Mexican orange blossom
Choisya ternata · Rutaceae
A rounded, evergreen shrub with glossy, three-part leaves that smell of citrus when crushed, and clusters of white, orange-scented flowers in spring and often again in autumn.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Mexican orange blossom
The planner designed this bed around Mexican orange blossom when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 722 that suit those conditions, and says below why Mexican orange blossom stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Mexican orange blossom × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 7, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 14, blue
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 3, purple
- 6 Swamp milkweed × 3, pink
- 7 Chives × 13, purple
- 8 Easter lily × 3, white
- 9 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From early May to late May.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 10 of the 10 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from mid July. A cool scheme: pink, blue, purple, white and cream.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Mexican orange blossom goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A handsome, easy evergreen for mild gardens, with a naturally neat shape that needs no clipping. Shelter it from cold wind.
- Evergreen structure in a mild garden
- Scent
- Foundation planting
What to plant with Mexican orange blossom
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rosemary: spires rising out of its mound.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for two weeks, from early May; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Lilyturf: carries the spot on into mid September; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about Mexican orange blossom
Does Mexican orange blossom need sun or shade?
Mexican orange blossom grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Mexican orange blossom grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Mexican orange blossom flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Mid April to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 9 | Early April to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Mexican orange blossom be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Mexican orange blossom plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Mexican orange blossom poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat Mexican orange blossom?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after Mexican orange blossom?
Mexican orange blossom is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bigleaf hydrangea: from late June to late August, 5 ft tall.
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall.
- Foxglove: from early June to mid July, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does Mexican orange blossom look like in winter?
Mexican orange blossom keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is Mexican orange blossom good for bees and butterflies?
Mexican orange blossom is visited by bees and butterflies.
It is native to the United States.
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; dense clusters; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Comes from
- Southwestern US and Mexico
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Rabbits, drought, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.