There Aren’t A Huge Number Of Choisya Varieties, But These 9 Are Reliable Options
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
IN THIS GUIDE
Choisya are popular evergreen shrubs grown in many UK gardens.
If you are looking for a choisya to grow in your garden, then size is likely to be one of the main deciding factors.
Some choisyas will grow much larger than others, and smaller cultivars are best for small gardens or for container cultivation.
You might also wish to look for an option which reliably blooms in autumn, as well as in the spring, and might also think about the colour of the foliage, the growth habit of the particular cultivar, and some other details and characteristics.
There are not a huge number of different choisyas readily available to UK gardens.
Here are some of the choisya varieties you are most likely to find.
Please note that all of the choisyas in this list with grow in any soil type and pH, need full sun and have to be positioned in a sheltered location in order to thrive.
1) C. × dewitteana ‘Apple Blossom’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange [Apple Blossom]
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Autumn
- SIZE: 1-1.2m in height, 0.5-1.2m spread
“Choisya x dewitteana cultivars are hybrids between C. ternata and C. dumosa var. arizonica,” shares Horticultural Consultant Colin Skelly.
“The latter species is smaller than C. ternata and has finer foliage, producing more compact options for gardeners.”
This compact and upright evergreen shrub can grow to around 1.2m tall, with a spread of around the same figure.
The green foliage is dissected into several slender leaflets.
As the name suggests, the flowers somewhat resemble those of an apple tree, opening from pink buds to reveal white blooms.
These will typically bloom in mid to late spring and again in early autumn.
2) C. × dewitteana ‘Aztec Gold’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange ‘Aztec Gold’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Green and yellow
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Summer / Autumn
- SIZE: 1-1.5m in height, 1-1.5m spread
Growing around 1-1.5m tall and wide, this option has leaves made up of slender leaflets which open yellow and mature to green.
The flowers are fragrant and white and, similar to the above, you can expect blooms in late spring and again from late summer to autumn.
H4 hardy.
3) C. × dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange ‘Aztec Pearl’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FLOWERS: Pink and white
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Autumn
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
This option is a somewhat larger choisya, growing around 1.5-2.5m in height, with a spread of around the same.
As with the above, the leaves are made up of 3-5 thin leaflets.
The flowers, tinged pink in bud, open to a pure white.
These flowers are around 3cm in width, fragrant and bloom in late spring and autumn.
This variety has received the RHS AGM Award of Garden Merit.
4) C. × dewitteana ‘Goldfingers’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange [Goldfingers]
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Yellow
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Summer
- SIZE: 1-1.5m in height, 1-1.5m spread
This Choisya grows around 1-1.5m in height and spread.
It has narrowly elliptic leaves which can be a vivid yellow hue in the sun, though will be greener when shaded – so for full effect, is best grown in full sun.
The fragrant white flowers bloom in the late spring and into the early summer.
5) C. × dewitteana ‘Snow Flurries’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange ‘Lisflurry’
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Summer
- SIZE: 1-1.5m in height, 1-1.5m spread
A compact evergreen shrub, this choisya forms a neat mound of around 1.5m in height.
The leaves are aromatic, and slender, with a deep green hue.
This option is particularly free-flowering and the white flowers appear from pink buds to fill your garden with fragrance in spring and early summer.
6) C. × dewitteana ‘White Dazzler’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange [White Dazzler]
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Autumn
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
Among the smallest choisya cultivars on offer, this one grows into neat and compact mounds of thin leaflet foliage under 1m in height and width.
This is another exceptionally free-flowering option, with white flowers that appear in clusters in spring, and often return for a second blooming period in the late summer and early autumn.
Recipient of RHS AGM.
7) C. ‘Royal Lace’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange [Royal Lace]
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- FOLIAGE: Gold and green
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring
- FRUIT SEASON(S): Autumn
- SIZE: 0.5-1m in height, 0.5-1m spread
This hybrid cultivar has a dense, neat and compact growing habit, with golden to lime green evergreen foliage with a lacy appearance.
It grows only around 75cm tall, so resembles ‘Aztec Gold’, but is actually better for containers or tiny gardens.
Mounds of white flowers bloom on the plant in profusion in the spring,
It’s best grown in full sun and is H3 hardy.
8) C. ternata
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange Blossom
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Green
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Autumn / Winter
- SIZE: 1-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
This is the plant that many will think of when thinking about Mexican orange blossom, having also been awarded the RHS AGM Award of Garden Merit.
It is a medium-sized evergreen shrub that can grow to around 1.5-2.5m in height, with an ultimate spread of 1.5-2.5m.
The shrub has dark and glossy green leaves which are divided into three wide leaflets.
These will usually bloom in spring, then again in autumn, and the flowers can also appear in the winter.
9) C. ternata ‘Sundance’
- COMMON NAME(S): Mexican Orange [Sundance]
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- FOLIAGE: Yellow
- FLOWERS: White
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): Spring / Autumn
- SIZE: 1.5-2.5m in height, 1.5-2.5m spread
‘Sundance’, also known as ‘Lich’ is a cultivar of the above which grows to the same size.
But rather than having dark green leaves, it has bright yellow to vivid lime green leaves instead, which are brighter yellow when grown in full sun.
Again, clusters of small, fragrant flowers with a white hue are borne in spring, and typically also again in the autumn.
Choisya can be a great choice for a warm and sheltered spot, in full sun or sometimes in partial shade.
These shrubs have great drought tolerance, so can be great for a low-water-use garden.
But note that, in colder and more northern regions of the UK, some winter protection is likely to be required and these shrubs typically need well-drained soil or growing medium.
So, consider your own garden and its conditions before you decide to grow choisyas where you live.
