Botanical Name: Philadelphus x virginalis
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Common Name: Mockorange  
Plant photo of: Philadelphus x virginalis
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Water Saving Tip:

Fix leaking sprinklers, valves, and pipes.

One broken spray sprinkler can waste 10 gallons per minute - or 100 gallons in a typical 10 minute watering cycle.

  • Anatomy

  • Culture

  • Design

Plant Type

Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green, Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Brown

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Well-drained

 

Soil pH

Neutral

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees

Design Styles

English Cottage, Formal, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Fragrance, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Hedge, Screen, Mass Planting

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Information by: Stephanie Duer
Photographer:
  • Description

  • Notes

Mockorange is an old fashioned, deciduous garden shrub, growing about 6 to 8 feet tall and wide (depending on the cultivar). Its overall form is upright and mounding, with soft green, lobed leaves and sometimes have a pleasant yellow fall color. Grow this shrub for are the breath-takingly fragrant, white spring flowers (some are simple, single-petaled, some are double, and some nearly pom-pomish, again, depending on the variety). Plant it at the back of the shrub border behind something that provides a better summer show, or at the corner of the house, preferably near an open window. Many cultivars available.
Grow in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil. Prefers a loamy-sand to laomy-clay soil. Prune immediately after flowering , if necessary, so as not to lessen the flowering the following year (see guide). Though not really drought tolerate, once establish they do just fine with only a few waterings a month. Cuts well for vases.