What to Do With Star Jasmine in June for Months of Blooms and a Garden That Smells Incredible
A few simple jobs this month will reward you with healthier growth, stronger vines, and a summer filled with beautifully fragrant flowers
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is one of my favorite evergreen climbers. It looks beautiful all year thanks to its glossy green foliage, but by early summer it really comes into its own, producing masses of delicate, pinwheel-shaped white flowers with an unmistakably sweet fragrance. If you're looking to grow and care for star jasmine for year-round interest, June is when you'll really start to reap the rewards.
It's also one of the most important months for keeping the plant healthy. A few simple jobs now will encourage stronger growth, extend the flowering season, and help it cope if temperatures climb later in the summer. Whether you're training it over a pergola, up a sunny wall, or growing it in a large container to make your patio smell nice, these are the June tasks I'd never skip.
1. Water Deeply During Dry Spells
Keeping star jasmine consistently watered is one of the best ways to encourage healthy growth and a long flowering season, especially during hot, dry spells.
I like using the Flexi Hose Expandable Garden Hose from Amazon because it's lightweight, doesn't kink, and stretches as you water before shrinking back down for easy storage. It makes deep watering around climbers, borders, and containers much less of a chore, particularly if you're watering regularly throughout summer.
2. Feed to Support Flowering
If you want to fertilize jasmine for the best possible display, June is the time to do it. Feeding every couple of weeks during peak flowering gives star jasmine the extra energy it needs to keep producing buds and blooming for longer. Once flowers begin to appear, I like to use a fertilizer that's slightly higher in potash, as this encourages more blooms rather than excess leafy growth.
For an easy boost, Miracle-Gro 1-Pound Water Soluble Bloom Booster Flower Food is a great option to maximize blooms. At the same time, Perfect Plants Liquid Jasmine Fertilizer from Amazon is specially formulated to support healthy foliage, vigorous growth, and abundant blooms throughout the growing season. Just avoid overfeeding with nitrogen-rich fertilizers, which can encourage lush leaves at the expense of flowers.
3. Tie In New Shoots
Star jasmine grows surprisingly quickly once temperatures rise, so June is the moment to stay on top of new growth. Any fresh stems should be gently guided and secured to their support while they’re still soft and flexible – left unchecked, they can easily tangle or drift away from the structure you’re trying to cover.
For this, I like using VELCRO Brand Adjustable Plant Ties because they’re soft, reusable, and won’t damage delicate stems as they thicken. For trickier sections or longer runs, Green Garden Wire from Amazon is also a handy option, offering more flexibility when shaping and training growth. Keeping stems evenly spaced not only prevents congestion, but also encourages fuller coverage over walls, fences, and pergolas for a more balanced, established look over time.
4. Remove Finished Flowers
As the earliest blooms begin to fade, it’s worth lightly pruning star jasmine to keep things looking neat and encourage continued flowering. Deadheading isn’t essential for star jasmine, but removing spent blooms where you can helps tidy the plant and can support a longer, more consistent display of fresh flowers through the season.
For quick, precise snips, Fiskars 6" Pruning Scissors for Flower Stems are ideal, especially for reaching into dense growth without damaging nearby stems. A little regular attention goes a long way in keeping the plant looking its best.
5. Watch for Pests
Although star jasmine is generally low-maintenance, it’s worth keeping an eye out for summer pests as temperatures rise. Aphids and scale insects can occasionally appear during warm weather, especially on soft new growth.
Check young shoots and the undersides of leaves every week or so, particularly on plants growing against warm, sheltered walls where infestations tend to build up more quickly. Catching problems early makes them much easier to manage and helps prevent them from spreading further into the plant.
For a simple, effective treatment option, Natria Neem Oil Spray from Amazon can be used to help control common pests while supporting healthier, more resilient growth.
Star jasmine has a reputation for being wonderfully easy to grow, and that’s certainly been my experience. It’s one of my favorite plants to grow, partly for how little it asks for, but mostly for how much it gives back in return. It also grows beautifully in containers, so if you want to grow star jasmine in pots, it’s just as happy in a large planter as it is in the ground.
There’s something deeply nostalgic about it for me – the first time I grew it, I remember stepping outside in the evening and being completely taken by its scent. Now, every time it blooms, it instantly brings that feeling back. It also does something no other plant quite manages in the same way: it makes my patio smell incredible, especially on warm nights when the fragrance really carries.
Keep it well watered, especially during dry spells, and feed it regularly to support steady growth and flowering. Take a little time to guide those fast-growing stems where you want them to go, and you’ll quickly see a fuller, better-structured plant taking shape.
Handled this way, star jasmine rewards you with glossy evergreen foliage and weeks of beautifully scented flowers that turn even a simple patio into a space you want to linger in a little longer.
