Lemoine’s mock orange

Lemoine’s mock orange: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, slightly arching shrub about 1.5 m tall and wide, with thin brown twigs.

Leaves

Small, ovate and pointed, 2–4 cm, opposite, fresh green; deciduous.

Flowers

Single white flowers about 2.5 cm across with four petals and a centre of yellow stamens, in small clusters in June.

Scent

Strong and sweet, similar to orange blossom; strongest on warm, still evenings.

Fruit

Small brown seed capsules with no ornamental value.

Flowering: June · Plants: March–April and October–November · Pruning: July

Why grow it?

• One of the most strongly scented shrubs in the garden: in June you can smell it from a distance.
• Compact enough for a small garden, a mixed border or a large pot.
• Bees visit the open flowers with their yellow stamens.
• A few flowering stems in a vase will scent a whole room.
• Very hardy, tolerates dry and chalky soil and needs little care.

Lemoine’s mock orange: where does it grow best?

• Full sun to partial shade; in sun it flowers and smells best.
• Sandy, loamy or clay soil, neutral to chalky; it is not fussy at all.
• Dry to moist soil. Once established it copes well with drought, but not with waterlogging in winter.
• Plant it close to a patio, path or window so you can enjoy the scent.
• Allow 1.2–1.5 m; for an informal hedge, plant 80 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

1.5 m tall, 1.5 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Roses: They flower at the same time; together they make a romantic, scented border.
• Catmint: Lavender-blue clouds at its feet that flower for a long time.
• Hardy geranium: An easy ground cover for the front, also in partial shade.
• Lavender: Silver-grey leaves and even more scent in a sunny, dry spot.
• Lilac: Flowers a month earlier, so the scent continues from May into June.

Lemoine’s mock orange: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–November.

1. Plant in March–April or October–November, in mild weather.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix some compost into the soil you dug out.
3. Set the shrub at the same depth as it was in its pot and firm the soil well.
4. Water in thoroughly straight away, even if it is raining.
5. Spread a mulch around the base and water during dry spells in the first year.

Care

Watering

Regularly in the first year. After that only in long dry spells, especially just before and during flowering.

Feeding

A little compost or organic fertiliser in March; no more is needed.

Mulching

A layer of compost or wood chips in spring keeps the soil moist.

Cut flowers

Cut stems when the first flowers open, strip most of the leaves and put them in fresh water.

Tip: Plant it where you often sit in June, for example by the patio: the scent is strongest on warm evenings. After flowering, cut the oldest stems out at the base so it stays young and flowers freely.

Lemoine’s mock orange: when to prune it?

Pruning months: July.

When: Straight after flowering, from late June into July. It flowers on last year’s wood.

How:

• Cut flowered stems back to a strong young side shoot lower down.
• Each year remove a quarter to a third of the oldest stems right at the base.
• Take out thin, weak and dead twigs.
• A neglected shrub can be renovated by cutting all stems back to 30 cm; it will then flower little or not at all the following year.

Caution: Do not prune in winter or early spring: you would cut off that year’s flower buds.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Softwood cuttings

In June–July take 8–10 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots and root them in moist compost under plastic. Roots form within a few weeks.

Hardwood cuttings

In November–December push 20 cm lengths of ripe twigs two-thirds deep into the soil in a sheltered spot; transplant the following year.

Layering

In spring peg a low stem into the soil and sever it after a year.

Lemoine’s mock orange: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy to about −25 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• It is bare in winter. Wait until after flowering to prune.
• In a pot: stand it against a wall and make sure the pot does not sit in water.

Diseases and pests

• Black bean aphid: Black aphids on the tips of young shoots in May–June. Spray them off with water or pinch out the tips; natural predators help.
• Few flowers: Usually pruning at the wrong time or too much shade. Prune only after flowering.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in dry summers. Water during droughts and keep the shrub open.
• Overgrown shrub: Without pruning it becomes a tangle of old wood with few flowers. Rejuvenate by removing some old stems at the base every year.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Add compost or organic fertiliser.
• April: Plant. Mulch.
• May: Buds swell. Watch for black bean aphid.
• June: Flowers and scent. Cut stems for the vase. Take softwood cuttings.
• July: Prune straight after flowering: remove old stems at the base.
• August: Water during long dry spells.
• October: Plant.
• November: Plant. Take hardwood cuttings.
• December: Rest. Take hardwood cuttings.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The Dutch name boerenjasmijn (farmers’ jasmine) is misleading: the plant is not related to true jasmine, but it is related to hydrangeas.
• Victor Lemoine was one of the best-known plant breeders of his time; he also raised many famous lilacs and deutzias.
• The name mock orange comes from the orange-blossom scent. It was once also called syringa in English, which is the scientific name of lilac.