Lewis's mock orange
Philadelphus lewisii · Hydrangeaceae
Arching branches covered in early summer with four-petalled, pure white, scented flowers. The state flower of Idaho, collected by Meriwether Lewis in 1806.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early June to late June
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around lewis's mock orange
The planner designed this bed around lewis's mock orange when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why lewis's mock orange stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lewis's mock orange × 1, white
- 2 Common thyme × 11, lavender
- 3 Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun' × 11, red
- 4 Juniper 'Gold Cone' × 1, chartreuse leaves
- 5 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 4, tan
- 6 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 7 Hyssop × 3, blue
- 8 Spurge 'Blackbird' × 5, purple leaves
- 9 Rock cress × 27, pink
- 10 Sea thrift × 16, white
- 11 Black-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 12 Allium 'Globemaster' × 6, purple
- 13 Asiatic lily × 5, orange
- 14 Easter lily × 4, white
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are dense clusters, daisies, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do juniper 'Gold Cone' and switchgrass 'Prairie Sky'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early June to late June.
- Fills no gap. Every week it is in flower, at least three other kinds are too. It thickens a season that is already full.
Planned as an English border: 18 of the 20 groups (90%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Black-eyed Susan and switchgrass 'Prairie Sky', recognised partners, are side by side. The back corners are held by juniper 'Gold Cone' and lewis's mock orange, the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where lewis's mock orange goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The native mock orange of the West, drought-tolerant once settled and good for native bees. Scent varies from plant to plant, so buy it in flower if you can.
- Western native gardens
- Dry hedgerows
- Scent and pollinators
What to plant with lewis's mock orange
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Oceanspray: in flower together for three weeks, from mid June; happy in the same dry soil.
- Oregon grape: flowers first, early April to early May, so the spot is never empty; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (5 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Snowberry: in flower together for three weeks, from mid June; low enough (4 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about lewis's mock orange
Does lewis's mock orange need sun or shade?
Lewis's mock orange grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does lewis's mock orange grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does lewis's mock orange flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early June to late June. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Mid June to early July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 6 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 7 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 8 | Late May to late June |
| Zone 9 | Late May to mid June |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should lewis's mock orange be planted?
6 ft (180 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lewis's mock orange plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6 ft (180 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
What flowers after lewis's mock orange?
Lewis's mock orange is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Hollyhock: from early July to late August, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Hardy hibiscus: from late July to mid September, 5 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does lewis's mock orange look like in winter?
Lewis's mock orange drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
More Philadelphus
- Mock orange Philadelphus coronarius
- Mock orange 'Belle Etoile' Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile'
- Mock orange 'Miniature Snowflake' Philadelphus 'Miniature Snowflake'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: June
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 ft (180 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early June to late June; open bowls; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.