Choisya

Choisya Overview

Choisyas are an easy plant to grow and make beautiful mounds of evergreen leaves, giving all year round structure to shrub borders. With the added benefit of scented star-shaped, white flowers in early spring, these shrubs will be at their best when grown in a slightly sheltered location, such as in a sunny courtyard. Choisya is often called Mexican orange or Mexican orange blossom. and contrary to popular belief, this is due to their flowers smelling and looking similar to orange trees rather than the aromatic citrus oil released when you crush the leaves. These low maintenance plants rarely require any pruning, but can be clipped straight after flowering to maintain a pleasing shape. Being generally disease-free and drought tolerant, these plants are a popular choice for milder locations. A member of the Rutaceae family, the Choisya genus is small, only having around five evergreen shrubs which are native to Southern North America through to Mexico. However, many different cultivars have since been bred for our enjoyment.