The Plant of the week for June 20 2019 is the Mock Orange Philadelphus sp.

The Plant of the Week for the week of June 20th is the Mock Orange Philidelphus lewisii pictured here but all the Mock orange family is a blast of white in the month of June! This one happens to be native to the Okanagan and has been showing off now for at least a few weeks. It is a plant that adapts well to dry conditions and seems to relish the most difficult growing conditions. One of the nicest specimens I found is growing in a parking lot out of a crack in the pavement along a concrete wall and is a ball of blooms about 8ft x 8ft. What a tough plant. Mock orange plants don't like to be trimmed and tend to not bloom if tampered with too much. The best thing to do is plant it water the first year and then just leave it alone! There are a few dwarf varieties that may be best to select when planting in a regular to small sized garden as most of the regular varieties can grow to 12ft or more high and wide. Ken Salvail