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Mock Orange
Philadelphus lewisii
  
About Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii) 49 Nurseries Carry This Plant Mock Orange (Philadephus lewisii) is a deciduous shrub in the Hydrangeaceae (Hydrangea) family native to western North America, from northwestern California in the Sierra Nevada, north to southern British Columbia, and east to Idaho and Montana. It is widespread but not terribly common, usually appearing as an individual plant amongst other species. It was entered into Western record by Meriwether Lewis in 1806.

The shrub sends out long stems, which are red when new and fade to gray with age, the bark shredding in small flakes. Its leaves are light green in color with a rough texture, generally turning a lovely yellow in fall.

Mock Orange produces large flowers in clusters at the ends of long stems, each with four white petals and numerous yellow stamens. At the height of flowering, the plant is covered in a mass of blossoms that form an attractive garden focal point. The flowers have a heavy, sweet scent similar to orange blossoms with a hint of pineapple; these are among the most fragrant flowers of any California native plant. The fruit is a small hard capsule with woody, pointed wings, containing many brown seeds.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
4.9 - 12 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Butterflies love the flowers.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Eupithecia maestosa Image
Eupithecia maestosaEupithecia maestosa

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 3x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Well-drained soils that are coarse to medium (rich, loamy) textured. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis), Ceanothus spp., Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), California Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Oaks (Quercus spp.), and Gooseberry and Currant (Ribes spp.)

Maintenance
Maintenance
Flowers on last year's wood, so prune non-productive or dead wood directly after end of bloom period. Can coppice if plant is quite woody with sparse foliage. This method can significantly improve the appearance of this shrub, but be careful not to cut the roots!

Propagation
Propagation?
Seed, cuttings or root sections. For propagating by seed: 2 to 3 months stratification.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Rocky slopes, canyons, open areas primarily of mountainous regions between 1000 and 4000 ft as a component of foothill woodland or evergreen forest

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 10.2" - 133.8", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 4.23", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 52.2", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 76.8", Humidity: 0.21" - 26.55", Elevation: 21" - 11310"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Philadelphus lewisii ssp. gordonianus
Common Names: Lewis' Mock Orange, Lewis' Mock-orange, Lewis' Mockorange


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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