Episode 115 – Garden Nostalgia

When it comes to nostalgic plants, at least here in the colder parts of the US, nearly all of them involve fragrance. I’d say weigela is a big exception to that, as so many people seem to have such fond memories of Grandma’s big ol’ weigela blooming out back and it’s true that especially those old fashioned varieties that were so big that when they were covered in flowers, they would indeed be unforgettable. But most of us tend to recall, or hear stories from others, about Grandma’s lilacs, or peonies, or roses and the reason that these become such heightened memories is because of their fragrance.

In thinking about this, I came across a very interesting article from The Harvard Gazette about smell and memory:
“Smell and memory seem to be so closely linked because of the brain’s anatomy,” said Venkatesh Murthy, the Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard. The article goes on to say that “Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing. Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory.”

So it follows that these fragrant plants loom so large in our memories. And while some old-fashioned fragrant plants will never go out of style (we’re looking at you, lilac), some have nearly disappeared from the market. Like Philadelphus, aka mock orange. As you might guess from that common name, this old fashioned shrub has flowers that do indeed smell like orange blossoms. But it’s actually perfectly hardy, even very hardy – down to USDA 4, and heat tolerant throught USDA zone 8. Each pure white flower is comprised of four petals (with the exception of doubled varieties) and even vaguely resemble orange blossoms, despite the fact that mock orange is actually closely related to hydrangeas (Hydrangeaceae) and citrus is in a completely different family, the Rutaceae.

With such an incredible fragrance and such beautiful flowers, I really don’t know why, exactly, mock orange stopped becoming a go-to garden plant. But I do have some ideas: for one, old-fashioned mockoranges were HUGE plants, easily reaching 10’ tall and wide or more. Second, their June bloom time can be severely truncated by hot weather, causing those incredible flowers to blast through in a mere matter of days, not to make an appearance again until the following June. Finally, old fashioned varieties had thin foliage which would typically start looking kind of greyish and ragged as the season went on. That’s a lot of liabilities, even for a plant as fragrant as mock orange.

Here at Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs, it took us quite a while to develop a mock orange that combined all the good things of the old varieties with none of the bad, and to put it in a package that makes it a realistic option for gardeners and homeowners today. Our first one is today’s plant on trial, Illuminati Tower mockorange (Philadelphus coronarius).

The first thing you’ll notice about this shrub, whether it’s in bloom or not, is that it grows like a tower, with a very upright and narrow habit. There’s little to no branching, so each stem is like a column. The thick, deeply ribbed, dark green foliage sticks out on all sides to enhance the tower effect. When it flowers in June (at least here in Michigan), the blooms are held between the sets of leaves, so they add to the tower effect. Illuminati Tower mock orange reaches 5-6’ tall and just 3-4’ wide, taking up a tiny fraction of space as the old varieties. The foliage holds up well too, and that was one of breeder Tim Wood’s most important qualities he was seeking in our mock oranges.

Illuminati Tower mock orange will grow in full to part sun; more shade becomes increasingly beneficial as you get closer to its USDA zone 8 heat tolerance. You may also find that if you are growing it in a hot, dry area, some shade can contribute to the flower longevity. Like other mock orange, it is quite deer resistant and attracts pollinators.

If you’d like to add Illuminati Tower mock orange – or any of the 320+ Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs – to your garden or landscape, you’ll find a list of local retailers here.