Our Plant Of The Week for the first week in July is the Philadelphus or Mock Orange.
Philadelphus is a deciduous, flowering shrub with bright green leaves and beautiful, small white flowers, with an orange- yellowish center. The flowers give off a wonderful citrusy (orange) fragrance which is how the plant got its common name.
There are several varieties of Philadelphus available and they range in size. Some varieties can grow quite large! There is a lovely dwarf cultivar called Philadelphus 'Snowbelle' which has fragrant double blooms. Another excellent variety is Philadelphus virginalis 'Minnesota Snowflake'.
They will do well in either full sun or part shade and in a well-drained, loamy soil. Mock oranges generally blossom more profusely if planted in full sun. They are reasonably drought tolerant once established.
The fragrance of the flowers can be a major selling point. Unfortunately, not all cultivars of mock orange are equally fragrant. Consequently, a good time to buy mock orange is when it's in bloom at the nursery - that way, you can sample the fragrance for yourself.
