Mexican Orange Blossom Greenfingers

An elegant evergreen shrub, this modern cultivar of the Mexican Orange Blossom brings year-round interest, structure and aromatic beauty to the garden. Bred as a superior, more robust improvement on the classic 'Aztec Pearl', 'Greenfingers' forms a dense, rounded, and compact mound of foliage. Its attractive, hand-shaped leaves are divided into five broad, slender leaflets that emerge a fresh, bright green before maturing to a highly polished, deep forest green. Whenever the foliage is brushed past or lightly bruised, it releases a spicy, citrus-infused, herbal fragrance. In late Spring and early Summer, it is transformed by a profuse display of showy pink bud clusters, which then open into starry, pure-white flowers with golden-yellow centers, casting a heavenly citrus perfume across the garden, and are a magnet for bees and other beneficial pollinators. Once the main display fades, this generous shrub will frequently treat the garden to a secondary flush of fragrant blossoms in late Summer or early Autumn. This versatile and low-maintenance shrub is highly resilient, demonstrating excellent resistance to pests, diseases, urban pollution, and salty coastal air. Its compact nature makes it an ideal structural plant, looking particularly stunning as an informal flowering hedge, an eye-catching patio container specimen, or planted near seating areas where its rich perfume can be thoroughly enjoyed.

Site: Warm, sheltered site, but good in coastal areas
Soil: Any fertile, well-drained soil, preferably moist
Position: Full sun; tolerates partial shade
Season of interest: All year, early spring and late summer in particular
Hardiness: Hardy to -5 to -10ºC
Height: 4-5’ (1.2-1.5m) Spread: 4-5’ (1.2-1.5m) at maturity

Image by David Short cropped, and licensed under CC BY 2.0