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.
