After a ridiculously long self-imposed hiatus from my blog, I'm back. Again, it wasn't easy to pick a favorite because, as all plant people know, there are so many plants to love.
But with Belle Etoile's exquisite fragrance wooing me as I meandered my garden paths, I chose to focus on her. After all, she is in her finest element right now.
In early June Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' or Mock Orange explodes with hundreds of three inch flowers on lax branches. They emit a powerfully, sweet, slightly citrus fragrance.
I bought this shrub back in 2007 from Dancing Oaks Nursery. But nowadays you don't have to seek out a specialty nursery to find it since it's fairly readily available.
My plant is growing in part shade and still puts on quite a show.
A variegated shrubby dogwood (Cornus alba 'Argenteovariegata') is situated nearby and I like their white color echo.
The variegated foliage of Japanese Iris (Iris ensata 'Variegata') also contributes to the green and white theme. And if you look closely at the upper right of the photo above you'll see a white-blooming Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica 'Hawkshead'). Blooming since early May, this is its earliest ever, thanks to a mild winter.
Once it is finished blooming, I'll cut back all of the lax branches and give it a good drink. It responds well, maybe even better than I need it to.
It's a beautiful shrub, Grace, and you paired it well with the Cornus as a backdrop. I planted a different Philadelphus (P. mexicanus 'Flore Pleno') 3+ years ago and unfortunately the best I can say of it is that it's not dead. I long for those fragrant flowers. Someday maybe.
ReplyDeleteI need to plant one of those in my mom's honor. She was always going on about their heavenly fragrance. But that was before I was gardening in earnest, and I didn't get one for her. Sure wish I had.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful flowering shrub. Thanks for sharing more beauty from your gardens ~ FlowerLady
ReplyDeleteannies annuals "...with an alluring and far-carrying scent of BUBBLEGUM!" Please tell me this is not a true depiction of the scent.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a pretty Philadelphus, and you have it in an incredible setting, just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteLove how you framed it with green/white companions - the whole vignette is beautiful! I'm currently enabling a sniff test at Joy Creek, lining the ones we offer up on the retail table, and doing periodical sniffings, trying to figure out which one I (and everyone else) like best. They are all good, but so far, my favorite is one called P. madrensis. Do you know it? It has small flowers with burgundy throats, fine-textured foliage, and the most amazing, powerful fragrance. I wish, I wish, I wish I had room for one...
ReplyDeleteWe have a 'Mock Orange' in Bermuda also, but it is a different plant. I gather your Belle Etoile is in the Hydrangeaceae family, whereas my Mock Orange or Orange Jessamine is in the Rutaceae camp and is known botanically as Murraya paniculata. How interesting.
ReplyDeleteMy mock orange is also fragrant. But I must admit your Belle is prettier than my robust hedging plant any day.