Cestrum

Yellow parqui

Characteristics

Culture

Best grown in evenly moist, humusy, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade, Cestrum is hardy in Zones 7-11. The plant may experience dieback during hard winters in Zones 7-8 but will regrow from the roots. Benefits from a generous layer of winter mulch in these Zones. Evergreen in frost-free areas. The size of this plant can easily be controlled with pruning. Cestrum is drought tolerant once established.  Amidst light green shiny leaves arise sprays of small, tubular, very fragrant, yellow-green flowers on the ends of the stems, flowering from late spring to autumn, and which produce clusters of small, black, egg-shaped berries during summer and autumn.

Noteworthy Characteristics

This easy, hardy, evergreen shrub is quite possibly the hardiest and longest blooming Cestrum of them all, as it perfumes the night for many months. Beginning in early summer and continuing until first frost, the 6′ wide, deer-resistant “bush” is smothered with both axillary and terminal floral clusters, each bearing hundreds of yellow flowers that attract hummingbirds. In early evening, the flowers emit a powerful fragrance that perfumes the garden, but disappears by morning. 

Problems

No major pest or disease problems reported.

Garden Uses

Cestrum can have a tendency to overtake a garden area if given good growing conditions and not properly managed. Can be trained to climb an arbor or trellis. Heavy pruning is recommended for smaller garden areas and more formal landscapes. Useful in a bird garden or to add tropical interest to a mixed border.