Plant profile
Murraya
Murraya paniculata 'Exotica'
Also known as Mock orange, Orange jessamine, Orange jasmine, Murraya 'Exotica'.
Murraya is a dense evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy leaves and strongly scented white flowers. The common garden form 'Exotica' grows quickly in warm climates and is widely used for hedges, screens and clipped shapes around entrances, paths and outdoor living areas.
- Grows well in
- Tropical, Subtropical, Temperate
- Lifecycle
- Evergreen flowering shrub or small tree
- Light
- Full sun, Part shade
- Mature size
- Usually 2–4 m high as a hedge or shrub, taller if left unpruned
- Spacing
- About 60 cm–1.5 m apart depending on hedge density
- Growth habit
- Dense evergreen multi-stemmed shrub or small tree
- Native range
- Cultivated form of Murraya paniculata, a species native from South and South-East Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific
- Natural habitat
- Tropical and subtropical forest, woodland and forest margins.
When to plant
Plant during mild or warm weather when regular watering is available.
Planting
Plant into free-draining soil and water regularly while roots establish. Space plants according to whether you want individual shrubs or a clipped hedge.
Position and light
Full sun to part shade. More sun usually gives denser flowering.
Soil
Adaptable to many free-draining soils with compost or mulch.
Watering
Water regularly while establishing. Mature shrubs cope with short dry periods but stay denser with occasional deep watering.
Feeding
Use compost and a light balanced feed during active growth if needed.
Pruning
Clip after flowering flushes or whenever the hedge needs shaping. Harder pruning is best done in warm weather when regrowth is active. If flowers matter, avoid clipping the hedge every few weeks through the main flowering period. Let a flush bloom, then shape it once the flowers fade.
Propagation
Cuttings keep named forms true; seed also germinates readily and is one way the plant spreads.
Common problems
Citrus psyllids, scale and other sap-sucking insects can occur. Dense hedges can also become bare inside if they are clipped very hard and very often.
Worth knowing
The common garden hedge form Exotica differs from the smaller-leaved native Queensland form of Murraya paniculata. Exotica flowers in flushes through warm weather, often after rain, and the scent can be strong near windows and doorways.
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