The illustrated growing guide

Arabian Jasmine

Jasminum sambac

Family Oleaceae

Est. zones 9-11

Botanical illustration of Arabian Jasmine
Shrub · Jasminum sambac

The actual jasmine of jasmine tea: scent your own green tea by layering fresh night-picked blooms with leaves overnight. One pot on a summer patio perfumes the whole sitting area and winters happily indoors.

ShrubFull Sun to bright lightModerate waterModerate growth

Where to buy the plant — 1 nursery

Jasmine — a print from the Tea Herbs collection

From the print shop

The closest print we make

We don’t print Jasminum sambac. The closest we have is Jasminum officinale (“Jasmine”) in the Tea Herbs collection — the same genus, Jasminum, not the same species.

16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed

Shop Tea Herbs botanical prints →

I

Overview

Will arabian jasmine suit your garden, and what goes wrong.

Will it fruit where you are?

Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what arabian jasmine actually needs.

Life cyclePerennial zones 9–11, annual elsewhere

Arabian Jasmine at a glance

Life cyclePerennial zones 9–11, annual elsewhere
Mature size2-6 ft twining shrub
PollinationMoths at night
Chill requirementNot yet established
Bloom seasonRepeating flushes, spring - fall — THE perfume
Harvest seasonPick blooms at dusk (they open at night): layer with green tea = real jasmine tea
Growth rateModerate

Common arabian jasmine problems

II

Growing

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

How to grow arabian jasmine: light, water & soil

LightFull Sun to bright light
WaterModerate, even
SoilRich, drained · pH 5.5 - 7.0
FertilizerMonthly in season
PruningAfter a flush — Pinch and shape after bloom flushes; pot-winter on a bright sill.
SpacingContainer

How to plant & propagate arabian jasmine

PropagateSeed (stratify), cuttings, or layering

III

The year

What arabian jasmine asks for, month by month.

The arabian jasmine year, month by month

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Bloom

What each band means

  • Bloomflowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.

The arabian jasmine year as text

  • Jan quiet month
  • Feb quiet month
  • Mar bloom
  • Apr bloom
  • May bloom
  • Jun quiet month
  • Jul quiet month
  • Aug quiet month
  • Sep bloom
  • Oct bloom
  • Nov bloom
  • Dec quiet month

These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.

IV

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Arabian Jasmine in the garden system

  • Shrub layer shrub
MoistureFacultative / average
DeerBrowsed — protect young plants
OriginIntroduced

What arabian jasmine is grown for

✓ Commonly eaten

UseJasmine tea scenting
UseFragrance
UsePatio pot
Edible value3/5

Harvesting & storing arabian jasmine

Pick blooms at dusk (they open at night): layer with green tea = real jasmine tea.

Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.

V

Cultivars

Named varieties of arabian jasmine, ruled as a catalogue.

Best arabian jasmine varieties & cultivars

'Maid of Orleans' (the tea standard, everbloomer); 'Grand Duke' (double)

VI

Sources & plant ID

Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.

Research basis

Sources behind this profile

No extension citations are attached to arabian jasmineyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.

Plant ID

BinomialJasminum sambac
FamilyOleaceae
TypeShrub · Tender Perennial
USDA symbolJASA
OriginIntroduced
Invasive riskLow

VII

Where to buy

Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.

Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.

Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.

VIII

Questions

Arabian Jasmine questions, answered straight.

Is arabian jasmine safe for kids and pets?

Arabian Jasmine is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.

When do you harvest arabian jasmine?

Pick blooms at dusk (they open at night): layer with green tea = real jasmine tea.

How do you propagate arabian jasmine?

Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.

IX

Elsewhere

Where arabian jasmine sits in the library.

Where arabian jasmine sits in the library

Grows in the same world