from what little I find by googling
best time to prune is fall.

helping a friend out in their yard with
a large jasmine tree. theirs ironically
enough came from a baby from my tree.
my tree died after an unusally cold
winter.

theirs is very overgrown, as winters have
not been cold enought the last two years
to put it into dormant state.
I'd like to shape it up & scale it
back, but don't want to do damage.

any help, advice or links would be appreciated.
I'll try to get a pic tomorrow to post.

thanks!

So....hard to know when to prune this one. The rule of thumb is to prune after flowering so you are not removing the flower buds that are forming. So I would recommend you prune after the *major* bloom period, since it seems there are several bloom times. If this one usually blooms late summer/fall you are probably safe to prune now. I love, love, love to prune but I do so thoughtfully and carefully not just whacking the plant. You can *thin out* the tree anytime, which is to remove overcrowded branches, branches that cross, and branches that don't contribute to the overall look and form of the tree. Thinning cuts are cut back to a main trunk or branch. Then there are heading back cuts which are to decrease the height of the tree or to stimulate growth. These are sort of a haircut. But remmeber whereever you cut with a heading back cut it will stimulate growth so cut back shorter than you want the ultimate height to be. I wish I could have your job of pruning that tree; that is my ultimate fun thing to do!
Laurie, originally from N.O.

different sites have different information.
often conflicting info!
I'm a cautious pruner, stopping often to
see what will shape the tree.

with my tree, having lots of room...I just
pruned crossing branches & shaped the tree.
this tree however is in a yard gone wild...

so cutting larger branches back to the ground &
defining main 'trunk' won't harm the tree?
it is planted too close to their house,
and actually has branches under the overhang.
these are the ones I need to eliminate.

I guess that is my main question about this tree.
Can I cut back what needs to go (under overhang of house)
& shape the tree without killing it???

I'll check back later for your much needed advice.
I won't tackle this one until I hear from you.

pruning trees is something I've learned to do
in the past 5 years. back when I lived in N.O.
all my plants were in pots. I had to use a dolly
to move the larger pots inside after summer was over.
my pride & joy was a 14' schefflera in the room
below the loft bedroom.

now living in bugtussle La. I have 2 acres to plant.
it is heavenly!!

this yard, has been overtaken by mexican petunia.
the plant from he!!. untended for 3+ years.
I'm digging up the petunia & then digging out roots.
15 hours so far, and 1/3 of the way done.

there is a desert willow...huge aguave, huge
rosemary, texas sage, wiegela...etc all huge
in a postage stamp sized yard.

my BIL (kinda) has a methodical mind, and bad
allergies, his wife...just plants what she likes
& expects it to take care of itself. no matter
that the plants exceed size of yard..come on...25'
height by 20' wide...
now she wants a wildflower garden because as she
says ....it doesn't require any work.
I keep telling her...5 years into it you won't have
to work it..but the first 3 years it is work.

so that's my vent. I try to be a responsible gardner,
and am dealing with an unresponsible person!

thanks for #1 knowing the tree #2 the advice
last but not least #3 allowing me to pick your
brain!

after today it will be mid week next week befor I am
back in that yard.

Thanks!