Japanese mock orange

Japanese mock orange: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, rounded shrub, here 1.5–2 m tall and as wide; ‘Nanum’ stays much smaller.

Leaves

Obovate, 5–10 cm long, thick, leathery and glossy dark green, with a slightly rolled-under edge. They are arranged in whorls at the tips of the shoots.

Flower

Clusters of small, star-shaped flowers 1–1.5 cm across at the shoot tips, in May–June.

Scent

Sweet and strong, like orange blossom.

Colour

Creamy white when they open, later butter yellow.

Fruit

After a warm summer, sometimes round green capsules that split open to show sticky orange-red seeds.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: April–May · Pruning: April and July

Why grow it?

• Glossy evergreen leaves that look fresh and neat all year round.
• Strongly scented flowers in May–June that you can smell from a distance.
• The flowers attract bees and other insects.
• Tolerates drought, wind and even salty sea air: ideal for a sunny patio or a coastal garden.
• Easy to prune into a ball, a low hedge or a handsome container plant with a Mediterranean feel.

Japanese mock orange: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; it flowers best in sun.
• Any well-drained soil: sand, loam or clay, acid to chalky.
• Dry to moderately moist; it dislikes wet roots in winter.
• Sheltered from cold east and north winds, for example against a south- or west-facing wall or in a town garden.
• Plant 1.5–2 m apart, or 60–80 cm apart for a low hedge.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

2 m tall, 2 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -10 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Lavender: Purple and silver-grey beside the glossy green leaves, in the same sunny, dry spot.
• Rosemary: Another Mediterranean evergreen that needs shelter and good drainage.
• African lily: Round blue flower heads in summer, lovely in a pot alongside.
• Olive tree: Together in pots on the patio they give a southern feel.
• Rock rose: Flowers in summer in a warm, dry spot and also likes shelter.

Japanese mock orange: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant in April–May, so that it can root well before winter.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and on heavy soil mix in coarse sand or grit for drainage.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. In a pot: choose one with a drainage hole, put a layer of clay pebbles or gravel in the bottom and use potting compost mixed with some sand.
5. Water thoroughly straight away and regularly in dry weather during the first season.
6. Spread a mulch of bark or compost around the base.

Care

Water

Regularly in the first year. After that it is drought-tolerant in open ground; in a pot water regularly in summer.

Feeding

Some compost or organic fertiliser in April. In a pot, a little organic fertiliser every month from April to July.

Mulching

A layer of bark or compost keeps the roots cool in summer and gives some protection in winter.

Repotting

Every 2–3 years in spring, into a slightly larger pot with fresh compost.

Frost protection

In severe frost, a double layer of horticultural fleece over the shrub and a thick mulch over the roots.

Tip: Grow it in a large pot on castors: in severe frost you can wheel it to a frost-free place without effort.

Japanese mock orange: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April and July.

When: After flowering, in July, to keep it in shape. In April, cut out any frost damage.

How:

• After flowering, cut off spent clusters and overlong shoots just above a whorl of leaves.
• For a ball or a low hedge, clip it into shape in July; it soon fills out again.
• In April, cut frozen brown shoots back to healthy green wood.
• An old, leggy shrub can be cut back hard in spring: it usually reshoots from old wood.

Caution: Do not prune after August: new shoots will not ripen before winter and are more easily killed by frost.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–August, take 10 cm cuttings from non-flowering shoots, preferably with a heel. Remove the lower leaves and insert them in moist cutting compost under plastic or in a cold frame. They root within a few months.

Seed

Rinse the sticky coating off ripe seeds and sow them in autumn or spring in a warm, light place. Germination can take several months.

Japanese mock orange: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −10 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Moderately hardy, to about −10 °C. In mild Belgian winters it survives outdoors in a sheltered spot; in harder frost shoots, or sometimes the whole shrub, are killed.
• In severe frost, cover it with a double layer of fleece and spread a thick mulch over the roots.
• In a pot: in frosty weather move it to a light, cool, frost-free place such as an unheated greenhouse or a garage with a window, at 2–10 °C. Water sparingly then.
• Put the pot back outside in March–April, as soon as hard frosts are over.

Diseases and pests

• Scale insects and mealybugs: Brown bumps or white fluff on the stems and under the leaves, with sticky leaves and black sooty mould. Brush or wipe them off and wash the leaves with a mild soap solution.
• Aphids: On young shoots in spring. Ladybirds usually deal with them; otherwise hose them off with water.
• Frost damage: Brown, limp leaves and shoots after a hard winter. Wait until April, then cut back to healthy wood: it often reshoots.
• Waterlogging: Yellow leaves and a plant that slowly declines, especially in a pot without drainage or on wet clay. Make sure the pot has a hole and the soil drains freely.

Through the year

• January: Cover in severe frost. Water plants in pots sparingly.
• March: Gradually move plants in pots outside in mild weather.
• April: Plant. Cut out frost damage. Give compost or fertiliser.
• May: Plant. The fragrant flowering begins.
• June: Full flower. Water plants in pots regularly.
• July: Prune into shape after flowering. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
• August: Take cuttings. Water in dry weather. Stop pruning.
• October: Mulch over the roots. Get fleece ready.
• November: Move plants in pots to a light, frost-free place.
• December: Cover with fleece in severe frost.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Pittosporum comes from the Greek pitta (pitch) and spora (seed): the seeds are coated in a sticky, resinous layer.
• It tolerates salty sea winds and is therefore widely planted as a coastal hedge around the Mediterranean.
• The flowers change from creamy white to yellow, so you often see two colours in one cluster.