PlantFiles: Wild Mock Orange, Lewis Mockorange
Philadelphus lewisii

Our mock organge was planted over 100 years ago. Partial sun. Had trouble with die back from some insect laying eggs in stems. Had earlier taken roots from it for a new plant which is doing well now. Great smell. Destroyed the old plant.

I moved into my home two yrs. ago and accquired a mock orange in my back yard. It grows so fast! It has bloomed every year so far. I trimmed it back after it bloomed last year. I am waiting for it to bloom so far this year then I will trim it down again. It is Huge! Like maybe 10' tall and just as wide.

I would like to know how to take cuttings and start another one. Anyone know what I should do?

I grew up in South Mississippi where we had a Mock Orange that was a deep green with extra large thorns and bore a small "mock" orange fruit. Now that I live in northeast Louisiana I have another variety of mock orange that produces white flowers; blooming at this time, in fact. What is the South Mississippi thingy that we we grew up with?

There are several varieties of this bush. I have three. The regular one, which needs to be thinned every year after blooming to remove the dead wood and to get it back into shape, one with miniature flowers, the size of a man's fingernail, and a mini-multi, which has almost trumpet like double flowers, which grow in clusters. The two variations are not as strong smelling and need less pruning.

I have two mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) here near Detroit, Michigan, and they are my favorite flowering plants. They are blooming now (late June) and the scent permeates my entire yard. I've had them about 15 years.

I like these so much that, about 10 years ago, I bought two more which I planted right next to the first two. The newer ones never bloomed. Since then, I've pruned them back and moved them twice. Also fertilized. No luck. All I get is leaves.

Meanwhile, the first two are blooming profusely.

I have had a Mock Orange in my front yard for 20 years. I prune it ever two years. I can count on it blooming near July 1st each year. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I love the perfumy blossoms.

When this plant blooms, the blossoms and fragrance are wonderful and it is thus a favorite plant, though poor pruning has made our oldest one very woody and sparse (and over 10' tall). Perhaps because there are others nearby, our plant is fertile and new sprouts often appear elsewhere on our property. They grow quickly with water and full sun and will bloom in two years.