmine strong, disease-resistant and will often increase the number of blooms. A high-phosphorus fertilizer will encourage blooms and growth when applied during the growing season.

Always Remember to Prune

Some people are intimidated by the idea of pruning bushes, but it is a necessary step to ensuring proper health. You will need to prune off dead or dried branches.

You want all of the water and active energy to go directly towards new growth. Maintaining its natural shape is easy, but you can also allow the plant to grow into a normal bush shape if you prefer.

Just like any nightshade, the berries on this plant are poisonous. If you have small children, it would be wise to keep it in a place they can never reach.

Otherwise, gardeners can easily learn all about Night blooming jasmine care! It is a lovely, fragrant bush to grow if you live in a warm environment.

How to Propagate Night blooming Jasmine

Forging new plants is a fairly easy process and Night blooming Jasmine actually root incredibly easy in water. You can propagate Night blooming Jasmine by means of a clipping or from seeds. 

Propagating From Clipping

Clipping can easily be taken while pruning. Simply: 

• Remove a piece of stem approximately 2-5 inches in length. 
• Either place into a glass of water or place into a compost-rich potting mix.
• Leave your cutting in a warm and sunny spot. 
• New growth should appear after a few weeks.

Propagating From Seed

Growing from seed is slightly more difficult and often unsuccessful. However, seeds are always readily available straight from the plant. Simply: 

• Leave berries on the plant until they shrivel and fall off. 
• Using gloves, remove the seeds from the berries. 
• Sow seeds into a compost-rich potting mix. 
• Keep well-watered in a warm and sunny spot until new growth appears. 

Understand How to Transplant if Necessary

There may come a time that you need to transplant your Night blooming Jasmine, so it is important to comprehend the process.

You have to gently remove the plant from the soil and spread the roots with your hand smoothly.

The pot in which you plant the propagated plant should have at least one hole so water can drain out. Use the same mixture as mentioned above, sandy soil and peat moss. Be sure to maintain the proper pH level.

Once you put the transplanted Jasmine into the new pot, water it thoroughly and use a fertilizer every other week. If you want to propagate these plants outdoors, follow the same steps!

Possible Night Jasmine Problems 

While issues with Night Jasmine is not common, unfavorable conditions can lead to stunted growth. If you’re noticing your Night blooming Jasmine is looking worse for wear, it could be due to: 

• The wrong soil mixture.
• Insufficient nutrition in the soil. 
• Excessive water or water-logged soil.

Pests shouldn’t be a major problem as Night blooming Jasmine sometimes deters insects. However, you may find an issue with unwanted caterpillars or aphids, which can cause severe damage to foliage. To curb these pests, you can either use a strong water spray or an insecticidal soap. 

Final Tips for Your Night Flowering Jasmine

• Cuttings are a quick way to get Night Flowering Jasmine growing at home, so if it’s growing somewhere in your community, why not ask your neighbor? Otherwise, this species is usually readily available at garden centers or even on Amazon. 
• Night blooming jasmine functions as a natural insect repellent, especially against mosquitoes, so consider planting it near your bedroom window. 
• Night Jasmine is mildly toxic to humans and animals, so if you have curious pets or kids, it’s best to keep it out of reach. 
• You can use Night Blooming Jasmine as a beautiful backdrop for smaller plants. Some of the best companion plants include Ruella, Panama Rose, Plumbago and Fan Palms.