Choisya 'Londaz' WHITE DAZZLER Mexican orange
size/type
medium-sized shrub,medium-sized shrub
usual height
1-2m
usual width
1-1,5m
leaves
evergreen broadleaf
colour of leaves
flowers
showy
colour of flowers
blooming time
May-June
location
full sun
soil type
acidic (peaty) to neutral
soil moisture requirements
evenly moist but well-drained
USDA zone (lowest)
7 (down to -23°C)
winter protection
for zone 5+6
for zone 7
categorized
We were so thrilled to hear that there was a hardy version of such an unusual and beautiful shrub like evergreen Mexican orange. It is an interspecific hybrid between choisya ternata with wider leaves that is often cultivated in South Europe and in England, and hardier choisya dumosa var. arizonica which has narrow leaves and comes from Arizona and Texas where, though used to hot weather, it withstands all sorts of unpleasant conditions including the ability to grow in elevations up to some 1200m. Choisya name was chosen in honour of Swiss botanist Jacques Denis Choisy (1799-1859), and the hybrid was named choisya x dewitteana (official approval of new botanical name pending). It was bred by Peter More from England and the very first variety from 1989 was called Aztec Pearl.
Description of the plant:
WHITE DAZZLER is a follow-up choísie to Aztec Pearl from Peter Moore, introduced in 1991. It produces masses of simple, star-shaped, pure white, and very fragrant flowers with yellow stamens in May and June. Their perfume is very similar to orange flowers hence its name Mexican orange or Mexican blossom. WHITE DAZZLER is special for being very compact as well as the ability to re-bloom from September onwards. The evergreen leaves are distinctly narrower than those of Aztec Pearl. They are palmately divided into 7-11 linear leaflets that are soft green in spring and mature to rich green. They release a tempting spicy scent when crushed, yet please do not consume them. They are very resistant to winter sun scorch even in winters of zone 6 and remain lush and handsome all year round. Also, the branches keep them for several years which helps the plant look dense without pruning, and which led some landscape designers to using it for informal evergreen hedges with unusual foliage. However, you can use it in a usual evergreen hedge thanks to its upright growth. You won't believe how beautiful and exotic it will look!
The hybrid was sold predominantly in England, where it was among the top ten best selling plants for 20 years, later in the Netherlands and France, and now in Italy where it battles with the original c. ternata. Only recently it was introduced to slightly colder parts of Europe as it proved to be hardier than older varieties of cherry laurels and photinias which had a problem during the cold winter of 2010, and a few more afterwards. So far it survived -23°C without any damage which makes it hardy to USDA zone 6.
Grow choisya the same way as a sun loving rhododendron. It has shallow and delicate root system which must never stand in wet ground. Drainage is crucial for its happy life, and so is acid, fertile soil for its healthy look. We highly recommend using mycorrhiza that will help the plant establish sooner and provide enough nutrients. As it flowers from mid spring (on last year’s wood) pruning of any kind should happen immediately after flowering in early summer. If you follow these instruction you can enjoy a gorgeous plant for many years had without virtually any maintenance.
Last update 05-04-2017; 17-01-2019; 02-10-2023
SIZES and PRICES
shrub
height 20-30 cm
430 Kè
shrub
height 20-30 cm
430 Kè
shrub
height 30-40 cm
890 Kè
height 20-30 cm
399 Kè
height 20-30 cm
399 Kè
height 40-50 cm, width 30-40 cm
1 720 Kè
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GLOSSARY
- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
