Mexican orange blossom

At the moment, now that the leaves have fallen from most trees and shrubs, the Mexican orange blossom is providing excellent evergreen foliage. This follows on from generous flowering in late spring and early summer. As a bonus, the flowers are sweetly scented. The plant has been popular in gardens for decades, its popularity greatly enhanced by two relatively new varieties.

The name is only slightly misleading. It does actually come from Mexico, at least some of the cooler areas on elevated ground. The orange blossom part is a bit of a borrow. The true orange blossom, and lemon for that matter, has a very rich, sweet perfume and it is a good commendation for any plant that smells like it.

As it happens, in this case, the linkage is not so far-fetched because the Mexican orange blossom and the true orange are closely related, both being members of the rue family. The botanical name of Mexican orange blossom is Choisya ternata.

The second part of the name is a reference to the distinctive three-part leaves. These have an aromatic scent when crushed.

The old-fashioned choisya has been around for a long time and has always been reasonably popular in gardens. It has good, glossy green leaves that show off the clusters of white five-petalled, starry flowers to good effect. These are carried near the tips of the shoots and well-displayed.

A few years ago, a golden-leaved form called Sundance appeared and became the standard variety. This plant is bright golden-yellow in full sunshine and has a tendency to scorch the edges of leaves and to bleach out some leaves. It is much better in a site where it gets some sunshine during the day, but not all day long.

It does not fully colour if it does not get enough sunshine and stays lime-green, and tends to be drawn and straggly, whereas in sunlight it is quite tight and compact. Like most golden-leaved plants, it is not as vigorous as the plain green type species and does not flower as generously. But it does produce some flowers, especially after a sunny year, in late spring and sometimes a few later in summer or early autumn. Some people find this shrub a bit garish and it does need to be planted when there is plenty of plain greenery or brown foliage to tone it down a bit.

The other variety that has gained popularity is called Aztec Pearl. This variety is green, with narrow evergreen leaves in three parts or fives. It is very pretty in flower or not in flower, because the narrow leaves make an attractive mound of foliage, with a texture and appearance that is very distinctive. It’s a well-flowering shrub with clusters of wonderfully scented white flowers.

Either of these shrubs is capable of reaching well over two metres tall and even more in width. They can be pruned, ideally just shortening some shoots each year after flowering, to help keep them more compact. But, if possible, they are best left unpruned.

Choisya grows a bit soft in our damp climate, the wood not being particularly hard and the foliage is soft. It’s a fast grower, adapted for quick establishment, but not for long life.

Because it grows fast, and flowers as a young plant, it is useful for a new garden and can be removed when neighbouring shrubs of more permanent constitution need the space.

Being soft, it has a tendency to die back of branches, which shortens its life. Plant it in a sunny spot, not exposed, and in well-drained, fertile, but not overly rich soil. CL

Raspberry planting

The traditional planting season for fruit trees and bushes of all kinds has just begun, and it’s a good time to plant raspberries.

Raspberries are a delicious fruit to eat fresh or use in cooking. There are two kinds, summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting. The summer kind fruits on the shoots made the previous year. The autumn kind fruits in late summer and early autumn on shoots made the same year.

Either kind can be planted right away or in the coming months. Planted now, the canes get nicely established before spring and grow away actively next year.

The plants can be planted in a row or against a wall or fence, about 50cm apart with some posts and three wires to hold the canes of summer kinds in place.

The autumn kind is much shorter and generally doesn’t need support. Plant in good soil, in sunshine for best cropping, without root competition from existing shrubs or trees.

Trees, shrubs & roses

Planting of bare-root deciduous trees, hedging and shrubs can continue during dry weather. Don’t plant into very wet ground or into planting holes that fill with water, because wet conditions cause the roots to rot. All kinds of pot-grown trees and shrubs can also be planted now, as well as bare-roots.

Flowers

Lift dahlias, begonias and gladioli from frosty localities inland to prevent damage, or cover them with soil or compost in milder areas. Spring bulbs should be in the ground by now, but should be planted if not. Tulips and alliums can be planted late without set-back. Plant bedding plants for spring colour.

Fruit, vegetables & herbs

Dig over vegetable ground, removing old crops and chopping them up for the compost heap. Store vegetables that can be over-wintered, in a pit or a cool shed. Control weeds over areas of ground that will be dug over later. Spread compost before digging it in. Plant new fruit trees and bushes.

Lawns

Lawn mosskiller can be used to reduce lawn moss. Moss will grow strongly from now until early May and can build up to severe levels in that time. Occasional mowing in winter is a good idea if the soil is not too wet. Grass tends to grow a little over the winter and an occasional mowing will keep it neat.

Greenhouse & house plants

Remove all debris and dead plants and ventilate occasionally. Water very little and do not splash water in order to reduce the risk of grey mould disease. Set up a greenhouse frost protection heater to protect tender plants such as geraniums, lantana or fuchsias, during occasional spells of hard frost.