Christina Byron, via email

My star jasmine has stopped flowering in the last couple of years. My husband has been pruning it into a neat hedge. It looks great, but I miss the flowers and the aroma of their sweet smell on a hot summer’s night. The plant keeps bearing new growth of leaves only. Our neighbours’ star jasmine has been flowering profusely each year, although it has never been pruned. Please tell me what I am doing wrong.

DERYN THORPE SAYS I think you have already realised that the continual pruning of your jasmine is preventing it from flowering. The best time to prune a star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is right after flowering, which usually occurs from mid-spring though to summer. Prune in early autumn to tidy up the plant and stimulate new growth so you get lots of those beautiful perfumed flowers in the following spring and summer.