Philadelphus lewisii
low
white
early summer
5 to 7 ft.
5 to 7 ft.
No
Pacific northwest United States
sun, part shade
USDA zones 3-9
hardy to 8,000 ft.
Cheyenne mock orange is an upright, rounded shrub best known for its intensely fragrant flowers. The two-inch white blossoms appear in late May and have a wonderful sweet scent, appearing on the ends of thin reddish-brown branches.
Growing to be a large shrub, Cheyenne mock orange has green, somewhat drooping leaves and long branches. This is a very resilient shrub that can easily tolerate Colorado Springs' weather extremes.
Cheyenne mock orange is growing in part shade at the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden. The shape of the shrub can get quite irregular with branches of different lengths. However, the flowers are very beautiful and have an intoxicating fragrance.
When not it bloom, it's not that noticeable. But when it's bloom, it is a plant you will treasure.
Prune out any dead or damaged branches as needed. As the shrub matures, it may become irregular shaped. Periodically cutting all the stems to ground level in late winter (rejuvenation pruning every 5 years or so) will allow the shrub to regrow into a more uniform shape.