Philadelphus coronarius ‘E.A. Bowles’

In my 21 years as Director of Horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens (Janesville, Wisconsin), few shrubs attracted as much attention as our variegated mock orange. Before it had a label, there were countless inquiries and “What IS that!?” was commonly heard throughout the growing season. This is a special shrub and one of my personal favorites. Unfortunately, availability has been a consistent challenge.

Mock orange, a multi-stemmed shrub in the Hydrangeacea family has a long history in garden. This species (native to southern Europe) features abundant clusters of cup-shaped, four-petaled white flowers in late spring that offer an extended radius of powerful, sweet fragrance for about two weeks. Variegated mock orange cultivars of this species have the added interest of white and cream, irregular edges and margins on the medium-green foliage. The varieties ‘E. A. Bowles’ (‘Bowles Variety’) and ‘Variegatus’ are identical and offer significant foliage impact for the entire growing season. The relatively new Icelandic (‘Icezam’) selection is slightly more compact, rounded and has a bit narrower variegation which is still quite striking.

The selection ‘E.A. Bowles’ is typically listed as maturing to 6 feet or so in time, although I found ours to top out closer to 8 feet with a slightly narrower width to the naturally ascending but arching form. They easily tolerate full sun to very light shade. Philadelphus, in general, will grow in average to heavier soils although organically rich and well-drained situations are most preferred. Rarely bothered by diseases, insects or deer, mock oranges may occasionally exhibit leaf spot, canker, powdery mildew and rust. Mock orange should be pruned after flowering, as it blooms on old wood. Rejuvenating the shrub by removing older canes or the rare, severe cutback will result in renewed vigor, although flowering the next season may be compromised. These selections are all cutting propagated.

Why grow Philadelphus coronarius ‘E.A. Bowles’ and ‘Variegatus’?

• Very fragrant flowers
• Elegant variegation on foliage
• Medium-sized specimen shrub
• Rich in nectar for bees and butterflies
• Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society