There are many types of Ixoras around and they are all very well suited to tropical and subtropical gardens. Ixora ‘Prince of Orange' is a hardy shrub type. It grows to around 2m’s and it’s one of the best.

In summer, the gorgeous deep glossy leaves really shine and the bush is almost completely covered in fiery orange blooms. It flowers almost all summer long so there’s great value on offer, but one of the best things about this one is its form. Its growth is quite dense and the foliage goes all the way to the base of the plant at ground level so it makes an excellent hedge. It’s also quite an upright shrub too and doesn’t tend to sprawl. So if you were after a well-behaved hedge for a narrow garden bed this would be an excellent choice.

So how do you grow the best? Well, the first thing is it must have protection from frost in a spot where there’s plenty of sunlight. They’ll grow in semi-shade too, but don’t tend to flower as well.

The next thing is the drainage must be very good. Feeding is quite important too because they are quite hungry plants. As soon as you see the leaves start to yellow, give it a feed and a good drink.

The last thing is pruning. If you give Ixoras a regular trim, it’ll keep them in beautiful shape with lots of new growth that’ll give you masses of blooms in the next flowering season.