Question
QUESTION: I have 2 star jasmine plants recently purchased and now growing in two 12" containers. I live in zone 6 and plan to bring them in for the winter. 1. Can I fashion tomato cages around them for them to grow up and how do I train them up. 2. or is pruning and making them a bush better. 3. should I overwinter them in my basement, which gets some but very little light.

ANSWER: Good day, Teresa!  Star jasmine are spectacular vines, and you are certainly doing the right thing by bringing them indoors for the winter.  If you have a really sunny location (where the plant will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day), then you can try to maintain it in its vine form.  Tomato cages are ok, but there are some really tall, narrow trellises out there and these might be easier to work with, assuming you have nice large containers.  If you are overwintering the plants in your basement, though, you'll want to prune the plant back to about 2-3 feet and keep pinching back new growth to maintain the bushy shape.  Just please make sure the plant gets as much direct sunlight as possible throughout the winter. Like most tropical vines, Star jasmine goes dormant in winter, so it can dry out a bit.  Also, save the fertilizer for spring.  Hope I've been helpful!

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QUESTION: Thanks, well I do have a back-porch room that is all windows (south west and north).They would not get morning sun but would get afternoon sun whichever direction you advise. Would that be better than the basement,(nether back-porch room or basement are heated)? And if I decide to just prune them instead of tall narrow trellises would they be a bushy shape or more like a spider plant?

Answer
Yes, I think that the back porch room would be a better site than the basement, and I'd place in whichever window will get the most sun - probably south.  The heating isn't essential, as long as the plant's leaves don't actually touch the window (windows can get so cold in the depths of winter that leaves can actually get a kind of "freezer burn" if they're smack up against a cold window).  Pruning the plant will give it a nice bushy shape; make sure to prunw all the vines evenly.  Initially, I would prune back to the 5th leaf node or so and see how that works.  Good luck!