Choisya

( koy - SEE - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

Also called Mexican Orange or Mexican Orange Blossom, this fragrant bush grows to 6-8 feet tall and wide. Rich green leaves give the shrub a voluptuous look, and white flowers mimic orange flowers, blooming in late winter or early spring and continuing for about two months. Blooms will also pop sporadically throughout the summer months. Foliage, when crushed, smells like basil. This shrub can be used as an informal hedge or screening plant, and is sometimes called 'mock orange', given its similarity in blooms and fragrance. Although ingestion of plant parts can cause mild stomach upset, serious health risks are rare, and these plants are generally considered safe.

Choisya Species and Varietals

The genus Choisya, belongs to the plant family Rutaceae, and includes five species, only one of which (Choisya ternata) is commonly cultivated in home gardens. Mexican Orange shrubs grow best in USDA hardiness zones 7-10 or Sunset growing zones 6-9 and 14-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange, Mexican Orange Blossom, Mexican Mock Orange, Mock Orange)
This species is native to the southwestern United States (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) and most of Mexico. It forms an evergreen shrub with fragrant white flowers. Leaves have an orange scent when crushed or damaged. They can grow to reach a mature size of 4-8 feet tall and just as wide. 
'Sundance'
This shrub has yellow leaves when it is immature, and gradually turn green. To 5-6 feet tall and wide.
'Aztec Pearl'
This species is more compact (3-5 feet), with narrow leaves and white flowers that open from pink buds in spring.
'White Dazzler'
With cream to white flowers on a well-shaped shrub. To 3-5 feet tall and wide.

Caring for Choisya

Ingestion of plant parts can cause mild stomach upset; serious health risks are rare, and these plants are generally considered safe. Take care when planting in a space where children and pets frequent. Plant Choisya shrubs in a space in the landscape that receives full sun to partial shade; ideally, they appreciate between 6 and 8 hours of sun each day for the best blooms and overall growth rate. When grown in warmer climates, they appreciate some afternoon shade when temperatures are at their peak. Provide plants with shelter from cool, drying winds, especially when they are young. Ensure that soil is well-draining, rich in nutrients, and has a pH of between 6.0 and 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral). If local soils are particularly poor in nutrients or do not drain well, make sure to amend the planting area with plenty of organic compost before installing. Apply a layer of mulch around the planting area to suppress weed growth, maintain consistent soil temperatures, and to increase soil moisture retention. Water new plantings regularly as they establish a strong root system in their new home. At maturity, these shrubs are drought-tolerant, able to get by for much of the year on rainwater alone with supplemental irrigation during extended periods of drought. Take care to not overwater.

Fertilize yearly in early springtime with an application of 2 inches of compost around the base of plants. Pull mulch back before applying, work the compost gently into the soil a bit, water it in, and then replace mulch. Pruning is not required for these shrubs, but they can be taken all the way down to the ground if necessary and will regrow if a rejuvenation pruning is needed. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage a repeat bloom. These shrubs are considered long-lived perennials in the landscape, and will last for an average of between 10 and 15 years before needing to be replaced if cared for properly.

Propagation

Choisya can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Choisya by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. A good substrate for propagation of cuttings is a light blend of 1/3 pasteurized soil or compost, 1/3 sand, vermiculite or perlite, and 1/3 coconut coir or peat moss.
  2. In mid- to late summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth on your propagated Mexican Orange, you'll know you have roots. 
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Choisya by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the Mexican Orange Plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. The best potting medium for seed germination is a light blend of 1/3 pasteurized soil or compost, 1/3 sand, vermiculite or perlite, and 1/3 coconut coir or peat moss.
  2. Harvest your seeds. The fruit left behind after flowers have faded will dry and shrivel on the shrub, and then can be harvested. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to dry up even more and split open to release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them without losing them. The seeds of a Mexican Orange Plant are relatively tiny, so make sure you keep track of them.
  3. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well.
  4. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.

Problems and Pests

Mexican Orange Plant is rarely bothered by pests or disease, though they can be somewhat bothered by:
  • Slugs and Snails
  • Spider Mites
  • Scale Insects
  • Root Rot
​For more information on how to prevent and eradicate these issues, consult the links below:
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Gallery

The blooms on a Mexican Orange Plant mimic the scent of Orange blossoms.
Use Mexican Orange as foundation plantings; their foliage and flowers will provide year-round interest and coverage.
A lawnside bed featuring a very healthy Mexican Orange Plant.

Videos

An overview of Choisya ternata.
Choisya ternata is a great choice for Western gardens.

Resources

How to Grow Choisya ternata
How to Grow and Care for Mexican Orange Plant
Wikipedia: Choisya ternata
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 241, Choisya ternata