Nora Grant ixora

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; flowers best with at least 6 hours of sun, but appreciates afternoon shade in very hot inland gardens.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water when the surface begins to dry; reduce watering during cool weather without letting the root ball dry out completely.

Soil

Moist, well-drained, acidic soil, ideally pH 5.0-6.5, enriched with organic matter. Alkaline soil and lime-rich irrigation water often cause yellow leaves.

Height

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m), potentially 10 ft (3 m) if left unpruned in a favourable climate

Spread

4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m)

Flowers

Rounded clusters of coral-pink to salmon-pink tubular flowers from late spring through autumn; flowering can continue intermittently all year in tropical conditions.

Foliage

Evergreen. Glossy, leathery, dark green leaves arranged in opposite pairs.

Growth

Moderate in warm conditions; slow in cool weather.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.1 ft (0.65 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.7 ft (0.81 m)

4. After 3 years

   3 ft (0.96 m)

5. After 5 years

   4 ft (1.3 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply during establishment, then water whenever the upper soil starts to dry.
• Apply an acid-loving shrub fertiliser in spring, following the label; avoid feeding a cool, inactive plant.
• Spread 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Use an acidic, free-draining potting mix in containers and keep drainage holes unobstructed.
• Bring containers indoors before nights regularly fall below 50°F (10°C); provide bright light and keep away from cold draughts.

Pruning. Lightly shorten stems after a main flush of flowers to keep the shrub compact, and remove dead or damaged growth in spring. Avoid frequent shearing, which removes developing flower clusters.

Spring

Check for cold damage, remove dead stems and begin feeding as active growth resumes.

Late spring

Plant outdoors or move containers outside once nights stay reliably above 50°F (10°C); acclimatise indoor plants gradually to direct sun.

Summer

Check soil moisture frequently, especially in containers, and inspect shoot tips and leaf undersides for pests.

Summer

Lightly trim after a main flower flush if shaping is needed, rather than repeatedly shearing the whole shrub.

Autumn

In cold climates, bring containers indoors before cool nights arrive and stop routine feeding as growth slows.

Winter

Keep overwintering plants bright and warm, watering less often but never allowing the root ball to become completely dry.

• Plant as a flowering informal hedge in a warm, sheltered garden.
• Group in a tropical border with cordylines and crotons for contrasting foliage and flower colour.
• Use in large patio containers where acidic growing conditions are easier to maintain.
• Place beside a sheltered courtyard or terrace as a rounded evergreen shrub with a long flowering season.

Garden styles it suits: Tropical, Modern tropical, Luxury resort, Modern courtyard, Florida subtropical and Caribbean.

Plant it with: Gardenia, Croton, Cordyline, Dwarf allamanda and Bromeliads.

Wildlife: The nectar-rich flowers attract butterflies and other insects with long mouthparts; hummingbirds may visit where they occur.

• Yellow leaves with green veins usually indicate nutrient unavailability in alkaline soil: test the soil and irrigation water, use an appropriate chelated iron treatment, and consider container growing if the ground is strongly alkaline.
• Scale insects and mealybugs cause sticky leaves and weak growth: inspect stems and leaf undersides, remove small infestations by hand, and use horticultural oil or insecticidal soap according to the label.
• Root rot develops in persistently wet soil: improve drainage, empty standing water from saucers and allow the surface to begin drying between waterings.
• Poor flowering can result from shade, repeated clipping or excessive nitrogen: provide more sun, prune only after flowering flushes and avoid heavy feeding.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Cultivar-specific safety information is limited, so do not treat the leaves, flowers or fruit as food; eating plant material may cause stomach upset.

• Egyptian starcluster (Pentas lanceolata)

  Pentas has five-pointed star-shaped flowers and softer, often hairy leaves; ixora has four-lobed flowers and glossy, leathery leaves.

• Peregrina (Jatropha integerrima)

  Peregrina has open, five-petalled flowers with conspicuous yellow centres rather than ixora's narrow tubular flowers with four spreading lobes.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe stem cuttings during warm weather and root them in a free-draining medium with high humidity and gentle bottom heat. Rooting can be slow; cuttings preserve the cultivar, whereas seedlings may differ.

Accepted botanical name

Ixora

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.