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Filling the air with the sweet smell of orange blossoms, orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata) is a welcome addition to any tropical garden. It is included within the Rutaceae (citrus) family and is known as orange jessamine, mock orange, chalcas, or satinwood. Orange jasmine is a great choice if you’re looking to attract bees, birds, or butterflies to your garden. Caring for Murraya orange jasmine is also surprisingly simple.
This lovely plant is a compact evergreen shrub with oval, shiny, deep green leaves that can get up to 2 3/4 inches long, extending from interesting, gnarled branches. At maturity, which can take three to four years, it can grown to 8 to 12 feet tall and wide, creating a large, round shrub. New plants are best planted in spring.
Clusters of small, fragrant flowers bloom in spring, followed by bright reddish-orange berries in summer. The flowers are very fragrant and smell like orange blossoms, and flowering will occur year-round. The red fruit is 1/2 to 1 inch long and is prized by birds.
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Watering
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Water orange jasmine plants deeply whenever the top 2 inches of soil feels dry to the touch. However, more frequent irrigation may be needed if you live in a hot climate or if the plant is in a container. Never allow it to stand in muddy soil or water.
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Lights
| Orange jasmine plants require protection from hot, direct sunlight. Locate the plant where it receives morning sunlight and afternoon shade, or where it will get broken sunlight or dappled shade all day. |
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