Does Jasmine Need to Be Pruned?

Pruning Tips

• Always use sharp pruning shears to make clean cuts, and sterilize any tools used to remove diseased sections before using again to prevent spreading the problem. Trim any dead, frail or diseased vines back to the healthy part of the vine, and prune off crossing or intrusive vines back to the main stem or just beneath the point of interference. Severe pruning for renovating any overgrown plant requires cutting the jasmine plant down to 2 feet.

Pruning Summer Jasmine

• Prune summer jasmine, such as the common white or poet's jasmine, showy jasmine and star jasmine, at the end of summer or beginning of fall, shortly after flowering. These jasmine plants produce flowers on last year's growth, but some will bloom again later in the season on the tips of new shoots. These jasmines grow as spreading shrubs, flowering groundcovers or trained-on supports.

Pruning Winter Jasmine

• Jasmine plants that bloom either during winter or in early spring include winter jasmine and Carolina Jessamine. Prune them during spring following the flowering period. Winter jasmine produces blossoms on last year's growth. Gardeners grow winter jasmine unsupported as deciduous bushes, on walls or trellises and as an unscented flowering groundcover. Grow Carolina jessamine in containers, on supports and as a scented groundcover.

Pruning Jasmine Groundcover

• Most jasmine plants work well as groundcovers with their spreading growth pattern, but the Asian star jasmine is a quick-growing and tough plant that often grows as a groundcover. No matter what type of jasmine you grow as groundcover, they all benefit from trimming off upright growing stems and a severe pruning every two to three years. Use a rotary lawn mower, or hand-cut jasmine groundcover plants back 4 to 6 inches.