Don't mock them

Plant a philadelphus, or mock orange, now for improbably lovely scent and cascades of sparkling blossom this summer, says John Hoyland

- John Hoyland

MOST nurserymen will confirm that the plant they are most asked for is the one that will grow anywhere, requires little maintenance, has evergreen foliage and produces flowers year round. Of course, such a plant doesn’t exist, but the search reflects the current mode for all-singing, all-dancing, long-flowering plants. Meanwhile, as a result, fleeting beauties are often overlooked. A plant such as the Molly-the-Witch peony (Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii), for example, flowers for only a week, perhaps a few days more if you’re lucky, but who would not want to enjoy such exquisite beauty, however transient it may be? Unfortunately, it is now rarely seen in British gardens.

A similar neglect has befallen the mock oranges, Philadelphus, whose brief flowering for about a month in early summer is regarded as underperformance. They were once a stalwart of British parks and gardens, valued for their delicate white flowers that are filled with perfume. And what a perfume. Sometimes citrusy, sometimes spicy, it is guaranteed to turn heads during those few weeks in June and July. For its scent alone, this is a shrub that should be in every garden. For most of the year, it is unremarkable, but, from the moment the first buds appear to the last petal dropping away, it dazzles.