How to Care for a Night Jasmine Plant

Night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) is a stunning evergreen shrub that grows in warm, tropical climates. Night-blooming jasmine is especially favored for the greenish-yellow, tube-shaped blooms and its exquisite scent. Although night-blooming jasmine will bloom during the day, it’s after the sun goes down that the sweet fragrance becomes especially intense. Night-blooming jasmine, also known as night jasmine or lady of the night, can be planted in a container and grown as a houseplant if you live where the nighttime temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Large container with hole
• High-quality commercial potting soil
• Water-soluble fertilizer or time-release fertilizer
• Garden shears

1. Plant night-blooming jasmine in full sunlight. Although the plant will tolerate light shade, it will produce bigger blooms with plenty of sunlight. Containerized night-blooming jasmine should be planted in a large container with a hole in the bottom, filled with a high-quality commercial potting mixture.

2. Water night-blooming jasmine regularly and keep the soil moist. Don’t water so much that the soil becomes waterlogged, as night-blooming jasmine won’t do well with soggy roots. Containerized night-blooming jasmine should be watered with room-temperature water.

3. Feed night-blooming jasmine with a water-soluble fertilizer every month between spring and autumn. If you prefer, you can apply a one-time feeding of a time-release fertilizer in early spring. Apply fertilizer according to the directions on the package label.

4. Pinch the tips of night-blooming jasmine to encourage the plant to grow full and bushy. Use garden shears to prune container-grown plants as needed to maintain the desired size and shape.

Tips & Warnings

• Night-blooming jasmine can easily be propagated by taking stem cuttings. Cut a 3- to 4-inch stem from a healthy plant, and strip the leaves from the bottom half of the stem. Dip the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant the stem in a container filled with commercial potting soil. Place the container in a sunny, warm spot and keep the soil moist. The stem should root in three to four weeks.

• Wear gloves when working with night-blooming jasmine as the sap can often be irritating to the skin.