Choisya x dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’
Common name: Mexican orange
Choisya x dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’ is an evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves divided into three to five narrow leaflets. Its buds are pink-flushed and open to fragrant white flowers. These flowers have an orange scent and bloom twice - in late spring and again in late summer. In the Pacific Northwest this shrub can grow to 2 m/6 ft high and 1 m/3 ft wide.
‘Aztec Pearl’ is easy to grow. A no fuss plant. And that is thanks to the aromatic glands on its leaves and stems. More information
Choisya x dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’ is a hybrid between the Arizona orange (Choisya arizonica) and Mexican orange (Choisya ternata). The cross was made by England’s Peter Moore of Longstock Park Nursery.
‘The flower pictures of ‘Aztec Pearl’ were taken in the Fragrance Garden in May and the pictures of the buds forming at the leaf axils in February.’
Text and photos by Hughie Jones