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Hello! Should I prune my star jasmine in its first year?

#1 · 8th August 2022, 3:14 pm

Hi all, I've *finally* been able to buy a house and have my own garden! We're starting from scratch in a new build and aiming to create a wildlife haven - I've got a bit of experience with gardening (and a very green-fingered mum and in-laws...) but plenty of questions.

We've been here a few months and one of the first things we did was plant a star jasmine in a large pot to go up a trellis on the side of the house. It's clearly very happy as it's absolutely gunning it, having put on about 2ft of growth since mid-May. My question is: should I prune it in its first year? if so when, and how/how much? There are a few very long shoots coming up the top, and it's thickening out at the base but not too congested so far.

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#2 · 11th August 2022, 9:57 am

Hi Pondlife,

Welcome to the Garden Ninja community and it's fantastic to hear you're setting off to create a wildlife haven in the garden.

The quick answer with evergreen Star Jasmin (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is to only prune it when bits get in the way or get damaged. It's one of the easiest plants to grow in full sun.

So leave it alone and enjoy.

I would recommend a liquid feed once or twice during the summer given its in a pot but other than that it looks fab!

Happy growing.

Lee