Shrub
How to grow choisya (Mexican orange blossom)
Choisya ternata / C. × dewitteana 'Aztec Pearl'
Choisya is an evergreen shrub for a sheltered spot in sun or light shade, in any fertile soil that does not lie wet in winter. Plant pot-grown shrubs in April to May or in September. Shelter from cold east and north winds matters more than anything else, because wind scorch and wet roots cause most of the yellow, tatty plants. Prune straight after the spring flowers and you will usually get a second flush in late summer.
- Hardiness
- Frost-hardy; shelter from cold winds
- Position
- Full sun to light shade, sheltered
- Soil
- Fertile, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Low to moderate
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting
WhenPlant Apr to May or Sep; flowers Apr to May (often again in Aug to Sep)
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock Apr to May or Sep so it roots before hard frosts; it is never sold bare-root. Propagate by 8 to 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings in Aug to Sep in gritty compost at 15 to 18°C under a lid, rooting in 8 to 10 weeks; 'Sundance' roots less readily than the green form.
Spacing and planting
C. ternata reaches 2 to 2.5 m by 2.5 m; 'Aztec Pearl' 2 m by 2 m; 'Sundance' and 'White Dazzler' 1 to 1.5 m. Plant 1.5 to 2 m apart, 1 m from a wall, in a hole twice the rootball width at pot depth with grit on heavy clay. 'Sundance' and 'White Dazzler' are good in a 45 cm pot of loam-based compost.
Varieties worth growing
- C. ternata
- The original: glossy dark green, the strongest scent, 2 to 2.5 m, and the toughest and quickest to recover from a hard winter.
- C. ternata 'Sundance'
- Bright yellow young foliage that lights up a dull corner; smaller, flowers less, and needs light midday shade to avoid scorch.
- C. × dewitteana 'Aztec Pearl'
- Narrow, finger-like leaflets and pink-flushed buds; a lighter, more elegant shrub that flowers very freely.
- C. × dewitteana 'White Dazzler'
- Compact at 1 to 1.5 m and covered in flower in spring and again in autumn; the best choice for a pot or a small garden.
- C. × dewitteana 'Aztec Gold'
- Golden form of 'Aztec Pearl' with slender leaves, holding its colour better in sun than 'Sundance'.
Month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. Shake heavy snow off the branches.
- February
Nothing to do. Leave any frost-damaged growth on as protection.
- March
Light feed and a 5 cm compost mulch over moist soil.
- April
Plant. Flowering begins. Water new plants weekly in dry weather.
- May
Main flowering. Plant. Cut out frost-scorched shoots once the risk of hard frost is over.
- June
Prune as the flowers fade, cutting flowered shoots back by 25 to 30 cm. Renovate old plants now if needed.
- July
Water in dry spells, especially plants in their first two summers.
- August
Second flush of flowers on pruned plants. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
- September
Plant. Last cuttings. Check for snails after rain.
- October
Nothing to do. No pruning or feeding from now on.
- November
Put a screen of fleece or netting on the windward side of young plants in exposed gardens.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding
A light feeder. One half-rate balanced feed and a mulch in March keeps the leaves dark and glossy; on good soil the mulch alone is enough.
Low, a light spring feed.
Feeding plan
Planting
5 g per litre of root ball, dusted onto the roots: 15 g for a 3 litre pot, 25 g for a 5 litre pot. Once only.
March, plants in the ground
50 g/m², half the label rate, once: about 150 g scattered under a shrub 2 m across (roughly 3 m²) and watered in. Skip it on fertile soil.
March
Garden compost
A 5 cm mulch out to the edge of the branches, kept clear of the stems.
Potting, compact varieties
5 g per litre of compost: 150 g mixed through a 45 cm pot holding about 30 litres.
March and June, pots
2 g per litre on the surface, watered in: 60 g for a 45 cm pot each time.
May, after frost or wind damage
1 g per litre of water, one 10 litre can a week for 2 to 3 weeks after cutting out the damage.
Signs to watch
'Sundance' turning pale cream and scorched rather than gold
Full sun on a dry root plus hunger
Light shade at midday, mulch and a balanced feed in Mar
Yellow leaves with green veins on thin chalk
Iron locked out
Chelated iron and a compost mulch
Older leaves yellow between the veins in Aug
Magnesium short
Epsom salts drench at 20 g per litre
Pests, diseases and problems
Leaves with large holes, and bark stripped from young stems, which then die back
Snails, which climb into the bush and feed on leaves and bark
Go through the plant after dark or after rain and pick them out, and clear ivy and debris from the base where they shelter by day. Cut off the girdled shoots.
Leaves bleached, brown-edged or blackened on the windward side after winter
Frost and cold wind scorch
Leave the damage in place until May, then cut back to healthy leaves. Move or screen plants that catch the east wind every year.
Leaves dull and yellow, growth stops, the plant slowly dies back from the tips
Root rot in heavy, waterlogged soil
Lift a young plant and replant on a mound with grit worked in; an old plant is better replaced in a drier spot.
Branches snapped or the bush splayed open in the middle
Brittle wood under the weight of snow
Shake snow off before it freezes on. Cut broken branches back to a side shoot in spring; new growth fills the gap within two seasons.
Few flowers and long, thin shoots reaching outward
Too much shade, or pruning in late summer or winter that removed the flowering wood
Prune only in May to June after flowering, and thin overhanging branches to let light in.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Flowers on the previous year's growth, so prune straight after the spring flowers in May to Jun, cutting flowered shoots back by 25 to 30 cm to a leaf pair to keep it rounded and to prompt the second flush in Aug to Sep. Cut out frost-damaged or wind-scorched shoots in May, not in winter. Old, leggy plants renovate to 30 cm in May and regrow fully in 2 years. Shelter from cold east winds; no staking needed
Good to knowScented white flowers and aromatic evergreen leaves; shelter from cold winds.
Growing in pots
'White Dazzler', 'Sundance' and 'Aztec Gold' grow well for years in a 45 cm pot of loam-based compost with a fifth grit; the plain green species gets too big. Stand the pot against a house wall out of the wind and raise it on feet over winter, because wet, cold compost does more harm than frost. Water when the top 5 cm is dry, which means two or three times a week in summer. Scrape off and replace the top 5 cm of compost each March and repot every 3 to 4 years.
Common questions
When should I prune choisya?
Prune in late May or June, straight after the spring flowers finish. Cut the flowered shoots back by 25 to 30 cm to a pair of leaves, which keeps the bush dense and encourages a second flush in August and September. Do not prune in autumn or winter.
Why are my choisya leaves turning yellow?
The common causes are cold wind, waterlogged roots and, on 'Sundance', too much sun on dry soil, with hunger a distant fourth. Check drainage and shelter first. If the site is sound, a half-rate balanced feed and a mulch in March will green it up by midsummer.
Will choisya grow in shade?
Yes, it grows well in light or part shade, though it flowers less the darker it gets. In deep shade it turns leggy and sparse. 'Sundance' goes lime green in shade and scorches in full sun, so give it bright light without midday sun.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.