PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Rutaceae FAMILY

Choisya ternata

Choisya ternata

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthMedium

Requires an open sunny but sheltered position[1]. Plants can be damaged by cold winds[2]. Plants grow equally well whether in full sun or in deep shade[3]. They succeed in most soils[3], but prefer a rather light loam[4, 1]. They require a well-drained soil, tolerating drought once established and atmospheric pollution[5]. A very ornamental plant[4], it usually survives very severe winters in Britain but can be damaged in spells of lesser cold, especially in the New Year[1]. Plants are normally undamaged at temperatures around -10°c but can be defoliated at -15°c[5]. Whole branches have a habit of dying for no apparent reason[6]. The Mexican orange flower is moderately fast growing when young, but it soon slows down with age[3]. The plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut right back to the ground if required[3]. Pruning is generally unnecessary for this species, apart from cutting out frost-damaged wood[2]. Some named forms have been selected for their ornamental value[7]. The flowers appear mainly in late spring[7, 2], but plants can produce a few flowers in the autumn[7]. They often also flower intermittently all through the summer[2]. The flowers are borne at the shoot tips[2]. The crushed foliage has a pungent aromatic scent of oranges[3, 8] and the flowers are sweetly fragrant with the powerful aroma of orange blossom[2, 8]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[9].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[9]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 6 - 8cm long, early July in gentle heat in individual pots in a frame[1, 10]. High percentage[10]. Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, August in a frame. Good percentage. Plant out in spring[10]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Choisya+ternata>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  2. [2]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
  3. [3]Climbers and Wall Shrubs. — Davis. B. · Viking. · 1990 · ISBN 0-670-82929-3 ↩︎Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.
  4. [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  5. [5]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  6. [6]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  7. [7]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  8. [8]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  9. [9]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  10. [10]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  11. [11]Herbs — Phillips. R. & Foy. N. · Pan Books Ltd. London. · 1990 · ISBN 0-330-30725-8 ↩︎Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
  12. [12]Hedges and Screens. — Shepherd. F.W. · Royal Horticultural Society. · 1974 · ISBN 0900629649 ↩︎A small but informative booklet giving details of all the hedging plants being grown in the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley in Surrey.