Philadelphus microphyllus
Little leaf Mock orange
- Height × spread
- 1m × 1m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This small philadelphus has richly fragrant flowers. It has small leaves and a dainty appearance, making a twiggy bush. The flowers are simple, very small and come in June and July. This shrub makes a pretty, low key, winter feature with its slender, grey-brown stems held upright. Their young tips are slightly burnished, pinkish bronze in sunlight. It has reddish brown, peeling bark. It is best to prune this as soon as it has finished flowering when the flowered shoots should be cut back to lower buds. Remove a fifth of the stems to the base of the plant on well established specimens. This reaches around 1m (3ft)height and spread.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, fruity-pineapple
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 1m
- Spread
- 1m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Scented garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Structural, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant
- Deer
- Protect from deer when young if in vulnerable area
- Maintenance
- Easycare – low/no maintenance
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Summer
Summer - early-mid · Planting
Prune after flowering
When the plant has flowered, cut all the flowered shoots back to healthy buds that are lower on the stems. When the plant is established, take out a quarter of the oldest branches to the ground at this time.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Found in
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Philadelphus coronarius 'Aureus'
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Philadelphus
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Philadelphus 'Dainty Lady'
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Philadelphus 'Lemoinei'
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Philadelphus 'Manteau d'Hermine'
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