Philadelphus 'Belle Étoile'
mock orange (syn. Philadelphus Belle Etoile)
This shrub is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: June to July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
In June and July this lovely mock orange is smothered with highly fragrant, single, cup-shaped flowers with distinctive splashes of purple at the centre. The delicious orange-blossom fragrance floats on the breeze on warm summer evenings. This compact variety produces abundant, gorgeous, bridal-white flowers set off perfectly by oval, deep green leaves. This is an essential, low-maintenance shrub for a sunny mixed border, and it can also cope with poor soil, urban pollution and salt-laden air. - Garden care: Mulch around the roots in spring with a deep layer of well-rotted garden compost or manure. Prune in late summer, immediately after flowering, removing one in four of the older stems to ground level.