Jasmine: the flower that smells like a summer night

What it means to give jasmine

Jasmine is associated with love, sensuality and purity. Its intense scent has made it the star of perfumes, teas and poems in half the world. In India and Southeast Asia brides wear it in their hair, and in the Arab world it is a symbol of hospitality.

Its name comes from the Persian yasamin, which passed into Arabic and from there into Spanish and English.

National flower in three countries

• Pakistan: common jasmine (Jasminum officinale), called chambeli.
• Philippines: the sampaguita (Jasminum sambac), made into garlands to welcome visitors.
• Indonesia: the melati putih, also Jasminum sambac, present at traditional weddings.

In Spain, the image of jasmine is the biznaga from Málaga: jasmine flowers threaded one by one onto a dried thistle, sold by biznagueros in the streets on summer nights and during the Málaga Fair.

When it blooms

In Spain, common jasmine blooms on patios and terraces from May to September, peaking in June and July. Winter jasmine, sold in pots, blooms from January to April. In the southern hemisphere, jasmine arrives in spring and summer, especially in November.

As a cut flower it is rarely seen at florists, because it lasts only a few days in a vase: it is almost always given as a plant.

When to give jasmine

• For a new home or a terrace: a pot of jasmine is a gift that perfumes the air for years.
• Weddings: in hairpieces, boutonnieres or small posies, especially at summer weddings.
• For your partner: for its meaning of love and sensuality.
• As a thank-you gift: like lavender, it is a gift people remember by its scent.

How to care for potted jasmine

1. Plenty of light: a few hours of direct sun a day outdoors; indoors, by the brightest window.
2. Moist soil, not soggy: water when the surface is dry.
3. Cool in winter: winter jasmine needs cool nights to bloom; with strong heating it drops its buds.
4. Prune after flowering so it doesn’t get tangled and blooms more the next year.

Cut jasmine lasts only 2 to 4 days in a vase. If you want its scent in a bouquet, combine it with longer-lasting flowers.

From tea to perfume

Jasmine is much more than a patio plant. Chinese jasmine tea is green tea left to rest with fresh Jasminum sambac flowers so it absorbs their aroma. And in perfumery, jasmine is one of the most expensive ingredients: it takes millions of flowers, picked by hand at dawn, to obtain a kilo of essence. Grasse, in the south of France, was for centuries the jasmine capital for perfume.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to give jasmine?

Love, sensuality and purity. In many Asian countries it is the flower of love and weddings, and in the Arab world it symbolizes hospitality.

Which countries have jasmine as their national flower?

It is the national flower of Pakistan (common jasmine), of the Philippines, where it is called sampaguita, and of Indonesia, where white jasmine or melati putih is one of its three national flowers.

What is a biznaga?

A traditional posy from Málaga, Spain, made with jasmine flowers threaded one by one onto a frame of dried thistle. Biznagueros sell them in the streets on summer nights and during the August fair.

Why does jasmine smell stronger at night?

Because many species release more scent at dusk to attract the moths that pollinate them.

Which jasmine should I give as a plant?

For indoors in winter and spring, winter jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), sold in pots full of pink buds. For outdoors and summer, common jasmine (Jasminum officinale), a very fragrant climber.