Pearls of Perfume Mock Orange Offers Lengthy and Fragrant Bloom
This mock orange blooms all summer
Pearls of Perfume is a hybrid mock orange (Philadelphus) that reblooms from spring through fall, with white double flowers that emit a citrusy scent. This fragrant shrub works in a mixed garden border or a large container, or it can be planted in multiples as a flowering hedge. Pearls of Perfume mock orange made the shortlist for Plant of the Year at 2023’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Common name: Pearls of Perfume mock orange
Botanical name: Philadelphus ‘G15097’
Type of plant: Reblooming deciduous shrub
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Flowers: Large (three-inch-wide), sterile (non-seed-setting), fragrant, pure white flowers with double the typical number of petals rebloom from spring to fall. This mock orange blooms on both old and new growth, prolonging its flowering season.
Related: Learn why and how to base a garden on white and silver flowers and foliage in “Take Up the Tradition of a Pale Garden”
Foliage: Deciduous, deep green and oval in shape. Insignificant fall color.
Size and habit: This mock orange grows four to five feet tall and three to four feet wide, with upright stems forming a vase shape. Its dense branching and quick growth contribute to its heavy flowering.
Origins: A part of the Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection, Pearls of Perfume mock orange was introduced in 2022. Bred in Pennsylvania by Rick Grazzini at GardenGenetics, it is a hybrid between Philadelphus lewisii ‘Snow Velvet’ and an unnamed Philadelphus x virginalis. The species Philadelphus lewisii is a fragrant-flowered shrub native to the northwestern United States and adjacent Canadian provinces, where it grows on rocky slopes and in open woods. It is the state flower of Idaho. Philadelphus x virginalis is itself a hybrid species that typically has semi-double or double flowers.
How to grow it: Plant Pearls of Perfume mock orange in a well-draining spot that receives moderate watering in full sun to part shade. It prefers a soil rich in organic matter, but it tolerates poorer soil. Flowers bloom from buds set on the previous year’s growth as well as new growth. The compact size of this shrub should make pruning unnecessary, but it can be trimmed after the first flush of blooms in spring if the gardener desires. USDA Zones 5–8.
Image courtesy of Southern Living Plants Collection
