Mexican Orange

Any of you dear ones grow Mexican Orange bush in your yard? ez? how much light or shade does yours get?

Very easy! they will tolerate light shade but do best in part/full sun. I grow the golden variety and love its cheerful color especially in the winter. With the golden one, more sun = more gold color / less sun = chartreuse. Put it behind some red phormiums & have a great year round show. They don't require much water, can take heavy pruning but don't need it to remain tidy. I prune mine to keep it small. Lovely plant.

Well, it sounds like it is just the plant. I didn't know it had a 'golden' variety. thanks.

Are you refering to Choisya? Fragrant, small white flowers?
Herpst: "pruning to keep small" - yes this would be an exceptionally great idea. I did not prune mine & is currently 7' tall X 10' wide.
It really likes good drainage & gets about 8-9 hrs sun, so it flowers very well.
The golden variety is nice too. I have a youngster - but this one will definately get pruned!
Low maintenance plant if well - sited.

For the first time in my 30 or so years of gardening, I have an electric hedge trimmer. I thought that it would be a silly gadget that I'd never use. I was wrong. Like the leaf blower which I've now fallen in love with, this is a truly wonderful, time-saving tool that should be included with every choisya purchase.

so Herpst, you get your hedge trimmer out every year to keep your M. orange the size you want? or more often?

Do you guys know what the hardiness zone is? When I lived in Seattle I had one and loved it. I now live in Eastern Washington. Zone 5. Where did you get them? I would love to have another.

Jeanette

Edited to say: What their hardiness zone is?

This message was edited Aug 17, 2006 10:10 PM

The Western Garden Book says, Zones 6-9, 14-24 (Borderline in Zone 4,5) so I don't think it'd make it in USDA Z5 unfortunately.

I also grow Choisya 'Aztec Pearl' pictured below. Sundance is great for colour but if it's in a very exposed location it can be burned by our rare cold-dry snap. Choisya is also susceptible to spider-mites so it does need to get overhead rain.

Growin,

I love your 'Aztec Pearl'. Haven't seen it before. Beautiful!

It's a great plant to grow, nice flowers, a bit taller but more fine foliage. Easy to propagate from cuttings in sandy peat.