Many varieties have sweet perfumed flowers that draw in pollinator .

If having a garden occupy with the fragrance of orange flower solicitation to you , add mock orange bush to your gardening wishing list . These fragrant deciduous bush are at their upright in spring and other summertime when theiraromatic white bloomsattract bee and butterflies to the garden . The blooms are excellent cut flowers that fill a business firm with their signature scent .

While the shrub is blooming , it is spectacular , but the rest of the class , it looks run-of-the-mill . However , its green foliation is an attractive backcloth for other heyday until wintertime go far .

Mock orange butterfly

Credit: Peter Krumhardt

Most mock orange tree bush grow rapidly ( about 2 feet per year ) to gain a relatively large size of it of 8 feet or taller , but pocket-size 2 - fundament miscellany are available and may be a better primed for a small garden .

Where to Plant Mock Orange

Most mock orange shrubs are cold-blooded - hardy inUSDA Zones 4 - 8 . They need a full - sun location for the effective flower production . Although they tolerate fond refinement , blooming is reduced . Like many garden plants , they grow best in moist , well - draining soil . flora several mock orange shrubs in a group for an intimate hedging or privateness screen , or planta individual shrub in a large containernear a seating area where its sweet perfume can be appreciated .

How and When to Plant Mock Orange

Mock orangish bush are well planted in declivity , but they can also be found in former spring .

Whether you bought nursery - grown plant orrooted stem cuttings(a unconscious process that takes about two months ) , the planting process is the same . Dig a hole in a full - Dominicus location with well - enfeeble stain . The hole must be as recondite as the rootball and double as wide-cut . loose the soil in the hole and dig in some compost . Position the industrial plant at the same deepness it was develop in its container . Backfill the hole , pressing down on the soil to remove air pocket . pee well .

Most mock orange shrubs are large , so space them 6 to 8 feet apart .

Galahad mock orange

Credit: Bill Stites

Mock Orange Care Tips

Mock Orange River shrubs do n’t require much special care .

Light

Plant mock oranges in full sunfor the most telling blooms and fragrance .

Soil and Water

plant life inwell - run out soil , preferably ameliorate with organic thing . They prefer evenly moist grime , especially during the summer . They do not support wet or badly debilitate soil .

Temperature and Humidity

Mock orange shrubs handle any humidity they receive without difficulty . They are winter hardy in Zones 3 - 8 and do n’t require any particular protection from the frigidity . In areas with super live summer , they benefit from a little afternoon shade .

Fertilizer

Mock orange shrub are n’t heavy feeders , so a single software of aslow - release granular fertilizerwith a 10 - 10 - 10 ratio should be sufficient for the class . For the amount to utilize , follow product recording label directions .

Pruning

Although it is not necessary to prune mock orange shrub , trim them moderate their somewhat unruly appearance . Since mock Orange River blooms on onetime wood , pruningshould be done immediately after the plant flower . To maintain the size of the shrub , cut it to about one - third of its height in early leap every year ; be aware that the bush may not flower until the following time of year . Pruning encourages branching , too . As industrial plant geezerhood , some of the mature woody stem can become less productive and scanty . These can be foreshorten back to the base to encourage new ontogeny .

Potting and Repotting Mock Orange

One of the smaller mock orangeness shrubs engraft in a container adds an tempting orangish - flush fragrance to a patio or other seating area . choose a big container with drainage holes . sate it with pot grunge , plant a single shrub at the same pinnacle it was in its nursery container , and water well . Locate it in an surface area where it receive at least six hours of sun day by day . Some of the modest mock orange shrubs reach only 2 feet tall and reach that height in the first year . When the shrub needs repotting , use fresh potting territory .

Pests and Problems

Aphids , spider pinch , and black scale are known to visit mock orange shrubs . An other program of horticultural oil , such asneem oil , will limit the damage .

Mock orange shrub are relatively disease - resistive , but too much rainwater in early spring can lead to bacterial blight and chocolate-brown stain . Other moisture - related trouble includepowdery mildewand grey mold , which can be forfend by watering only at the base of the bush instead of from above .

How to Propagate Mock Orange

Most gardeners circulate mock orangish shrubs withstem cuttings , but they can also be propagated by ejaculate , layering , and harvesting suckers .

Propagation by Cuttings

Make cuttings from fresh maturation in give right after the shrub bloom terminate .

Propagation with Seeds

Seeds must becold - stratifiedbefore they can germinate . Collect the seeds and stack away them in a container left outside during the winter to satisfy this requirement . you’re able to also refrigerate the seeds in peat eight calendar week before planting .

Fill small pots withperlite or vermiculiteand sow in two source in each one , barely embrace them with planting medium . Keep them moist and in a warm position , and the germ will shoot in about two weeks . It select about two months of mature to have seedling large enough to transpose to large container .

Propagation by Layering

You ’ll finally have a shrub you could hack away from the parent plant , just as you do suckers . The entire physical process takes six to 12 calendar month .

Propagation with Suckers

Mock orangish bush sometimes put out suckers — diminutive plants that spring from the root of a parent works . If you spot a sucker , wait until wintertime when the shrub is dormant and use a sharp shovelful to cut the roots attaching it to the parent flora . Dig up the sucker and replant it immediately .

Types of Mock Orange

‘Galahad’ Mock Orange

Philadelphus‘Galahad ’ produce small , shiny leaves and intermediate - sized fragrant white flower on a plant that grows 8 foundation marvellous and wide . Zones 4 - 7

‘Miniature Snowflake’ Mock Orange

Philadelphus‘Miniature Snowflake ’ is a dwarf form that grows only 3 feet magniloquent . It bears lots of twofold white , fragrant flower in spring . zone 5 - 8

‘Minnesota Snowflake’ Mock Orange

Philadelphus‘Minnesota snow bunting ’ bears very with child and fragrant duple flowers on an upright , well - branching plant life grow to 8 foot tall . Very cold hardy . Zones 4 - 7

Native Mock Orange

Philadelphus lewisiiis the aboriginal mock orange , reaching 6 to 7 feet tall , with exclusive , fragrant white flush . Zones 4 - 8

Virginal Mock Orange

Philadelphus virginalisproduces turgid , semidouble white blush that are sweet fragrant and resemble blanched rose when in bud . It grows 8 foot magniloquent and 6 feet wide . Zones 5 - 8

Garden Plans for Mock Orange

Foundation Garden

A coloured alternative to the standard all - green landscape painting , this cornerstone planting mixes broad - leafed evergreen plant shrubs and a sculpturesque tree with flowering perennial and ground cover .

Easy-Care Summer-Blooming Shade Garden Plan

This mix of flowering bush and perennials will fill your yard with colouring material all summertime long — plus allow for interest in spring , fall , and winter .

Frequently Asked Questions

Mock orange isrelatively deer - resistantafter the shrub is established , but deer may pick on young plants . Rabbits cause more damage than deer because they bite off and eat the tender tips of branches in spring . If you have a problem with rabbits , wrap the trunk of the mock orange shrub with mesh hardware fabric from wintertime to belated spring to admonish thirsty bunnies .

Protect the roots of the bush by watering it hard right before the first frost of winter . If your weather condition is particularly coarse , cover the shrub with a sheet on the coldest Night . Potted shrubs should be prompt to an unwarmed shed or garage during the winter .

When grown in optimal precondition , mock orangish shrub live 10 to 15 years .

Miniature Snowflake mock orange

Credit: Marty Baldwin

Mock orange shrubs bloom from late bound to early summer . Some may flower meagrely until late summer .

Minnesota Snowflake mock orange

Credit: Marty Baldwin

mock orange Philadelphus lewisii

Credit: Rich Pomerantz

Virginal mock orange

Credit: Marty Baldwin

foundation garden plan

Credit: Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke

easy-care summer shade garden plan

Credit: Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke