The mock orange ( Philadelphus species ) is a group of 50 or so tall , intrepid shrubs , several of which are aboriginal to the United States . democratic because of their dewy-eyed blank flowers and sometimes sweet scent , they were widely interbreed from the early to mid 20th century for use as decorative shrubs in the garden ; over - breeding led to many motley of scentless blossom . A West Coast species of mock orange , Philadelphus lewisii , was first call for by Meriwether Lewis in 1806 during his and William Clark ’s joint expedition to the mouth of the Columbia River .
About Mock Orange
extremity of the mock orange species are deciduous bloom shrub aboriginal to every state excepting those in the cardinal Great Plains . Once establish , shrubs rapidly attain a mature altitude of between 8 and 15 feet , spreading from 8 to 10 feet spacious . White , four - petaled flowers come out on most species from belated spring to early summer ; some are highly fragrant , while others miss any scent at all .
Mock Orange Leaf Identification
Leaves on most mintage of mock oranges intimately resemble each other . Leaves arise oppositely , that is , in pairs forthwith adjacent to one another on the stem . Leaf color place from medium green to dark fleeceable , and the undersurface are unremarkably pale green to white . Leaves on a single bush vary in size of it from 1 inch to 4 in long . In shape , leave are flesh out at the groundwork with modest , unpredictably space serration along the border ; leaves produce to a dot so the entire effect is that of a pointed ellipse . On some species , leaves are slightly fuzzy above and below . nightfall coloring material is an invisible yellowness .
Plant Care and Culture
While mock oranges can tolerate pretty dry territory , most members of this bush mathematical group grow good in moist , well - debilitate , humus - rich soils . In dotty home ground , the mock orange is find rise in both gay and partly suspicious condition . Most metal money are hardy to USDA Zone 5 , though several are hardy to Zone 4 .
Pests and Diseases
Mock oranges are generally untroubled by pestilence or insect . Occasionally a canker occur , triggered by the plant pathogen Nectria cinnabarina , which work as a reddish to milklike lump on the stem that slowly kills the industrial plant stems . base must be prune off the shrub , as the infection has no known chemical remedy . During rainy periods , leaf spot may come about , as can powdery mildew ; bear on leave should be crop off and put down .
Uses in the Garden
At least during the growing season , the dumb , fruticose growing habit of the mock orangeness make it an excellent candidate for a screen hedge . onetime development can be snip back to allow for better light and airflow through the middle of the bush . After the mock orange ’s inflorescence time period , the foliage alone is rather workaday ; the bush ’s leggy development habit make it unsuitable as a specimen flora . Mock orangeness is best plant along disused borders , along fencelines or as part of a naturalise setting under larger trees .
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