PHILADELPHUS. Mock orange. North America, Asia, Europe. A large group of flowering shrubs, much better appreciated in other parts of the world than here in California. With the recent revival of interest in the flowering shrubs, it seems only fitting that the fine array of selections already available elsewhere should be revisited here. Most have attractive pale bark, arching branches, and paired, pointed-oval leaves. They are decorated in late spring and summer by clusters of white, usually sweetly fragrant, 4- to 5-petalled blossoms with dense central brushes of stamens. Sun, most soils, moderate to regular watering, depending on the species. Hardiness varies.

‘Belle Etoile’. A sturdy, 5-6' shrub with broad, dark 2” leaves. The flowers are borne singly or in groups of only two or three but are exquisite at close range. Each measures about 2” across, with broad white petals spotted with purple at the base. They have a sweet, fruity fragrance, though it does not carry far. 0^oF or less.

‘Buckley’s Quill’. This is one I roundly ignored after receiving it from Steve Campbell. Then it reached critical size and density, and put on a truly dazzling display, instantly converting us all. This is a bushy shrub, probably growing to 5' by 6'. It has the usual dark toothed leaves. The flowers are not only double but have narrow, pointed segments, quite unlike those of other selections. 0^oF or less.

coronarius ‘Variegatus’. This clone is slower growing and floppier than most mock-oranges and might be ignored except for its striking 2" leaves, heavily and irregularly variegated with yellowish cream. The flowers are small and not particularly showy, but they are pleasingly fragrant. Definitely one for the growing ranks of variegated leaf fanatics. 0^oF or less.

‘Fallbrook’. I am still trying to track down the origins of this plant, clearly one of the best of all the mock-oranges. It may be something truly original or more likely, a gratuitous renaming of an existing selection smuggled here from Europe. In any case, it grows at a leisurely pace, probably to 6-8’. It has bright green, deeply veined, 2-3” leaves and an almost nonstop sprinkling of snow white 2½” flowers, with a more massive display in early summer. The flowers are powerfully fragrant. They are slightly irregular in shape and open quite flat. Probably 0^oF or less.

‘Galahad’. I have been unable to uncover the origins of this selection, but it is almost certainly a hybrid of P. microphyllus, described below. It is a dense, round shrub, probably 5' high or less, with small, dark leaves. The flowers are small but abundant and snow white in color. They have the sweet “grape soda” fragrance of P. microphyllus. Probably 0^oF.

lewisii. Northern California. We offer two selections of this showy native shrub. Both are large and closely branched, with arching trunks reaching 8', the bark light brown turning to grey. The 3" leaves are conspicuously toothed, pointed-oval in shape and light green in color. For several weeks in summer the plants are decorated by showers of fragrant pure white blossoms with central brushes of yellow stamens. Those of our own selection, `Covelo’, are single and up to 2" broad. Those of `Goose Creek’, selected by Ray Collett, are 1½" broad and fully double. Sun, most soils, moderate to little watering when established. Hardy to 0^oF or below.

mexicanus. Mexico. A scrambling, almost vining shrub, this species can grow 10-15' high if given support. With pruning, it can be maintained as an ordinary, medium-sized shrub. It has shiny, bright green leaves and intensely fragrant, cupped, cream-colored blossoms, 1-2" broad. The form currently in production has unusually good production of single flowers. There is also a selection with larger though fewer, fully double flowers. Hardy to around 15^o when established.

microphyllus ‘Desert Snow’. California and the Southwest. P. microphyllus is one of the smaller mock-oranges, usually 3-6' tall and broader than tall. It has rather small, narrow, dark green to greyish green leaves, paler beneath. The flowers are pure white and up to 1" broad. Their fragrance varies considerably. In this cultivar, reselected from a group of seedlings kindly given to me for trial, it suggests a mixture of grape and cinnamon candies. Hardy to 0-10^oF.

‘Miniature Snowflake’ (probably ‘Dwarf Snowflake’). The name is a play on the old favorite, ‘Minnesota Snowflake’, a 5-6' shrub bearing great masses of double snow-white flowers. This selection is smaller and slower growing, but it has similar clusters of double white flowers. 0^oF or less.