Night Blooming Jasmine

There are plants you grow for how they look, and then there are plants you grow for how they make you feel. Cestrum nocturnum — night blooming jasmine — belongs firmly in the second category. Through the warmer months it releases one of the most powerful and intoxicating fragrances in the plant world, and it does it almost entirely after dark. Unremarkable by day, transformative by night — the scent carries right across a garden and through open windows, the kind of smell that stops you in your tracks and stays with you for years.

The flowers are small and tubular, creamy white to pale greenish-yellow, produced in clusters and easily overlooked in daylight. It doesn’t matter. This plant is about the evening experience — plant it where you’ll be after sunset, near an outdoor dining area, along a path you walk at night, or beneath a bedroom window, and it will reward you every warm evening it’s in flower.

It’s a fast-growing, vigorous shrub that responds well to pruning to keep it to a manageable size and shape. Give it a warm, sunny position and reasonable moisture, and it establishes quickly.

Important — please read before ordering:

Weed potential: Cestrum nocturnum has naturalised in parts of Queensland, NSW and Victoria and has recognised weed potential in warm, humid regions. It spreads via bird-dispersed seed. Please grow it responsibly — deadhead spent flowers to prevent seeding, and do not plant it near bushland or waterways. If you are in a high-rainfall coastal region of NSW or SE Queensland, consider carefully whether this is the right plant for your situation.

Toxicity: All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans and animals, including livestock. The intense night fragrance can also cause headaches, nausea and breathing difficulties in sensitive individuals when in an enclosed space. Keep away from children and pets, do not plant near stock paddocks, and handle with gloves.

We sell this plant to informed gardeners who will grow it responsibly. If you have any questions about its suitability for your area, please contact your local DPI.