Choisya ternata
( koy - SEE - uh ter - NAH - tuh )
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.
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Choisya ternata Varietals
Choisya ternata is a species in the genus Choisya, which belongs to the family Rutaceae. Mexican Orange shrubs grow best in zones 6-9 and 14-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
Caring for and pruning Choisya ternata shrubs
These drought-tolerant shrubs prefer soil that is well-draining and slightly acidic, and can tolerate temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant in spring or fall in a sunny or partially shaded location sheltered from cool winds. At maturity, they require about an inch of water per week, and when young they should receive weekly waterings. Mulch around the bottom of the shrub to increase soil water retention. In springtime, fertilize with compost mixed into the soil around the base of the plant. Pruning is not required for these shrubs, but they can be pruned all the way back to the ground if necessary and will regrow. Deadhead to encourage a repeat bloom.
Propagation
Choisya ternata 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 ternata by Cutting
Propagating Choisya ternata by Seed
Propagating Choisya ternata by Cutting
- 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. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 ternata by Seed
- 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. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
- 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.
- 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. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
- 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
- Snails
Gallery
Videos
An overview of Choisya ternata.
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Choisya ternata, a great choice for Western gardens.
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Resources
How to Grow Choisya ternata
Choisya ternata: How to Grow and Care
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 241, Choisya ternata
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