Jui is a true jasmine from the olive family, Oleaceae, found wild in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and grown in Indian courtyards for centuries. In Bengal it is jui or juthika, in Hindi-speaking homes juhi, in Tamil Nadu mullai, and in Karnataka sooji mallige, the "needle jasmine", named for its slim buds. The botanical name auriculatum means "with ears", a nod to the tiny ear-like leaflets that often sit at the base of each leaf.
It grows as a slender, twining climber. Thin green stems carry small, soft, oval leaves in pairs, fresh green and slightly downy. Left alone, the stems reach for anything nearby: a window grille, a bamboo stake, a railing or a pergola post. Clusters of long, needle-like buds form at the stem tips and open into flowers about 1.5–2 cm across, each with five to eight narrow petals spread like a star. The blooms are pure white, dainty and far more numerous than their size suggests; a well-fed vine can carry dozens of clusters at once.
The fragrance is lighter and sweeter than mogra, fresh rather than heady, and strongest in the evening. That is why the flowers are picked at sunset, threaded into garlands and hair strings, floated in a bowl of water or offered at puja. Its scent is also distilled into traditional juhi attar.
How is it different from mogra and kunda? Mogra (Jasminum sambac) is a bushy shrub with larger, waxy, often double flowers and a much stronger perfume that peaks in summer. Kunda (Jasminum multiflorum) flowers mainly in the cool months and has fuzzy leaves and buds. Jui is the climber of the three, with the smallest, most delicate blooms, and it is at its best when the rains arrive.
What it is not: a houseplant. Kept in a dim room it grows thin and stops flowering, and it does not purify indoor air in any meaningful way. Buy it for scent, flowers and a green screen, and give it light.
Where should you grow a Juhi plant?
Sun and something to climb decide how well it does. A south- or east-facing balcony with a grille, an open terrace, a boundary wall, the pillars of a porch or a garden arch all suit it. Put it where you sit in the evening or near a window you open after sunset, so the scent drifts indoors.
On a narrow railing it becomes one of the most rewarding creeper plants for balcony screens, softening bare iron within a season. Where a flat has little floor space, it earns a spot among the best plants for apartment balcony corners because it grows up rather than out. On a rooftop, train it over a pergola or along a wire alongside other terrace garden plants, ideally with a little shelter from the harshest afternoon glare.
In a ground bed by the gate it grows faster and larger, and it sits naturally among outdoor plants for Indian gardens that are planted once and enjoyed for years. For anyone planning a scented corner, it pairs well with the other fragrant flowering plants for home gardens that open in the evening.
Product Specifications
- Plant name: Jasmine (Jui / Juhi) Plant
- Botanical name: Jasminum auriculatum
- Also known as: Jui, Juthika, Juhi, Mullai, Sooji mallige, needle-flower jasmine
- Plant family: Oleaceae (olive family)
- Origin: India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
- Plant type: Evergreen climbing shrub (twining climber)
- Foliage: Small, soft, oval leaves in pairs, fresh green and slightly downy; often with tiny ear-like leaflets at the base
- Flowers: Small, white, star-shaped, about 1.5–2 cm across, in clusters at the stem tips; slim, needle-like buds
- Fragrance: Sweet and light, strongest in the evening
- Flowering season in India: Roughly May to October, heaviest in the monsoon
- Growth habit: Twining; climbs a trellis, grille or pergola, or trails without support
- Growth rate: Moderate to fast in warm, wet weather; slow in winter
- Suitable placement: Sunny balcony with a grille or trellis, terrace, pergola, boundary wall, porch or garden bed; outdoors
- Light requirement: Direct sun, four to six hours; tolerates light afternoon shade
- Water requirement: Moderate; water when the top inch dries, less in winter and during the rains
- Soil requirement: Fertile, free-draining loam with compost and cocopeat or sand
- Temperature: Roughly 20–35 °C; slows and sheds some leaves below about 10 °C
- Fertiliser: Monthly compost February to September; potash-rich feed while budding
- Pruning: After flowering or in late winter; pinch tips in spring
- Difficulty level: Easy, given sun and support
- Suitable environment: Warm, humid and sunny; well suited to Bengal and most of the Indian plains
- Attracts: Moths, bees and other pollinators
- Pet and child safety: ASPCA lists Jasminum species as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses
- Propagation: Semi-hardwood cuttings or layering, best in spring and the monsoon
How do you care for Jui jasmine in a pot?
- Aim for four to six hours of direct sun a day. Morning sun is ideal. With less than about three hours it stays leafy and sets few buds.
- Water when the top inch of mix is dry. In peak summer a pot may need water daily; in winter every four to five days is enough; in the monsoon, water only after the pot has dried. Never leave it standing in a saucer of water.
- A loose, fertile, free-draining mix: two parts garden soil, one part compost or vermicompost and one part cocopeat or coarse sand. Heavy clay stays wet and rots the roots.
- Pot and support. Start in a 10–12 inch pot with a drainage hole and move to 14 inches as it grows. Add a trellis, obelisk or string to a grille at planting time, and tie young shoots loosely until they start to twine.
- Mix in a handful of compost or vermicompost once a month from February to September. From April, as buds begin to form, give a potash-rich feed every two to three weeks. Too much nitrogen means lush leaves and few flowers.
- Flowers form on new shoots. After the main flowering ends in autumn, or in late winter, cut back tangled and weak stems and shorten the rest by about a third. Pinch soft tips in spring for more branching.
- Every two years in early spring, one pot size up, with fresh compost.
- Happiest at roughly 20–35 °C. It grows slowly and may drop a few leaves when nights fall below about 10 °C.
When does Jui flower? Growing it through the Bengal year
The plant is forgiving; the seasons set its rhythm. These notes come from raising jasmine grown at our Kolkata nursery.
Winter, December to January. Growth slows and a few leaves may yellow and drop. Water sparingly and skip feeding.
Late winter and spring, February to April. Prune, refresh the top of the pot with compost and increase watering as the days warm. Fresh shoots appear quickly and start twining up the support.
Early summer, May to June. The first buds form. Keep the pot watered through the heat and begin the potash feed. Flowering often starts before the rains in a sunny spot.
Monsoon, July to September. Peak season. This is when the vine is at its most generous, and it ranks among the loveliest flowers that bloom in the monsoon. Make sure water drains away after every downpour, empty saucers and pick off spotted leaves to keep fungal trouble down.
Autumn, October to November. Flowering tapers off. Trim lightly, reduce feeding and let the vine settle for winter.
Why is my Juhi plant not flowering? Common problems and fixes
- Healthy leaves, no buds. Usually too little sun, too much nitrogen or no pruning. Move it to brighter light, switch to a potash-rich feed and prune after the season ends.
- Buds turning brown or falling. Often the jasmine bud worm, a small caterpillar that bores into buds. Remove damaged buds and spray neem oil weekly while the plant is budding. Letting the pot dry out hard in hot weather also causes bud drop.
- Leaves webbed together. The jasmine leaf webber. Pull off and destroy the webbed tips, then follow with neem oil.
- Yellowing all over. Overwatering or poor drainage, common in the rains. Check the drainage hole and let the mix dry a little between waterings.
- Yellow leaves with green veins. Iron shortage, often from alkaline soil or hard water. Add compost and give a micronutrient or chelated iron feed.
- White fluff or sticky shoots. Mealybugs or aphids. Wipe or wash them off and spray neem oil weekly for three weeks.
- Leggy stems with bare lower growth. Normal for an unpruned climber. Cut a few old stems low in late winter to force new growth from the base.
Is Jui safe for pets and children?
Yes, as far as current evidence goes. The ASPCA lists jasmine (Jasminum species) as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. That listing covers the genus rather than this species by name, but no toxic compounds are known in this species. A pet that chews a lot of leaves may still get a mild stomach upset, and neem or fertiliser on the foliage is best kept away from curious mouths.
Take care with look-alikes. Several plants sold as "jasmine" are not true jasmines: raat ki rani or night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) and yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) are considered toxic, and star jasmine belongs to a different family. The safety note applies only to true Jasminum.
Companions for a scented climber corner
For flowers across more of the year, pair this climber with a bushy Arabian jasmine (mogra), which peaks in the summer heat before jui takes over in the rains. Add a night-scented parijat nearby, and its orange-tubed flowers carry the fragrance on into the autumn nights once the jasmine slows.
Bring home the scent of the rains
Order a Jui plant now and it has time to settle and climb before its next flowering season. Every plant is raised and packed at our own nursery.
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