Mock orange 'Belle Etoile'
Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' ·
Large, single, white flowers, each with a maroon-purple stain at the centre, and one of the finest scents of any shrub: orange blossom and pineapple.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early June to late June
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around mock orange 'Belle Etoile'
The planner designed this bed around mock orange 'Belle Etoile' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why mock orange 'Belle Etoile' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Mock orange 'Belle Etoile' × 1, white
- 2 Common thyme × 7, lavender
- 3 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 4, purple
- 4 Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' × 4, yellow
- 5 Southernwood × 3, grey-green leaves
- 6 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 3, tan
- 7 Persian fritillary × 5, purple
- 8 Allium 'Globemaster' × 5, purple
- 9 Schubert's allium × 5, pink
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are dense clusters, daisies, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does little bluestem 'The Blues'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 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 sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' (4½ 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 three weeks. From early June to late June.
- Fills no gap. Every week it is in flower, at least four other kinds are too. It thickens a season that is already full.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 48% of the visual weight and the right half 52%. The scheme leans cool (lavender, purple and pink) and uses yellow for warmth, with white and tan to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 5 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where mock orange 'Belle Etoile' goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 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 best mock orange for a garden of ordinary size. For two weeks in June its scent carries across a lawn. Prune out a third of the flowered stems each year.
- Scent in early summer
- The back of a mixed border
- Cutting
What to plant with mock orange 'Belle Etoile'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Peony: in flower together for three weeks, from early June; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
- English rose: in flower together for three weeks, from early June.
- Catmint 'Six Hills Giant': in flower together for three weeks, from early June; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
Questions about mock orange 'Belle Etoile'
Does mock orange 'Belle Etoile' need sun or shade?
Mock orange 'Belle Etoile' 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 ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does mock orange 'Belle Etoile' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does mock orange 'Belle Etoile' 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 5 | Early June to late June |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Early June to late June |
| Zone 7 | Late May to mid June |
| Zone 8 | 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 mock orange 'Belle Etoile' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many mock orange 'Belle Etoile' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is there a native plant like mock orange 'Belle Etoile'?
Mock orange 'Belle Etoile' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Ninebark 'Summer Wine': the same job in a bed, the same size, the same flowering time and the same colour.
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in narrower.
- Virginia sweetspire: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in shorter, 12 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after mock orange 'Belle Etoile'?
Mock orange 'Belle Etoile' is over by late June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Delphinium: from late June to mid July, 5 ft tall.
- Russian sage: from mid July to mid September, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Garden phlox: from mid July to early September, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does mock orange 'Belle Etoile' look like in winter?
Mock orange 'Belle Etoile' 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
- Lewis's mock orange Philadelphus lewisii
- Mock orange Philadelphus coronarius
- Mock orange 'Miniature Snowflake' Philadelphus 'Miniature Snowflake'
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: June
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 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 5 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.