Mexican orange blossom
Shelter from cold, drying winds while young, particularly in the first winter, until the root system is established.
Care
Sheltered from cold winds.
Once established.
Well-drained soil of most types, including chalky/alkaline.
Trim lightly after the main spring flowering; can be cut back hard if it outgrows its space, and reshoots well.
One general feed with a mulch in spring. The golden-leaved forms are the exception worth watching: too much nitrogen turns them a duller green and loses the colour they were chosen for.
Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer root reliably in gritty compost under cover. Take a few whenever you prune, since a hard winter can scorch an established plant badly.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchLight feed as growth resumes. how ›
- MayTrim lightly after main flowering. how ›
- SeptemberOften produces a second, smaller flush of flowers in autumn.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchLight feed as growth resumes. how ›
- MayTrim lightly after main flowering. how ›
- SeptemberOften produces a second, smaller flush of flowers in autumn.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. In a cold spring.
What to do. Avoid feeding late in the season, which encourages vulnerable soft growth.
Popular varieties
Questions
Mexican orange blossom: is it hardy?
H4: Hardy through an average UK winter. It survives down to −10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
For a few years while young.
Mexican orange blossom: when do you prune it?
Trim lightly after the main spring flowering; can be cut back hard if it outgrows its space, and reshoots well. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in May.
Mexican orange blossom: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in April–May, September.
When do you feed it?
One general feed with a mulch in spring. The golden-leaved forms are the exception worth watching: too much nitrogen turns them a duller green and loses the colour they were chosen for. Feeding months, UK: April.