Philadelphus for Pretty White Blooms
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) lots of flowers
Philadelphus lewisii ‘Blizzard’ (Blizzard mockorange) makes a wonderful hardy shrub for part shade in a cold climate. They have pretty white blossoms and a wonderful fragrance. My Philadelphus has been a reliable bloomer, even after cold winters and spring frosts.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) white buds
This Philadelphus lewisii ‘Blizzard’ (Blizzard mockorange) is an especially hardy version of mock orange that grows well in a northern garden. Even after a cold zone 3 winter, the shrub is full of these pretty white blooms. I thought that I might not get flowers this year, since we had a number of late spring frosts, but the blizzard mockorange has excelled itself with an abundance of these pretty blossoms. This has been a very reliable bloomer for me.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) with Campanula
This closeup shows how many gorgeous flowers there are on the end of each Philadelphus stem. Behind there are flashes of blue peeking through from the Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian bellflower) and a frond of Osmunda regalis (royal fern).
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) pretty blooms
In the above photo you can see the pure white petals with the golden centres. The mockorange blooms come after the spring flowering shrubs, but before the Hydrangea. In my zone 3 garden that is at the end of June, beginning of July. They are a good choice if you are looking for an early summer flowering shrub.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) branching structure
My Blizzard mockorange is about over a metre tall (4 feet) and 1.5 metres (5 feet) wide. It might grow a bit more still, but this shrub maintains a compact size. The branches of Philadelphus lewisii ‘Blizzard’ have a very nice red colour, that remains attractive after the leaves have fallen off the shrub in fall. The branching pattern of ‘Blizzard’ is more elegant than my Philadelphus virginalis (basic mockorange). It has a number of shorter branches, with the smaller branches coming off at right angles opposite to each other, whereas the Philadelphus virginalis tends to have a smaller number of very long branches, in a looser shape, that come off at awkward angles, looking ungainly.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) blooms closeup
Almost every branch end has a set of pretty white flowers. This shrub has a multitude of blooms, even in part shade. This garden bed gets about 2 hours of sun a day, and some dappled light as the trees sway overhead. I’ve been very pleased with its performance here.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) branch patio
The flowers of Blizzard mockorange has a faint scent that is beautiful, but it is not strong enough to perfume a large area of the garden. The fragrance is not quite as powerful as other Philadelphus. You have to bend over and sniff the blossoms to enjoy the sweet smell. The shrub is planted right next to my patio by my back door, so it is easy to enjoy the flowers and scent up close.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) shrub
Philadelphus lewisii ‘Blizzard’ is a prolific bloomer, with lovely white flowers, even after extra cold weather. With its attractive branching pattern, and overall shape, it looks good, even when not in bloom. I can recommend this for a zone 3 garden, if you are looking for a compact, early summer flowering shrub. In the photo below, you can see how Blizzard looks as the buds are just opening.
Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard' (mockorange) lots of blooms
You can read more information about this mockorange shrub in this post.
Beautiful pictures! I recently planted a Blizzard mockorange, it was covered in buds when I bought it, and they’ve just opened. The flowers are beautiful, I prefer the classic shape of the single flower to the double flowers which some mockoranges have. Mine is somewhat ungainly, but I will prune it this fall for a better shape. Northern Shade, have you ever had to prune yours? :)
Rebecca, this is the fourth summer in my garden for this Blizzard mockorange and I haven’t pruned it yet. It has kept a nice shape, and fits the space well. If you do prune it, I would prune it right after it finishes blooming.
Hello there NS . This was a great post. I haven’t had good luck with flowers blooming from two different mock oranges I have had. I have Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’ right now and it is a pretty ornamental shrub even without the flowers .. I’ve had it about 4 or 5 years now and I’m wondering why it just doesn’t want to bloom for me .. no flower buds , good growth but after I wait as long as i can to see if there are flower buds, I eventually trim it back to the size I want it to be where it is .. I’m wondering about fertilizing it ? Do you have any suggestions ?
Thanks
Joy
I have this in my garden but never knew what it was. Thanks for the info! -Jackie
Joy, although they can take part shade, I think that too much shade really cuts into the blooms of some mockorange. I suspect that this particular version, Philadelphus lewisii ‘Blizzard’ is just a more reliable bloomer. It seems to take the shade and the cold better, and still put on a great flower show. My Philadelphus virginalis just does not bloom well.
I actually don’t fertilize mine, but I don’t fertilize any of my plants, except with the recycled garden plant matter, mostly leaves, tree debris, and decomposing mulches.
Jackie, I really like this shrub for early summer. It is making a wall of white blooms now, and it’s a delight to walk by.
So many flowers on your Philadelphus so the perfume most be wonderful
Joanne, I noticed the fragrance from the Philadelphus much more today, and the scent seemed to be carrying farther. It might be because it’s been raining off and on, or perhaps more flowers are fully open. It was very sweet.
I think you have just solved the questions of what else to plant in my new side yard garden.
Northern Shade, I’ve never had a mock orange. They’re very pretty, aren’t they? I didn’t know these would tolerate so much shade. I’m going to have to look into them. Thanks! :-)
Swimray, as I was working in the garden today, I kept walking by this Philadelphus, and I really enjoyed the fragrance, and pretty blooms.
Shady Gardener, I know they can take part shade, but I don’t know if other types of mockorange take as much shade as this one. I’ve been very pleased with how well Blizzard has accepted the conditions and flowered so prolifically.
Your ‘Blizzard’ mock orange does seem much more floriferous than the taller mockoranges I remember as a child. If I recall, those mock oranges grew under on an elm-shaded avenue (back when there were elms); I don’t know how much shade contributed to the scanty flowering, but they were tall healthy plants.
Does Blizzard make mock orange fruit? I remember playing with them as a kid, they looked like baseballs made of green squiggly brains. Rather heavy and hard, so if you have the tall kind, don’t plant them in a place you’d sit under.
Pomona, my P. virginalis (common mockorange) has very few buds on it, which are just about to open. It hasn’t had any flowers up to now, so no chance to make mockorange fruit.
Whereas the Blizzard mockorange is a real focal point right now in the garden with all of its petals. It has bloomed every year.
Edmonton is one of the few places that still has a healthy elm population. Some of the older neighbourhoods still have elm lined streets.
Could someone please tell me how to prune my blizzard mockorange? First time I’ve had it and can’t seem to find advice. All comments welcome – thank you in advance! Sheila
Hi# 13, I haven’t had to prune my blizzard mockorange yet, as it is relatively young, has a nice shape and is blooming well. I would take out dead, damaged or diseased branches any time I saw them, by cutting them back to where they branch from.
For more regular pruning, I would prune it just after the flowers fade. In my garden that’s around mid to the end of July, but might be earlier where you are. If there were any awkward branches that stick out unusually in the way, I would prune those back to where they branch from. If the shrub is older, crowded or tangled, you can prune a few of the oldest branches (thicker and more established) right back to their base.