Last updated on March 20th, 2022
Our site is reader supported, this means we may earn a small commission from Amazon and other affiliates when you buy through links on our site.
There are two main types of Jasmine plants when it comes to the hardy outdoor varieties. With the Jasminum officinale being a summer flowering variety and the Jasminum nudiflorum being a winter flowering variety. The key here is to prune at the correct time of year to ensure you don’t remove the flowering growth for the following year.
When you should prune Jasmine and why
As a rough guide, Jasmine that flower in the summer should be pruned straight after flowering in late summer or early autumn. Winter flowering varieties should be pruned as soon as they finish flowering in spring. It is worth noting that both types respond well to hard pruning to 2ft if needed, however, the aim is to keep the plant in a given boundary and remove any unwanted growth such as diseased, weak or crossing branches.
Preparation before pruning
When you are ready to prune your Jasmine, take your sharpest set of pruning secateurs. They should be properly sterilised before use in a mixture of 9 parts water, and 1 part bleach or cleaned using Jeyes fluid. With this mixture, you can sterilise any tools you are using, which is something we always recommend. You would do well to wear gloves, simply for the added protection.
If you are trimming more than one plant, be sure to sterilise in between each plant so that you do not accidentally transfer an unwanted disease from a sick plant to an otherwise healthy plant.
When to prune Jasmine
When to prune summer flowering Jasmine
When you prune is contingent upon the type of Jasmine you have. If you have a summer flowering Jasmine you should prune just after flowering at the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. The reason for this is that the early flush of flowers shows up on growth from the previous year but the later flush of flowers will start to develop on the tips of the growth from the current year so you have to prune directly after flowering to give new growth the time it needs to mature fully and produce the first flush of flowers the following year.
When to prune winter flowering Jasmine
When you prune a winter Jasmine such as Jasmine nudiflorium (also known as winter jasmine), it should be done in spring, again immediately after flowering. The flowers for Winter Jasmine develop on the growth from the previous year so pruning directly after flowering allows for the amount of time the newest of growth requires to reach maturity. If you were to prune later in the year you would be removing all of the growth the flowers would be produced on in winter, which would lead to fewer flowers or worst case scenario, no flowers at all.
How to prune Jasmine
General pruning
For both types of Jasmine, you can cut back the flowered stems all the way to the strong side shoot further down. You can also thin out your Jasmine if there are any crowded branches, misplaced branches, or crossing branches that rub together. Should you notice any weak or thin stems feel free to remove them when you prune only leaving good established strong stems.
Hard pruning Jasmine
If your Jasmine has outgrown its allotted space you can expose it to hard pruning, also known as rejuvenation pruning, by cutting it back within 2ft (60cm) from the base. The new growth that springs forth from this hard pruning will be very vigorous, only keep the strongest of shoots in place and properly train them into whatever new framework you have.
Training Jasmine
Training Jasmine is done the same way you would train any other climbing plant. As it grows you take the shoots and move them to the position you want, securing them if necessary so that they remain fixed to a post, a fence, or a trellis.
