Choisya ternata, commonly known as Mexican Orange Blossom, is a beautiful evergreen shrub prized for its fragrant white flowers, glossy green foliage and easy-care nature. A favourite in New Zealand gardens, Choisya provides year-round structure and colour while producing spectacular flushes of sweetly scented blooms in spring and often again in autumn.

The flowers resemble orange blossom in both appearance and fragrance, filling the garden with a delightful citrus scent when in full bloom. Clusters of star-shaped white flowers are carried above attractive dark green leaves, creating a fresh and elegant display that works equally well in formal and informal garden settings.

Mexican Orange Blossom naturally forms a dense rounded shrub, making it an excellent choice for hedging, screening, foundation planting or as a standalone feature. Its tidy growth habit and evergreen foliage provide year-round appeal, while its drought tolerance and adaptability make it one of the easiest flowering shrubs to grow.

Choisya ternata thrives throughout much of New Zealand and is particularly valued for bringing fragrance, pollinator activity and evergreen structure to the garden with very little maintenance.

Why You’ll Love It

• Masses of fragrant white flowers that smell like orange blossom
• Evergreen foliage provides year-round colour and structure
• Flowers often twice a year with a main spring flush and repeat flowering in autumn
• Excellent low-maintenance hedge or screen
• Attracts bees and beneficial pollinators
• Tolerates dry conditions once established
• Perfect for cottage, formal and contemporary gardens
• Looks great all year, even when not flowering

FAQ

How far apart should I space my Choisya Ternata hedge?