SWEET MOCK-ORANGE BLOSSOM (PHILADELPHUS CORONARIUS) - PLANTS

It is a popular ornamental plant for gardens in temperate regions, valued for its profuse sweetly scented white blossom in early summer.

Philadelphus coronarius is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangaceae, native to Southern Europe. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 3 m tall by 2,5 m wide, with toothed leaves and bowl-shaped white flowers with prominent stamens. A woody plant smaller than a tree, and usually with several stems from the same root. In the species the blooms are abundant and very fragrant. First grown in Europe in the 1500s.

Sweet Mock Orange produces strongly scented white flowers in clusters of 5 - 7 in late June - early July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils.

As the "Mock" in its name suggests, Mock Orange is not a True Orange. But the citrusy smell of its blossoms was enough to invite comparison, thus accounting for the origin of the shrub's common name.

The leaves are rich in saponins , when crushed and mixed with water they produce a lather that is an effective cleaner, used on the body, clothes. You can wash your hands by merely picking a couple of leaves or a bunch of blossom, wetting your hands and then rubbing the plant material vigorously as if it was a bar of soap. This soap is a very gentle cleaner that does not remove the body's natural oils, but does remove dirt. It is not very effective against oil.